As thousands worldwide are killed by snake bites every year, scientists use AI to develop life-saving anti-venoms, hoping to make them more accessible. CNN’s Isabel Rosales reports.

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Researchers at the Technical University of Denmark are leveraging artificial intelligence to develop new anti-venoms for snake bites. Traditional anti-venoms are expensive and difficult to produce, limiting access in many regions. The team uses AI models to analyze the structure of snake venom proteins and design custom proteins that can neutralize the most dangerous toxins. This method, which utilizes a free protein design tool called RF diffusion, specifically targets 'three-finger toxins' that can cause paralysis and death if untreated. While these AI-designed anti-toxins are not expected to fully replace existing anti-venoms, scientists hope they will be more affordable and easier to produce, potentially improving outcomes for snake bite victims worldwide.

AI used to create anti-venom for deadly snake bites

them or hate them. Snakes can be deadly, and with the antidote called anti-venom being expensive and difficult to produce, the impact of their bites can be devastating. Now, scientists in Europe seem to be on to something. They're using artificial intelligence to solve the scarcity. CNN's Isabel Rosales has the details. Snakes are one of the deadliest animals for humans, killing at least 80,000 people a year, says the World Health Organization. But snake bites can also have a long-lasting impact for millions. Often, the snake bite victims are either current or future breadwinners of their family. So people living in snake-infested areas are often dependent on manual labor. So if they lose an arm, they may lose their chance to provide for their family or their future family. While there are existing anti-venoms to combat this issue, the methods used to produce them are costly, according to the WHO. And at present, only a limited number of countries can produce high-quality snake venom, which is needed to create anti-venom. There is a scarcity of anti-venoms and poor management, you could say, of snake bites in large parts of the world. A team of scientists at the Technical University of Denmark is now using artificial intelligence to try to solve the anti-venom shortfall. Snake venoms are these incredibly complex cocktails of different molecules, so-called proteins. And we need to know what the most medically relevant toxins are. So we use different techniques to identify these. We then have a very close look at the structure of them, throw them into advanced AI models, and then actually use these to custom make, basically, glue to these toxins. So we stick a protein to a toxin that might be attacking our nervous system, destroying our cells, causing our blood to clot. And what we do is bind something to it, stick something to it, so it can't do this anymore. The team is using RF diffusion, a free protein design tool, to create proteins that target so-called three-finger toxins, named for their shape. These toxins can be highly dangerous, and when delivered through a snake bite, can disrupt nerve signals, lead to paralysis, and even death if left untreated. My personal hope is that within five years, we've completed our first clinical trials, where we can actually say that there is a product ready to be delivered to patients. While these new anti-toxins won't completely replace existing anti-venoms, these scientists hope they'll be cheaper and easier to make, and reduce the suffering of snake bite victims around the world. Isabel Rosales, CNN.

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AI used to create anti-venom for deadly snake bites

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