For people in much of the world, snakebite is a life-threatening condition.

We don't think about it much in Colorado, where a nasty rattlesnake bite might send the occasional hiker to the emergency room. But the World Health Organization estimates that, around the globe, as many as 138,000 people die from venomous snakebites each year. And while antivenom can be used to treat snakebite, it’s often costly and difficult to produce.

An expert at the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley hopes to change that.

Biology professor Stephen Mackessy is part of an international team that recently announced a breakthrough in the production of antivenom. The new technology could save lives by making antivenom cheaper to manufacture — and available in larger quantities.

Mackessy and his team recently published their findings in the journal Nature. He spoke with Erin O’Toole about the important research happening at his lab in Greeley that led to the breakthrough.

If you like this interview, check out this In The NoCo conversation with a CU researcher who studies pythons to find a cure for heart disease in humans.

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Host and Producer: Erin O'Toole
Executive Producer: Brad Turner

Theme music by Robbie Reverb
Additional music by Blue Dot Sessions
In The NoCo is a production of KUNC News and Community Radio for Northern Colorado.