KINGSVILLE, Texas – Once inside the John C. Perez Serpentarium at Texas A&M Kingsville, the sound is incessant.
Hundreds of rattlesnakes are making their presence known as a defense mechanism.
“They have these thermal sensors that can sense we’re in the room,” said Dr. Elda Sanchez, co-director of the National Natural Toxins Research Center.
She said many of the 450 venomous snakes are part of the South Texas landscape, Western Diamondback rattlesnakes.
“Their venom is not as potent as other venoms we’ve tested, but they’re the most aggressive,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez said they are part of a study funded by the National Institutes of Health that could someday save thousands of lives.
She said the objective is “to create one anti-venom that will cover all the venomous snakes in the world.”
Sanchez said in countries like Africa or Asia with little or no access to medical care, 100,000 people die from snakebites annually.
Statewide figures show lethal snakebites in Texas are rare, but Sanchez said about 20 people a year suffer painful bites, compared to at least 6,000 nationally.
Sanchez said the feeling has been compared to “somebody getting a sledgehammer and smashing your hand with it.”
She said the sooner it can be treated, the better. But even then, she said the risks are high and so are the costs.
Sanchez said because snake venom is used to create it, the current antidote has to be administered by medical personnel to guard against allergic reactions.
She said although each vial runs $4,000-$6,000 each, the initial treatment could take 30 vials, up to $180,000 worth.
But even then, there could be long-term consequences.
“Once the damage has occurred, there is no reversal,” Sanchez said.
She said all that is why their ongoing research is crucial.
Sanchez said they are looking for synthetic molecules instead of the animal protein now in use.
She said they’ve found one that works.
“We’ve already tested it in pre-clinical trials and it has a neutralizing effect,” Sanchez said.
However, she said it will take several years before it’s proven safe enough.
If successful, Sanchez said it could be taken into the field, because there’s no need for refrigeration.
“The design being worked on is to be administered by EpiPen,” Sanchez said.
She said the cost could be as little as a few hundred dollars per dose.