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Snakebite Crisis: Can AI Transform The Century-Old Approach To Antivenoms?
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Researchers have used AI to design proteins that neutralize key toxins in snake venom, offering a potential pathway to more effective and accessible snakebite treatments.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- AI-designed proteins neutralize toxins in snake venom, potentially transforming antivenom treatments.
- Snakebites kill 100,000 people annually, mainly in regions with limited medical access.
- New antivenoms could be cheaper, stable, and effective for rural and underserved areas.
The study, published in Nature , highlights how AI can pave the way for new, more accessible snakebite treatments, potentially saving thousands of lives each year.
Nature reports that snakebites kill an estimated 100,000 people annually and cause permanent disability for many more, particularly in low-resource areas. The World Health Organisation defines snakesbites as a “neglected public health issue in many tropical and subtropical countries.’’
Current treatments, primarily derived from antibodies in the blood serum of immunized animals like horses and sheep, have remained largely unchanged for over a century. These antivenoms often require refrigeration and trained medical professionals to administer, limiting their utility in rural or underserved regions, as noted by Nature.
The new approach utilizes an AI tool called RFdiffusion, developed by David Baker’s team at the University of Washington. Inspired by image-generating AI programs like DALL-E, RFdiffusion can design proteins capable of binding tightly to specific toxins.
In collaboration with biochemist Susana Vázquez Torres, the team targeted three types of toxins in elapid snake venom, known to cause paralysis, tissue damage, and death.
Using RFdiffusion, the researchers created “mini-binders” that strongly attached to these venom toxins. Experiments showed that these mini-binders could neutralize toxins’ effects in lab-grown cells.
In live animal tests, the team demonstrated their efficacy: mice injected with otherwise lethal doses of venom survived when treated with mini-binders either beforehand or shortly after exposure. “This is probably the coolest experimental result I’ve had in my career so far,” said Vázquez Torres.
The AI-designed proteins boast advantages over traditional antivenoms. They are highly stable and could eliminate the need for refrigeration, making them ideal for remote settings. Additionally, they can be mass-produced at low cost using industrial bacteria.
However, these proteins address only a fraction of snake venom’s complex composition, meaning future antivenoms may need to combine multiple mini-binders tailored to regional snake species.
Despite promising results, challenges remain in funding and clinical development. While Baker’s protein design ventures for diseases like cancer have secured substantial investments, resources for neglected diseases like snakebites are scarce.
“The path forward for anything to do with infectious disease or developing-world diseases like snakebites, it’s just harder,” Nature reports Baker saying. Still, this groundbreaking research signals a transformative shift in tackling global health challenges with AI.
Image by Tetsuya Tomomastsy, from Unsplash
Apple Suspends News Summaries Over Accuracy Concerns
- Written by Kiara Fabbri Former Tech News Writer
- Fact-Checked by Justyn Newman Former Lead Cybersecurity Editor
Apple disables Apple Intelligence summaries after botched news headline summaries.
In a Rush? Here are the Quick Facts!
- A beta update removes the feature in iOS 18.3.
- The update applies to all iPhones supporting Apple Intelligence.
- Apple admits the flaw amid AI struggles with generating accurate information.
Apple is temporarily disabling a key feature of its Apple Intelligence software after it produced inaccurate summaries of news headlines . as reported by The Washington Post .
On Thursday, Apple released a beta update that disables Apple Intelligence summaries for notifications from news and entertainment apps. This update will roll out to all supported iPhones with the upcoming release of iOS 18.3, as reported by The Post.
In the iOS 18.3 beta update, Apple has added a clearer alert about the possibility of unexpected results from notification summaries. To make them stand out, summarized notifications now appear in italics. The update also lets users adjust app notification summary settings directly from the Lock Screen, as reported by The Post.
The move marks a rare acknowledgment of a product flaw by Apple and highlights ongoing challenges tech companies face with generative AI software, which is prone to “hallucinating,” or fabricating information. The Post reports that Apple stated it is working on improvements to the feature and plans to include them in a future software update.
The feature was designed to condense breaking news into alerts for users, has been criticized for generating entirely false claims, leading to calls for its withdrawal. The BBC, among the first to report inaccuracies , highlighted incidents where Apple’s AI summaries misrepresented its news content.
The National Union of Journalists (NUJ) and Reporters Without Borders (RSF) echoed the BBC’s concerns, demanding Apple remove the tool to prevent further misinformation. NUJ General Secretary Laura Davison emphasized the critical need for accurate reporting, stating that misleading AI-generated content undermines public trust .
“Editorial integrity is crucial to our public service broadcaster and AI generated summaries falsely attributing information, risk harm to the reputation of journalists reporting ethically, ” she stated in the NUJ press release.
