NBIA Colloquium: Andreas Laustsen-Kiel

Title: Advances in snakebite envenoming therapy

Abstract: Snakebite envenoming is a serious neglected tropical disease that causes many deaths and long-term disabilities worldwide. Current treatments are made by immunizing animals and purifying antibodies from their blood, a process that has changed little in over a century. New advances in biotechnology are now enabling the development of recombinant antivenoms made from defined mixtures of human monoclonal antibodies and nanobodies that target key snake toxins. These next-generation antivenoms have shown improved effectiveness in preclinical studies compared with traditional antivenoms. A recent landmark study by Ahmadi et al. (Nature, 2025) demonstrated the potential of recombinant oligoclonal antivenoms to broadly neutralize snake venoms. However, scientific, manufacturing, and regulatory challenges must still be overcome before these recombinant antivenoms become widely available treatments.

Brief bio-sketch: Professor Andreas Hougaard Laustsen-Kiel heads the Section for Biologics Engineering at the Department of Biotechnology and Biomedicine at the Technical University of Denmark (DTU). He is a leading expert in antibody technologies, specializing in the discovery of antibodies against toxins. He is a co-founder of several biotech companies and spinouts, including Biosyntia, VenomAb, Antag Therapeutics, Chromologics, VenomAid Diagnostics, Agrobiomics, Combotope Therapeutics, Y-king Biologics, and Bactolife. He received his Dr.techn. (higher doctorate) in 2026 from DTU, his PhD in 2016 from the University of Copenhagen, and his M.Sc.Eng. in 2012 from DTU. His work has been widely cited, recognized, and awarded with prizes such as the Silver Medal for Excellent Basic Research in 2023 (Royal Danish Academy of Sciences and Letters) and the Elite Research Award in 2025 (Ministry of Higher Education and Science).

Refreshments in the NBIA Lounge after the talk!