The current way to produce antivenoms is antiquated. Experiments in mice suggest that an artificial intelligence approach could save time and money.
Using AI, scientists have designed proteins that say not so fassst to toxins wielded by cobras and other venomous snakes. It’s a proof-of-concept approach that could one day offer a new treatment for snakebites. In lab experiments, theThese proteins “are really doing their job,” says Michael Hust, an antibody researcher at the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany who was not involved with the new research. “The mice are surviving. This is what we all want.”.
Jenkins, of the Technical University of Denmark in Lyngby, had spent years trying to develop new therapies for snakebites. Worldwide, snakebites kill some 100,000 people each year. Venomous snakes can deliver a blizzard of toxins via their bite. Some of the most dangerous include molecules called three-finger toxins, which can paralyze muscles, stilling people’s hearts and their ability to breath. Antivenoms exist, but the technology is outdated, Jenkins says.
When given to a snakebite victim, those antibodies bind to venom toxins and shut them down. But manufacturing antivenom is costly and time-consuming, so scientists have been searching for other methods. One option that’s seen recent success is scanning a vast collection of Baker and Jenkins asked the AI to design proteins that would glom on to venom toxins. Then they manufactured the proteins in the lab. Like a magnetic cap covering the tip of a key so it no longer fits in a lock, the synthesized proteins prevented the toxin from docking onto cells.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The Weird History of Psychology ExperimentsExplore the fascinating, and sometimes unsettling, history of psychological experiments, from early pioneers to ethically questionable practices. Discover how psychologists have sought to understand the human mind through creative (and sometimes bizarre) methods.
Read more »
Rand Paul's Festivus Report: NIH Funding 'Medieval-Type Experiments' on CatsSenator Rand Paul's annual Festivus report highlights controversial NIH-funded experiments on cats, including electroshock therapy and spinal cord stimulation, citing concerns about animal cruelty. The report also touches on other unusual research projects.
Read more »
Millions Spent on Torturing Cats in US Government ExperimentsThe White Coat Waste Project revealed that the US Department of Defense spent millions on cruel experiments involving cats. The experiments, funded by DARPA, included shocking cats' spinal cords to induce erections and forcing them to defecate marbles via electric shock.
Read more »
U.S. Government Tortures Cats in Shocking ExperimentsA new report has revealed that the U.S. government spent millions of dollars on cruel experiments involving cats. The experiments, funded by the Department of Defense (DOD) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), involved torturing cats with electric shocks, exposing their spinal cords, and forcing them to defecate marbles.
Read more »
Declassified MKULTRA Records Reveal CIA's Cold War Mind Control ExperimentsNewly released documents shed light on the CIA's controversial MKULTRA program, detailing experiments with drugs, hypnosis, and other mind control techniques during the Cold War.
Read more »
The 10 biggest science experiments on EarthStephanie Pappas is a contributing writer for Live Science, covering topics ranging from geoscience to archaeology to the human brain and behavior.
Read more »