Author: Tina Hesman Saey / Source: Science News
SAN DIEGO — Labs growing replicas of snakes’ venom glands may one day replace snake farms.
Researchers in the Netherlands have succeeded in growing mimics of venom-producing glands from multiple species of snakes. Stem cell biologist Hans Clevers of the Hubrecht Institute in Utrecht, the Netherlands, reported the creation of these organoids on December 10 at a joint meeting of the American Society for Cell Biology and the European Molecular Biology Organization.
If scientists can extract venom from the lab-grown glands, that venom might be used to create new drugs and antidotes for bites including from snakes that aren’t currently raised on farms.
Up to 2.7 million people worldwide are estimated to be bitten by venomous snakes each year. Between about 81,000…
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