A5071312660- Venomous Animal Envenomation and Studies
- Rabies epidemiology and control
- Marine Invertebrate Physiology and Ecology
- Healthcare and Venom Research
- Biochemical and Structural Characterization
- Bioactive Natural Diterpenoids Research
- Toxin Mechanisms and Immunotoxins
- Yersinia bacterium, plague, ectoparasites research
- Parasite Biology and Host Interactions
- Bird parasitology and diseases
- Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptors Study
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Mosquito-borne diseases and control
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine
2019-2025
Snakebite envenoming remains a devastating and neglected tropical disease, claiming over 100,000 lives annually causing severe complications long-lasting disabilities for many more1,2. Three-finger toxins (3FTx) are highly toxic components of elapid snake venoms that can cause diverse pathologies, including tissue damage3 inhibition nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, resulting in life-threatening neurotoxicity4. At present, the only available treatments snakebites consist polyclonal...
Snakebite is a medical emergency causing high mortality and morbidity in rural tropical communities that typically experience delayed access to unaffordable therapeutics. Viperid snakes are responsible for the majority of envenomings, but extensive interspecific variation venom composition dictates different antivenom treatments used parts world, resulting clinical financial snakebite management challenges. Here, we show number repurposed Phase 2-approved small molecules capable broadly...
Snakebite envenoming causes 138,000 deaths annually, and ~400,000 victims are left with permanent disabilities. Envenoming by saw-scaled vipers (Viperidae: Echis) leads to systemic hemorrhage coagulopathy represents a major cause of snakebite mortality morbidity in Africa Asia. The only specific treatment for snakebite, antivenom, has poor specificity low affordability must be administered clinical settings because its intravenous delivery high rates adverse reactions. This requirement...
Morbidity from snakebite envenoming affects approximately 400,000 people annually. Tissue damage at the bite-site often leaves victims with catastrophic life-long injuries and is largely untreatable by current antivenoms. Repurposed small molecule drugs that inhibit specific snake venom toxins show considerable promise for tackling this neglected tropical disease. Using human skin cell assays as an initial model snakebite-induced dermonecrosis, we 2,3-dimercapto-1-propanesulfonic acid...
Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that causes substantial mortality and morbidity globally. The venom of African spitting cobras often permanent injury via tissue-destructive dermonecrosis at the bite site, which ineffectively treated by current antivenoms. To address this therapeutic gap, we identified etiological toxins in Naja nigricollis responsible for causing local dermonecrosis. While cytotoxic three-finger were primarily cobra cytotoxicity cultured keratinocytes,...
Snakebites affect about 1.8 million people annually. The current standard of care involves antibody-based antivenoms, which can be difficult to access and are generally not effective against local tissue injury, the primary cause morbidity. Here, we used a pooled whole-genome CRISPR knockout screen define human genes that, when targeted, modify cell responses spitting cobra venoms. A large portion modifying that conferred resistance venom cytotoxicity was found control proteoglycan...
In the UK, exotic reptiles are increasingly popular as pets, and housed in zoological collections, whilst venomous snakes of medical importance have long been focus herpetological studies. As all can harbour protist helminth parasites, some these may carry tangible zoonotic risk. This study utilised traditional molecular diagnostic techniques, including sedimentation-flotation, real-time polymerase chain reaction (rtPCR), necropsy, to investigate endoparasite infections captive-bred (CB)...
Snakebite envenoming affects more than 250,000 people annually in sub-Saharan Africa. Envenoming by
<title>Abstract</title> Snakebite envenoming remains a devastating and neglected tropical disease, claiming over 100,000 lives annually causing severe complications long-lasting disabilities for many more<sup>1,2</sup>. Three-finger toxins (3FTx) are highly toxic components of elapid snake venoms that can cause diverse pathologies, including tissue damage<sup>3</sup> inhibition nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) resulting in life-threatening neurotoxicity<sup>4</sup>. Currently, the...
Background: Across North America an estimated 3,800 —6,500 snakebite envenomings occur annually, resulting in 7—15 deaths and unknown number of disfigurements disabilities. Most bites are caused by Crotalid rattlesnake species. The variable diversity toxin complexity crotalid venoms presents a considerable challenge to developing broadly effective small molecule therapeutics better treat this region. Methods: We evaluated the ability three molecule, inhibiting, repurposed drugs inhibit venom...
Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that causes high mortality and morbidity. The current treatment, intravenous antivenom, comes with numerous disadvantages making new therapeutics important. Optimised small molecules offer the possibility for oral use at onset of envenoming, highly pathogenic, zinc-dependent, snake venom metalloproteinase toxin family represents an attractive target drug discovery. Through systematic chemical modification guided by molecular modelling, we...
Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease that causes high rates of global mortality and morbidity. Although snakebite can cause variety pathologies in victims, haemotoxic effects are particularly common typically characterised by haemorrhage and/or venom-induced consumption coagulopathy. Despite polyclonal antibody-based antivenoms being the mainstay life-saving therapy for snakebite, they associated with limited cross-snake species efficacy, as there often extensive toxin variation between...
Snakebite is a major public health concern in Eswatini, where treatment relies upon one antivenom-SAIMR Polyvalent. Although effective treating snakebite, SAIMR Polyvalent difficult to source outside its manufacturing country (South Africa) and dauntingly expensive. We compared the preclinical venom-neutralising efficacy of two alternative antivenoms with that against lethal tissue-destructive effects venoms from five species medically important snakes using vivo murine assays. The test were...
Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease that causes high global rates of mortality and morbidity. Although snakebite can cause variety pathologies in victims, haemotoxic effects are particularly common typically characterised by haemorrhage and/or venom-induced consumption coagulopathy. Antivenoms the mainstay therapeutic for treating toxic snakebite, but despite saving thousands lives annually, these therapies associated with limited cross-snake species efficacy due to venom variation,...
Snakebite envenoming is a global public health issue that causes significant morbidity and mortality, particularly in low-income regions of the world. The clinical manifestations envenomings vary depending on snake's venom, with paralysis, haemorrhage, necrosis being most common medically relevant effects. To assess efficacy antivenoms against dermonecrosis, preclinical testing approach involves vivo mouse models mimic local tissue effects cytotoxic snakebites humans. However, current...
Abstract Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease that causes high rates of global mortality and morbidity. Although snakebite can cause variety pathologies in victims, haemotoxic effects are particularly common typically characterised by haemorrhage and/or venom-induced consumption coagulopathy. Despite polyclonal antibody-based antivenoms being the mainstay life-saving therapy for snakebite, they associated with limited cross-snake species efficacy, as there often extensive toxin...
Abstract Morbidity from snakebite envenoming affects approximately 400,000 people annually. Tissue damage at the bite-site often leaves victims with catastrophic life-long injuries and is largely untreatable by currently available antivenoms. Repurposing small molecule drugs that inhibit specific snake venom toxins offers a potential new treatment strategy for tackling this neglected tropical disease. Using human skin cell assays as an initial model snakebite-induced dermonecrosis, we show...
Abstract Antivenom is currently the first-choice treatment for snakebite envenoming. However, only a low proportion of antivenom immunoglobulins are specific to venom toxins, resulting in poor dose efficacy and potency. We sought investigate whether linear epitopes displayed on virus like particles can stimulate an antibody response capable recognising toxins from diverse medically important species. Bioinformatically-designed epitopes, corresponding predicted conserved regions group I...
Snakebite envenoming was reintroduced as a Category A Neglected Tropical Disease by the World Health Organization in 2017. Since then, increased attention has been directed towards this affliction and development of deeper understanding how snake venoms exert their toxic effects antivenoms can counter them. However, most our vivo generated knowledge stems from use animal models which do not always accurately reflect pathogenic manifest humans. Moreover, experiments are associated with pain,...
ABSTRACT Venom spitting is a defence mechanism based on airborne venom delivery used by number of different African and Asian elapid snake species (‘spitting cobras’; Naja spp. Hemachatus spp.). Adaptations underpinning have been studied extensively at both behavioural morphological level in cobras, but the role physical properties itself its effective projection remains largely unstudied. We hereby provide first comparative study non-spitting cobras. measured viscosity, protein...
Background: The genus Echis is of high medical importance across Africa. Recently the taxonomy its most medically important species, ocellatus, underwent a revision, resulting in splitting species into E. romani and leading to uncertainty efficacy antivenoms indicated for treatment 'E. ocellatus' envenomings against two redefined species.Methods: We compared vitro murine preclinical venom-neutralising three (EchiTAbG, SAIMR Echiven) raised ocellatus sensu lato venoms investigated...
Abstract Snakebite envenoming causes 138,000 deaths annually and ~400,000 victims are left with permanent disabilities. Envenoming by saw-scaled vipers (Viperidae: Echis ) leads to systemic hemorrhage coagulopathy, represents a major cause of snakebite mortality morbidity in Africa Asia. The only specific treatment for snakebite, antivenom, has poor specificity, low affordability, must be administered clinical settings due its intravenous delivery high rates adverse reactions. This...
Abstract Snakebite is a medical emergency causing high mortality and morbidity in rural tropical communities that typically experience delayed access to unaffordable therapeutics. Viperid snakes are responsible for the majority of envenomings, but extensive interspecific variation venom composition dictates different antivenom treatments used parts world, resulting clinical fiscal snakebite management challenges. Here, we show number repurposed Phase 2-approved small molecules capable...