LSI Distinguished Speaker Seminar - Prof Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel
Wednesday, 04 November 2026 at 12:00
LSI Distinguished Speaker Seminar
Event details
Dear all,
Please join us for an LSI Distinguished Speaker Seminar with Prof Christiane Berger-Schaffitzel from the University of Bristol.
Date: Wednesday, 4th November 2026
Time: 12:00–13:00
Location: LSI Seminar Room A & B
Title: Engineering Next-Generation Antivenoms: Structural and Synthetic Biology Approaches to Snakebite Therapy
Abstract:
Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that causes substantial mortality and long-term disability worldwide. We generate next-generation recombinant antivenoms using protein engineering and in vitro display technologies. Using ribosome display, we select high-affinity toxin-neutralising binders against defined venom antigens, including phospholipases A₂. These binders are presented as ADDomer nanoparticles, a thermostable and highly modular platform that displays 60 binding sites, thereby enhancing avidity and neutralisation potency.
A major focus of our work are snake venom metalloproteinases (SVMPs), key pathogenic components of viper venoms. These multidomain proteases drive haemorrhage, vascular injury, and tissue necrosis following envenoming, making their neutralisation a key objective for effective treatment. To enable mechanistic studies and binder discovery, we established a generic SVMP production pipeline using the MultiBac insect-cell expression system. By producing recombinant SVMP zymogens, we dissected the proteolytic mechanisms underlying autoactivation and characterised the resulting cytotoxic and haemotoxic activities. These recombinant toxins provide well-defined targets for mechanistic studies and underpin the development of next-generation recombinant antivenoms with broad efficacy against snakebite envenoming.
Organiser
Living Systems Institute
Location
LSI Seminar Rooms A&B