AI-designed proteins neutralise deadly snake-venom toxins and protect mice
Result confirmed
The takeaway
Baker lab and DTU researchers (Nature, Jan 2025) used RFdiffusion to design small proteins that bind and neutralise cobra three-finger toxins.
Status
- Claim
Result confirmed
- Our reporting
- High confidence
- Verification
- Peer-reviewed
- Importance
- 3 of 5
- Last verified
- 29 September 2026
Your AI and this story
- GPT-6 AstraIn its training data
- Claude Opus 5.5In its training data
- Gemini 4 HydrogenIn its training data
- Grok 4.7In its training data
It happened before the cutoffs of all four assistants, so it can be in their training data.
Key facts
- Designed binders against short- and long-chain three-finger toxins
- 80–100% survival in mice given lethal doses
- Small, stable proteins could be cheaper to make than antibody-based antivenoms
What happened
The team generated binders computationally, tested a small number in the lab, and confirmed protection in animal models.
Why it matters
Snakebite kills tens of thousands of people a year, mainly in poor regions. Cheap, designed antitoxins show AI protein design aimed at neglected diseases.
Sources
3 sources from 3 sites. Numbers match the chips in the text.
3 sources: 2 primary, 1 press
Primary
- De novo designed proteins neutralize lethal snake venom toxins (Nature)nature.com, paper
- Baker Lab: Neutralizing deadly snake toxinsbakerlab.org, official
Press
- DTU: AI-designed proteins neutralise snake toxinsdtu.dk, press
Changes
- Filed