EvanL Current Event Post

Opossums Could Hold the Key to Curing Snakebite Victims

By: Jason Bittel  

National Geographic Website

Written: March 23, 2015

A major breakthrough was announced on March 23, 2015 when Claire Komives, a biological engineer and professor, shared her findings with the American Chemical Society. Her team had found a peptide, a type of molecule, in the blood of the Virginia Opossum that had the potential for a universal snakebite antidote. This opossum’s immunity to snake venom was discovered in the 1940s, but Komives sought out further application of this discovery. Working out of California’s San Jose University, Komives’ team studied the peptide and the research team began to test its capabilities on mice. What they found was extraordinary. In the words of Komives, "The mice that were given the venom incubated with the peptide never showed any signs [of being sick]." This experiment withstood the venom of the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake and Russell Viper, snakes credited with a multitude of deaths each year. While more work will be needed to verify the full capabilities of the molecule, the future looks bright for the field of antivenom.

I came across this article while searching scientific websites for articles related to biology, and noticed the opossum as the cover picture. A brief perusing showed this story was related to genetics, an important field in biology. This is because a peptide is a molecule that is always found in members of this opossum species. In addition, this article connects to hematology, the study of blood, linked because of where the peptide is found, in the bloodstream of the opossum. My personal reaction to this news was curious at the prospect of a breakthrough of this magnitude in medicine, especially coming from such an underwhelming creature as the Virginia Opossum. Through the beginning of the article I was engrossed at the fact of the mice’s immunity to peptide incubated DNA, then my interest slightly faltered when I realized that the peptide was not yet guaranteed to handle all venom. Further, various factors in each individual’s bite could neutralize the peptide’s ability; age, gender, and even the geographic location, but the idea continued to intrigue me. Overall, I believe the ingenuity of this idea makes it a remarkable pursuit. This is crucial work because snakebites are a major cause of deaths throughout the world, and traditional anti-venom is both costly and dependent on the species of snake inflicting the bite. This information would offer a cost effective alternative for those suffering the effects of venom. The product of this research could prevent the deaths of over 94,000 people worldwide, as well as mitigate the symptoms of many others with nonfatal conditions. This effect would be a major boost for both humankind and the field of medicine. While this doesn’t directly affect me, I know the benefit to others could be tremendous.

A Virginia opossum, the animal that could save snakebite victims.

Works Cited

“Opossums Could Hold the Key to Saving Snakebite Victims.” National Geographic. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Jan. 2016. <http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150323-opossums-snakes-snakebites-venom-health-world-science/>.