Thousands of lives could be saved thanks to a breakthrough in the development of snake antivenin, making it more readily available around the world.
Scientists are poised to transform the way antivenin – commonly referred to as antivenom – is mass produced after discovering an alternative method to milking snakes.
In early research by the SciGenom Research Foundation in Bangalore, DNA mapping of an Indian cobra was used to find the genetic code to produce serum that neutralises a poisonous snakebite.
"We believe the Indian cobra reference genome and the analysis presented will facilitate innovations in antivenin development," researchers said in a report published in the Nature Genetics journal.
The production of antivenin has not changed since the late 1800s, until now.
Traditional methods involve extracting venom from a snake, which is then injected into a horse. Goats and sheep are also sometimes used.
Antibodies then produced in the horse’s blood are harvested so an antivenin serum can be extracted.
New techniques to develop large quantities of antidote are similar to those that produce insulin medication for diabetic patients.
Researchers in Bangalore mapped out a cobra's 38 chromosomes to identify its venomous toxins, pairing them with the genes they originated from.
The genetic sequence of each poison was placed into bacteria, where it was tracked to see how it interacted with synthetic human antibodies.
The antibodies that stuck to the toxins were selected to form an effective antivenin.
Researchers hope an effective synthetic alternative could be available within three years.
About 100,000 people die from snake bites each year, with almost half a million more losing limbs in rural areas of India and Africa where antivenin is not available.
Although recent research focused on the Indian cobra, similar techniques could be used to develop other serums to treat snake bites from other species.
A vial of antivenin can typically cost more than $2,000 (Dh7,500).
Current techniques can be laborious, with a pint of coral snake venom taking three years to extract from more than 69,000 milkings.
The desert horned viper ranks as the most abundant venomous snake in the Arabian peninsular and the most common spotted by UAE pest controllers.
As Dubai expands into more desert areas, sightings are becoming increasingly common.
That has encouraged specialist education from the Sharjah wildlife conservation department for Rentokil staff in Dubai to safely handle snakes.
“We don’t exactly know what kind of venom is kept in stock at Rashid Hospital, but we know the most common venomous snakes we come across here in the UAE are the desert vipers,” said Dinesh Ramachandran, a Rentokil safety manager.
A viper bite causes serious swelling, acute pain and excessive bleeding or clotting, depending on the blend of toxins.
Victims can also experience nausea, abdominal pain, sweating, exhaustion, kidney failure and heartbeat irregularities.
The first two hours after the bite are crucial to ensure antivenin is quickly administered.
“We were given advice on what to do in the event of our staff getting bitten during an extraction,” Mr Ramachandran said. “Because of the extra call-outs we were receiving, the training was necessary – but no one has been bitten up to now.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
FULL%20RESULTS
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Tottenham 0-1 Ajax, Tuesday
Second leg
Ajax v Tottenham, Wednesday, May 8, 11pm
Game is on BeIN Sports
match info
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Sheffield United 0
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More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Will the pound fall to parity with the dollar?
The idea of pound parity now seems less far-fetched as the risk grows that Britain may split away from the European Union without a deal.
Rupert Harrison, a fund manager at BlackRock, sees the risk of it falling to trade level with the dollar on a no-deal Brexit. The view echoes Morgan Stanley’s recent forecast that the currency can plunge toward $1 (Dh3.67) on such an outcome. That isn’t the majority view yet – a Bloomberg survey this month estimated the pound will slide to $1.10 should the UK exit the bloc without an agreement.
New Prime Minister Boris Johnson has repeatedly said that Britain will leave the EU on the October 31 deadline with or without an agreement, fuelling concern the nation is headed for a disorderly departure and fanning pessimism toward the pound. Sterling has fallen more than 7 per cent in the past three months, the worst performance among major developed-market currencies.
“The pound is at a much lower level now but I still think a no-deal exit would lead to significant volatility and we could be testing parity on a really bad outcome,” said Mr Harrison, who manages more than $10 billion in assets at BlackRock. “We will see this game of chicken continue through August and that’s likely negative for sterling,” he said about the deadlocked Brexit talks.
The pound fell 0.8 per cent to $1.2033 on Friday, its weakest closing level since the 1980s, after a report on the second quarter showed the UK economy shrank for the first time in six years. The data means it is likely the Bank of England will cut interest rates, according to Mizuho Bank.
The BOE said in November that the currency could fall even below $1 in an analysis on possible worst-case Brexit scenarios. Options-based calculations showed around a 6.4 per cent chance of pound-dollar parity in the next one year, markedly higher than 0.2 per cent in early March when prospects of a no-deal outcome were seemingly off the table.
Bloomberg
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Meydan Racecourse racecard:
6.30pm: The Madjani Stakes Listed (PA) | Dh175,000 | 1,900m
7.05pm: Maiden for 2-year-old fillies (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,400m
7.40pm: The Dubai Creek Mile Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 1,600m
8.15pm: Maiden for 2-year-old colts (TB) | Dh165,000 | 1,600m
8.50pm: The Entisar Listed (TB) | Dh265,000 | 2,000m
9.25pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,200m
10pm: Handicap (TB) | Dh190,000 | 1,600m.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Meydan race card
6.30pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh 185,000 2,000m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh 165,000 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh 190,000 1,400m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,600m
9.25pm: Handicap Dh 175,000 1,200m
10pm: Handicap Dh 165,000 1,600m
%20Ramez%20Gab%20Min%20El%20Akher
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECreator%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Ramez%20Galal%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStreaming%20on%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EMBC%20Shahid%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
West Asia Premiership
Dubai Hurricanes 58-10 Dubai Knights Eagles
Dubai Tigers 5-39 Bahrain
Jebel Ali Dragons 16-56 Abu Dhabi Harlequins
Wednesday's results
Finland 3-0 Armenia
Faroes Islands 1-0 Malta
Sweden 1-1 Spain
Gibraltar 2-3 Georgia
Romania 1-1 Norway
Greece 2-1 Bosnia and Herzegovina
Liechtenstein 0-5 Italy
Switzerland 2-0 Rep of Ireland
Israel 3-1 Latvia
MATCH INFO
League Cup, last 16
Manchester City v Southampton, Tuesday, 11.45pm (UAE)
UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
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Our legal advisor
Ahmad El Sayed is Senior Associate at Charles Russell Speechlys, a law firm headquartered in London with offices in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and Hong Kong.
Experience: Commercial litigator who has assisted clients with overseas judgments before UAE courts. His specialties are cases related to banking, real estate, shareholder disputes, company liquidations and criminal matters as well as employment related litigation.
Education: Sagesse University, Beirut, Lebanon, in 2005.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Directed by Sam Mendes
Starring Dean-Charles Chapman, George MacKay, Daniel Mays
4.5/5
