Friday is here, and the 'A Taste of Science for the Weekend' column is back — number 99.
This time: what really makes snake venom so deadly, the challenges of developing effective antiserum, and why camels, of all animals, are the answer.
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Although snakebites affect millions of people worldwide every year, the vast majority of victims live in rural areas of developing countries — and so there is insufficient economic incentive to develop effective antivenoms at a commercial scale.
Snake venom is a complex cocktail of proteins, and the way it causes poisoning varies across different snake families.
Cobra venom, for example, contains alpha-neurotoxins that attack the muscular system.
For a muscle to contract, a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine is released onto it, allowing sodium to enter and trigger the contraction. Alpha-neurotoxins bind to those same receptors in the muscle and block them from functioning, leading to paralysis of vital organs.
Mamba venom works in the opposite way — it prevents the muscle from breaking down the neurotransmitter that causes it to contract, leaving the muscles locked in a contracted state for hours until systems collapse.
Other types of venom break down cells, perforate them, or detach them from surrounding tissue.
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The antivenom most commonly used today is serum-based, produced by a method developed in the late 19th century.
Venom is milked from various snakes, injected into livestock such as horses, and the blood of the immunized animals then undergoes a complex filtration process to extract the antibodies.
The process is lengthy and complicated, and because even after filtration the animal's blood still contains various proteins and antibodies against other diseases, there is a risk that the person receiving the antiserum will develop an immune reaction that can be just as dangerous as the venom itself.
The antiserum must be kept refrigerated, which limits its availability in the remote rural areas where it is needed most.
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Camels are considered relatively resistant to snakebites — an ability that evolved in the desert environment they inhabit. A rumor once circulated that camel tears are a magic potion containing miraculous antibodies, but this claim is far from scientifically proven.
What is true about camels is that their blood contains a large quantity of nanobodies, unlike the large, bulky antibodies produced from livestock using existing methods.
Nanobodies can easily reach the entire bloodstream and every living cell, they remain stable at relatively high temperatures, and they bind with high efficiency to venom proteins.
In late 2025, a research team succeeded in creating an antiserum based on nanobodies developed in the laboratory.
In the first stage, they collected venom from numerous snake species. Using the venom, they immunized alpacas and llamas (members of the camelid family) over 60 weeks, carefully analyzed the resulting antibodies, and isolated 8 nanobodies that proved most effective against a wide range of venom types.
Beyond their high efficacy, the nanobodies can be grown in the laboratory in commercial quantities by introducing them into bacteria or yeast.
In Israel, the primary danger comes from viper bites, and the antiserum currently used is still based on traditional methods and produced in local facilities. One can only hope that the new nanobodies will reach us as well — in addition to the impoverished regions that need them so desperately.
Shabbat Shalom 😊
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In the video: mambas — particularly venomous and dangerous snakes widespread across Africa.
Although they are typically green or grey, the black mamba gets its name from the color of the inside of its mouth. | Video credit: Nat Geo Animals
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