Sophion, DTU, Universidad Costa Rica & IONTAS collaboration on breakthrough antivenom paper
In a breakthrough in antivenom R&D, an industry-academia collaboration between Sophion, DTU, Universidad de Costa Rica and IONTAS has discovered and developed a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes cobra venom.
Using the QPatch, Sophion’s Kim Boddum showed the neutralizing antibody effect on the venom against its neuronal target, the alpha-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nAChR).
This work provides another great example of automated patch clamp use in large molecule therapeutic development.
Sophion is particularly proud to have contributed to this work since venoms have devastating impacts in the poorest regions of the world and have been overlooked by pharma. Consequently, in 2017 WHO designated snakebite a neglected tropical disease.
Congratulations to lead authors Line Ledsgaard, Andreas Laustsen, Aneesh Karatt-Vellatt & all authors on this seminal and much-needed research.