Naoual Oukkache

"My job is to focus on venom composition, drug development to treat envenomations and clinical trials to test those drugs. My country Morocco has many snakes, causing a public health problem, and our laboratory is thus of paramount importance."

"Morocco has the greatest diversity of snake fauna with a high rate of endemism. It’s a serious problem for the citizens but also for the health professionals due to the unavailability of effective treatment. The snake envenomation entails over 400 cases with thirty deaths annually and this data is likely an underestimation."

"What I enjoy most about my work is finding ways to solve this serious health problem."

"Snakebites and other envenomations cause many deaths in Africa and other parts of the world. I believe it’s very important to find solutions that can help reduce these deaths. The main treatment is something called antivenom. To make it, scientists inject small amounts of venom into animals, usually horses. The animals then produce antibodies that can fight the venom. Later, some of their blood is taken, and those antibodies are turned into medicine that works well for people. Of course, collecting venom from live snakes or other animals is very dangerous. It takes people who are brave, passionate, and truly love these amazing creatures."

"This is a multidisciplinary challenge, which requires a network that brings together experts from various fields including herpetology, arthropology, epidemiology, pathophysiology, medicine, community health, toxinology, toxicology, antivenom production, and legislation. Our research follows a translational approach aimed at studying the composition of the most medically important venoms. We use modern biochemical, immunological, toxicological, pharmacological, taxonomical, clinical, and epidemiological methods. This detailed understanding of venom toxins will deepen our knowledge of the mechanisms of envenomation and support the development of more effective and innovative antivenoms."