Anfibatide: Derived From Snake Venom
It's one of the world's most poisonous snakes, and researchers hope the venom of the viper dubbed the "hundred pacer" can provide a medication to help prevent one of the world's leading killers.
A team of researchers has purified a protein from the snake's venom to develop an experimental drug aimed at preventing blood clots that can cause a heart attack or stroke.
The venom from the Southeast Asia pit viper is so potent that it is referred to by local residents as a hundred pacer – based on the belief that someone who is bitten will be able to walk no more than 100 steps before dying.
Scientifically known as Deinagkistrodon acutus, the 1.5-metre patterned snake is also called the sharp-nosed viper or Chinese moccasin and is indigenous to China, Taiwan and Vietnam.
Using venom milked from the snake, researchers filtered out all but one protein to create a drug called Anfibatide, which in human testing prevented blood clots from forming but didn't prolong bleeding as is the case with some clot-busting drugs.
"The concept that we can harness something potentially poisonous in nature and turn it into a beneficial therapy is very exciting," said Dr. Heyu Ni, a scientist at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto involved in the drug's development.
Anfibatide is designed to target a specific receptor on the surface of platelets in the blood that is instrumental in the formation of clots.
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