In the hunt to find an antidote for the poisonous cobra venom, scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine seem to have made a stunning discovery.&nbsp;

In the breakthrough study, the scientists discovered that the commonly used blood thinner - heparin - has the qualities to be repurposed as an inexpensive antidote for cutting down the effects of cobra venom.

Every year, thousands of people are killed by&nbsp;cobras and many others get maimed due to necrosis which happens because of the venom and can cause amputation.

The antivenom treatment currently available is expensive and has not been effective in treating the necrosis of the flesh if the snake bite occurs.&nbsp;

The study's corresponding author in the Charles Perkins Center and Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney Professor Greg Neely said, "Our discovery could drastically reduce the terrible injuries from necrosis caused by&nbsp;cobra&nbsp;bites—and it might also slow the venom, which could improve survival rates."&nbsp;

The scientists used CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify ways in which the cobra venom is blocked. The team comprised of scientists based in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the UK.&nbsp;

Also Read:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/trending/human-turns-vicious-for-snake-indian-man-bites-and-kills-the-killer-reptile-but-did-he-survive-738284">Human turns vicious for snake! Indian man bites and kills killer reptile. But did he survive?</a>

The team was able to repurpose heparin (a common blood thinner) successfully to stop the necrosis which happens by cobra bites. The research was published in the Science Translational Medicine.

The university&nbsp;PhD student and lead author Tian Du said, "Heparin is inexpensive, ubiquitous and a World Health Organisation-listed Essential Medicine. After successful human trials, it could be rolled out relatively quickly to become a cheap, safe and effective drug for treating cobra bites."

<h2>Scientists target to release antidote in next five years</h2>

Head of the Centre for Snakebite Research &amp; Interventions at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, joint corresponding author and Professor Nicholas Casewell said, "Snakebites remain the deadliest of the neglected tropical diseases, with its burden landing overwhelmingly on rural communities in low- and middle-income countries."

"Our findings are exciting because current antivenoms are largely ineffective against severe local envenoming, which involves painful progressive swelling, blistering and/or tissue necrosis around the bite site. This can lead to loss of limb function, amputation and lifelong disability," he added.

Watch:&nbsp;Woman orders Xbox controller, finds a snake instead

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/woman-orders-xbox-controller-finds-a-snake-instead-733558/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Snakebite has been marked as a priority by the World Health Organisation's programme to tackle neglected tropical diseases.&nbsp;

They have set an ambitious goal of reducing death through snakebites by half by 2030.

"That target is just five years away now. We hope that the new cobra antidote we found can assist in the global fight to reduce death and injury from snakebite in some of the world's poorest communities," said Professor Neely.

(With inputs from agencies)

In the hunt to find an antidote for the poisonous cobra venom, scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine seem to have made a stunning discovery.

In the hunt to find an antidote for the poisonous cobra venom, scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine seem to have made a stunning discovery. In the breakthrough study, the scientists discovered that the commonly used blood thinner - heparin - has the qualities to be repurposed as an inexpensive antidote for cutting down the effects of cobra venom. Every year, thousands of people are killed by cobras and many others get maimed due to necrosis which happens because of the venom and can cause amputation. The antivenom treatment currently available is expensive and has not been effective in treating the necrosis of the flesh if the snake bite occurs. The study's corresponding author in the Charles Perkins Center and Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney Professor Greg Neely said, "Our discovery could drastically reduce the terrible injuries from necrosis caused by cobra bites—and it might also slow the venom, which could improve survival rates." The scientists used CRISPR gene-editing technology to identify ways in which the cobra venom is blocked. The team comprised of scientists based in Australia, Canada, Costa Rica and the UK. Also Read: Human turns vicious for snake! Indian man bites and kills killer reptile. But did he survive? The team was able to repurpose heparin (a common blood thinner) successfully to stop the necrosis which happens by cobra bites. The research was published in the Science Translational Medicine. The university PhD student and lead author Tian Du said, "Heparin is inexpensive, ubiquitous and a World Health Organisation-listed Essential Medicine. After successful human trials, it could be rolled out relatively quickly to become a cheap, safe and effective drug for treating cobra bites." Scientists target to release antidote in next five years Head of the Centre for Snakebite Research & Interventions at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, joint corresponding author and Professor Nicholas Casewell said, "Snakebites remain the deadliest of the neglected tropical diseases, with its burden landing overwhelmingly on rural communities in low- and middle-income countries." "Our findings are exciting because current antivenoms are largely ineffective against severe local envenoming, which involves painful progressive swelling, blistering and/or tissue necrosis around the bite site. This can lead to loss of limb function, amputation and lifelong disability," he added. Watch: Woman orders Xbox controller, finds a snake instead Snakebite has been marked as a priority by the World Health Organisation's programme to tackle neglected tropical diseases. They have set an ambitious goal of reducing death through snakebites by half by 2030. "That target is just five years away now. We hope that the new cobra antidote we found can assist in the global fight to reduce death and injury from snakebite in some of the world's poorest communities," said Professor Neely. (With inputs from agencies)

