Generation of monoclonal antitoxin antibodies from Bothrops atrox venom via hybridoma technology

• Grant number: 24/08308-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: April 30, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Collective Health - Public Health
• Principal Investigator: Sonia Aparecida de Andrade Chudzinski
• Grantee: Paula Dantas Oliveira Moreira
• Host Institution: Instituto Butantan. Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/04634-6 - New generation botropic antivenom: Mixture of monoclonal antitoxin antibodies, AP.R

Abstract

Considered an important cause of accidents by venomous animals worldwide, snakebite is a major public health problem due to its frequency and severity. In Brazil, snakes of the genus Bothrops are responsible for a large percentage of bites, between 70-90%, and the botropic venom is a highly complex mixture, which when interacting with human proteins triggers several local symptoms, such as hemorrhage, edema and ecchymosis, which can lead to necrosis and amputation of the limb; and systemic, such as coagulopathies and thrombocytopenia. Among the toxins of medical importance, metalloproteases (SVMPs) and phospholipases type A2 (PLA2s) stand out. The use of specific and neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) for venom toxins can be a strategy allied to botropic antivenom for the treatment of these accidents in a safer and more effective way. This project aims to obtain mAbs by means of the hybridoma technique using fractions enriched with toxins.