For our Researcher Spotlight features, we interview members of the ADDovenom research team, to find out about their interests, their contributions to the project, and their hopes for the future of venom research.
Here, we speak with Camille Abada, who is undertaking a PhD at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Can you tell us briefly about your own research interests and background?
My research is centred around antibody development for geographically diverse snake envenomation, focusing on phage display to engineer recombinant antibodies that may neutralize haemorrhagic toxins. Although my background is in Neuroscience, a field distinct from venom research, my work experience at the Scottish Biologics Facility, an antibody development spin-out company, and at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, sparked my interest in antibody engineering, leading me to pursue a PhD in this field.
When did you first become interested in venom research?
From a neuroscience perspective, venoms and toxins have always been fascinating, but it is only when I joined LSTM in 2022 that I truly grasped the global significance of snake venom. The direct impact it has on human health and the potential for novel therapeutics initiated my interest in this area of research.
What are your key responsibilities in the ADDovenom project?
I was responsible for developing platelet assays to assess the impact of recombinant compounds, such as disintegrins, on platelet function.
What do you hope will be the main outputs from your work on ADDovenom?
Overall, ADDovenom represents a great collaborative effort and I am optimistic that the outputs will contribute to snakebite research. On a personal level, developing assays was an important learning experience for me as well as gaining experience working as part of a consortium. I am confident the flow cytometry assay investigating platelet activation we have established will become a useful tool for various other projects.
Can you tell us of one recent development in the world of venom research that has interested you?
A recent paper on de novo designed proteins for neutralizing snake venom toxins caught my attention. The study by Torres and colleagues (2025) used deep learning to design proteins that effectively bind and neutralize toxins from the three-finger toxin (3FTx) family, which cause severe neurotoxicity. This is an example of a breakthrough that represents an exciting step towards more affordable and scalable solutions for snakebite and other neglected tropical diseases.
Do you have a favourite snake – if so, which one, and why?
Boomslang (Dispholidus typus)! Or the Eyelash viper (Bothriechis schlegelii). Despite being from different continents and possessing different types of venom, both are beautiful and scientifically intriguing.
