A team of researchers from the University of Warwick has developed a synthetic sugar detection test for snake venom, which promises rapid diagnosis and improved antivenoms.

Because the time following a snake bite is critical, identifying the snake venom making its way through a person’s system is vital to saving lives and offering the best course of treatment.

Source: Biomacromolecules (2025). DOI: 10.1021/acs.biomac.5c00125

While the majority of approaches for diagnosing and treating snake venom tend to rely on antibodies, antibody assays are riddled with challenges including high costs, lengthy procedures and inconsistencies.

As such, the team developed what it calls the first proof-of-concept for a cheap and rapid potential solution in the shape of a glycopolymer-based ultraviolet–visible (UV–vis) test for detecting snake venom. The diagnostic assay developed by the University of Warwick team specifically detects Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) venom.

"Snake venoms are complex and detecting the toxins at work is challenging but essential to save lives. We've produced an assay using synthetic sugars that mimic the sugars in our bodies that the toxins naturally bind to and an amplification system that makes this rapid test visible. This method lays the foundations for the rapid and cheap detection of snakebite beyond antibody-based techniques, potentially improving patient outcomes," the researchers explained.

According to the researchers, the Western Diamondback Rattlesnake venom binds to specific sugar molecules on the surface of cells within the body, including red blood cells and platelets. Notably, the toxin binds to galactose-terminal glycans (sugar chains ending in galactose). By binding to these glycans, the venom disrupts blood clotting or interferes with the immune responses that lead to disability and death.

To develop the venom assay for Crotalus atrox venom, the researchers constructed synthetic chains of sugar-like units — or glycopolymers — to imitate the natural sugar receptors that are bound by venom proteins. The researchers attached gold nanoparticles to the synthetic sugars so as to amplify the response and make the reaction visible, thereby producing a test that changes color once venom toxins bind to the synthetic sugars.

The developers of the assay found that venoms from other snake species did not interact with glycans in the body when tested in the lab.

When the team tested venom from the Indian Cobra (Naja naja), they did not observe binding to the synthetic glycans that bind to Crotalus venom. As such, this assay promises to distinguish between different snake venoms according to their sugar-binding properties, the researchers concluded

An article detailing the assay, “Glycopolymer-Functionalized Gold Nanoparticles for the Detection of Western Diamondback Rattlesnake (Crotalus atrox) Venom,” appears in the journal Biomacromolecules.