Snake venom shows promise as skin glue for closing life-threatening wounds

Scientists at Western University in London, Ont., and international collaborators have found a way to harness the blood-clotting properties of venom from a South American snake as a type of skin glue that they say is so effective, it could stop life-threatening bleeding within a minute.

The work also involves the University of Manitoba and the Army Medical University in Chongqing, China. It looks at the potential healing properties of an enzyme contained in the venom of the lancehead pit viper, known as batroxobin or reptilase.

The findings were published Thursday in the journal Science Advances.

Kibret Mequanint, a bioengineer at Western University, told CBC Radio’s Afternoon Drive host