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The global toll of snakebite may be much bigger than we thought

A global literature review and geostatistical modeling study estimated the burden of snake envenoming and deaths across countries, accounting for differences in surveillance, underreporting, socioeconomic conditions, and environmental factors. The analysis highlights major gaps in epidemiological data and provides updated country- and regional-level estimates to help guide prevention, antivenom access, surveillance, and healthcare resources.

1 Sep 2026

Global snakebite burden may be far higher than previously estimated

Venomous snake bites can cause illness, disability and death in tropical and subtropical regions. A study published on August 25th in PLOS Medicine by Dileepa Ediriweera and Anuradhani Kasturuiratne at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK, and the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka, and colleagues suggests that the incidence of snake envenoming and snakebite mortality is much higher than previously estimated.

25 Aug 2026

Research offers a promising way to develop potent antivenoms against deadly snakebites

University of Maryland researchers discovered a new approach to treating venomous snake bites-using the same toxin-blocking proteins that snakes evolved to protect themselves.

29 Jul 2026

Rattlesnakes show higher vulnerability to fungal and parasitic infections

Snakes are threatened with extinction in many places around the globe. Disease, often caused by parasites or fungi, is thought to be one of the key factors alongside habitat destruction.

26 May 2026

The power of organoids in speeding up lifesaving drug development

Organoids are miniature tissue or organ models formed by stem cells (including pluripotent stem cells, tissue-specific adult stem cells, etc.) or progenitor cells in an in vitro three-dimensional culture system, which possess structural features and partial functions analogous to their corresponding in vivo organs. In 2009, the Hans Clevers laboratory developed the first intestinal organoid, marking the inception of organoid-based disease modeling.

8 May 2026

Python blood compound could lead to new weight loss therapies

University of Colorado Boulder researchers have discovered an appetite-suppressing compound in python blood that helps the snakes consume enormous meals and go months without eating yet remain metabolically healthy.

19 Mar 2026

In the vast expanses of Indian country, broadband gaps create health gaps, too

Standing atop Ferry Butte, Frances Goli scanned the more than half a million acres of Shoshone-Bannock tribal land below as she dug her hands into the pockets of a pink pullover.

17 Dec 2025

COVID vaccine tech could help prevent muscle damage from snakebites

The same technology used in COVID-19 vaccines could help prevent muscle damage from snakebites, according to a new study published in Trends in Biotechnology today [24 November].

24 Nov 2025

Ending human bait practices in river blindness monitoring

New research shows that it's possible to end the practice of using people as 'human bait' to catch and test the blackflies that spread river blindness (onchocerciasis).

13 Nov 2025

Health care costs jump to the fore as candidates jockey to be California governor

California's gubernatorial election is a year away, and the field of primary candidates is still taking shape. But one persistent issue has already emerged as a leading concern: the cost of health care.

10 Nov 2025

Researchers use genetic engineering to create “product-ready” snakebite antivenom

An international team of researchers has used genetic engineering to create the first ever “product-ready” antivenom for snakes such as cobras and mambas.

4 Nov 2025

Broad-spectrum antivenom could revolutionize treatment of venomous snakebites in Africa

DTU researchers are behind a potentially groundbreaking antivenom that could revolutionize the treatment of venomous snakebites in Africa.

29 Oct 2025

The neurological complexity of Mamba snake venoms uncovered

A breakthrough study at The University of Queensland has discovered a hidden dangerous feature in the Black Mamba one of the most venomous snakes in the world.

30 Sep 2025

Generative AI creates life-saving antibiotics from scratch

What if generative AI could design life-saving antibiotics, not just art and text? In a new Cell Biomaterials paper, Penn researchers introduce AMP-Diffusion, a generative AI tool used to create tens of thousands of new antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) - short strings of amino acids, the building blocks of proteins - with bacteria-killing potential.

2 Sep 2025

New insights into how multisensory integration happens in the brain

It has long been understood that experiencing two senses simultaneously, like seeing and hearing, can lead to improved responses relative to those seen when only one sensory input is experienced by itself.

17 Aug 2025

Aging skin buckles under pressure leading to wrinkles

Aging skin stretches, contracts and buckles under pressure – and that's how wrinkles form, according to new experimental evidence from scientists at Binghamton University, State University of New York.

22 Jul 2025

KFF Health News' 'What the Health?': Trump’s bill reaches the finish line

Early Thursday afternoon, the House approved a budget reconciliation bill that not only would make permanent many of President Donald Trump's 2017 tax cuts, but also impose deep cuts to Medicaid, the Affordable Care Act, and, indirectly, Medicare.

3 Jul 2025

Reducing Polypharmacy with Innovative Drug Formulation Technologies

Discover how hot melt extrusion supports polypharmacy reduction and novel therapies for stroke and snakebite with expert insights.

From Thermo Fisher Scientific – Pharmaceutical and Biopharmaceutical Solutions 22 May 2025

New three-part antivenom cocktail protects against the world’s deadliest snakes

Scientists developed a groundbreaking antivenom cocktail using antibodies from a hyperimmune human donor and a small-molecule inhibitor that protected mice from deadly bites of 19 diverse snakes. This approach could lead to a universal antivenom for the world’s most dangerous snakes, overcoming the limitations of current species-specific treatments.

2 May 2025

The dangers of fraudulent diabetes products and how to avoid them

As the number of people diagnosed with diabetes continues to grow, an increasing number of products marketed under the guise of "dietary supplements" or "over-the-counter drugs" promising to prevent, treat, and even cure diabetes are being sold illegally.

21 Feb 2025