Scientists now have an antidote for killer cobra venom. It's common blood thinner!

A blood thinning drug, widely administered to Covid patients who have been discharged from hospital has been found by a study to be not working and having serious side-effects. The research has reportedly shown that Apixaban, the drug in question, can cause severe bleeding. The anticoagulant is often called to be 'life saving for the patients.

However, Heal Covid trial, UK government funded initiative has found that this may not be the case.

“These first findings from Heal-Covid show us that a blood-thinning drug, commonly thought to be a useful intervention in the post-hospital phase, is actually ineffective at stopping people dying or being readmitted to hospital," said Professor Charlotte Summers, chief investigator of the trial. She was quoted by The Guardian.

“This finding is important because it will prevent unnecessary harm occurring to people for no benefit,” Summers added. She is intensive care doctor at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge, UK.

&nbsp;“This trial is the first robust evidence that longer anticoagulation after acute Covid-19 puts patients at risk for no clear benefit," said Dr Mark Toshner, the co-chief investigator of the study.

“Our hope is that these results will stop this drug being needlessly prescribed to patients with Covid-19 and we can change medical practice,” he added.

The trial was run by experts at Addenbrooke's and Cambridge University. 402 volunteers were given the drug. Several of them suffered severe bleeding and had to discontinue the drug. The trail also found that administering Apixaban did not significant lower likelihood of recovered patients getting admitted to hospital.

You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us <a href="https://www.wionews.com/content-contribution-registration-form">here</a>.

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A blood thinning drug, widely administered to Covid patients who have been discharged from hospital has been found by a study to be not working and having serious side-effects.

A blood thinning drug, widely administered to Covid patients who have been discharged from hospital has been found by a study to be not working and having serious side-effects. The research has reportedly shown that Apixaban, the drug in question, can cause severe bleeding. The anticoagulant is often called to be 'life saving for the patients. However, Heal Covid trial, UK government funded initiative has found that this may not be the case. “These first findings from Heal-Covid show us that a blood-thinning drug, commonly thought to be a useful intervention in the post-hospital phase, is actually ineffective at stopping people dying or being readmitted to hospital," said Professor Charlotte Summers, chief investigator of the trial. She was quoted by The Guardian. “This finding is important because it will prevent unnecessary harm occurring to people for no benefit,” Summers added. She is intensive care doctor at Addenbrooke's hospital in Cambridge, UK. “This trial is the first robust evidence that longer anticoagulation after acute Covid-19 puts patients at risk for no clear benefit," said Dr Mark Toshner, the co-chief investigator of the study. “Our hope is that these results will stop this drug being needlessly prescribed to patients with Covid-19 and we can change medical practice,” he added. The trial was run by experts at Addenbrooke's and Cambridge University. 402 volunteers were given the drug. Several of them suffered severe bleeding and had to discontinue the drug. The trail also found that administering Apixaban did not significant lower likelihood of recovered patients getting admitted to hospital. You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here. WATCH WION LIVE HERE ×

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