Cell 180, 233–247 (2020)

Snake venom glands can be cultured as adult stem cell–based organoids that produce toxins for further study into this public-health challenge.

Credit: Gallo Images/Alamy Stock Photo

Snakes can kill prey substantially larger than themselves through one injection of their venom by bite. The resultant envenoming events are responsible for around 100,000 deaths per year. For the development of better antivenoms, better understanding of the venom is required, and we currently lack a stable source for study.

Post and colleagues used venom glands to derive stable organoids from the Cape coral snake that recapitulated the heterogeneity seen in adult organs. These secreted functionally active toxins and so could be a source for future study.