Snake venom helps hydrogels stop bleeding in 6 seconds

Brazilian Lancehead - Gallery Photo by Neverscared A nanofiber hydrogel infused with snake venom may be the best material to stop bleeding quickly, according to scientists at Rice University in Texas. The hydrogel incorporates batroxobin, a venom produced by two species of South American pit viper. It can be injected as a liquid and quickly turns into a gel that conforms to the site of a wound, keeping it closed, and promotes clotting within seconds. The hydrogel may be most useful for surgeries, particularly for patients who take anti-coagulant drugs to thin their blood.

“It’s interesting that you can take something so deadly and turn it into something that has the potential to save lives,” Jeffrey Hartgerink Rice University

Batroxobin, also known as reptilase, is a snake venom produced by the Fer De Lance Bothrops atrox and Brazilian Lancehead Bothrops moojeni, venomous species of pit viper found in South America. Batroxobin was recognized for its properties as a coagulant in 1936 and has been used in various therapies as a way to remove excess fibrin proteins from the blood to treat thrombosis and as a topical hemostat. It has also been used as a diagnostic tool to determine blood-clotting time in the presence of heparin, an anti-coagulant drug. See more at: http://news.rice.edu/2015/10/26/snake-venom-helps-hydrogels-stop-the-bleeding/