The CORDIS – EU website has published a ‘Results in Brief’ article, looking at the achievements of the ADDovenom project. The article can be found here, but is reposted below.
Genetically engineered adenoviruses tackle snakebites
Antivenom snakebite therapy, while lifesaving, has many disadvantages. A cutting-edge bioengineering approach has produced thermostable alternatives suitable for use in rural communities where snakebites are most common.
Snakebite poisoning kills up to 138,000 people every year mostly in rural areas of Asia, Latin America, and sub-Saharan Africa. Current antivenoms are based on the sera of animals such as horses or sheep following infusion with venom. However, they require multiple doses, carry a high risk of side effects, and are often ineffective against the wide variety of toxins in snake-infested areas.
Identifying clinically relevant venom toxins
To overcome these limitations, the EU-funded ADDovenom project set out to bring snakebite therapy into this century using synthetic biology. Rather than immunising animals with venom using outdated methods, researchers used transcriptomic and proteomic analyses to identify the most clinically relevant toxins. As project coordinator Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel explains: “Venoms can contain over 100 proteins of different sizes and effects, making a one-size-fits-all approach impractical. ADDovenom therefore decided to target the most clinically relevant toxins across different regions with greater specificity.” Transcriptomics enabled the researchers to identify which venom toxins were most abundantly expressed. Venoms from vipers are rich in snake venom metalloproteinases and phospholipases. The target list was further refined with the help of proteomics data from the venom of nine medically important snakes from sub-Saharan Africa.
Synthetic antivenoms with multiple binding sites
ADDovenom worked on a novel approach based on a scaffold rather than on monoclonal antibodies. The consortium used the key toxins responsible for clinical symptoms to produce synthetic neutralising proteins called ADDobodies selected using a method called ribosome display. The ADDobodies were then displayed on adenovirus-like particles called ADDomers with multiple binding sites. Previously used for vaccine development, this innovative technology was converted into a customisable binder against venom toxins, with each ADDomer accommodating up to 60 binding sites or ADDobodies. These nanoparticles demonstrate superior toxin neutralisation potential compared to an antibody molecule that contains only two binding sites. Moreover, they dramatically boost toxin-binding strength, preventing release of the toxins from the particle. This facilitates detoxification from the body. “Importantly, ADDomers are thermostable, meaning they can be stored at room temperature, central for use in remote or resource-limited settings,” highlights Berger-Schaffitzel.
Advantages of ADDovenom nanoparticles
Unlike traditional antivenoms, ADDovenom therapeutics are fully synthetic, protein-based, and compatible with scalable production systems. This makes them safer, more consistent, and potentially more cost-effective. Importantly, they are animal-free and designed to work across multiple snake species and venom types, increasing their impact in regions where many different snakes pose a threat. The project also successfully established methods to produce and purify recombinant venom toxins in the lab. This bypasses the need to harvest venom from live snakes and overcomes a major bottleneck in venom research.
Future therapies
While the project has not yet reached the stage of clinical deployment, the groundwork for commercialisation is well underway. Protocols for large-scale production have been validated, and the consortium has teamed up with innovation specialists and global health experts. The ongoing funding support is central for both preclinical development and exploration of new applications.
“ADDovenom has demonstrated that using synthetic biology it is possible to engineer antivenoms that are scalable and better suited for deployment in rural, tropical regions to address the global antivenom crisis,” concludes Berger-Schaffitzel.