VenomAid Diagnostics

VenomAid Diagnostics

VenomAid Diagnostics

Affordable point-of-care diagnostics for snakebite, guiding treatment and saving lives where antivenom is scarce and time is critical.

København, Danmark

Denmark

For-profit, including B-Corp or similar models

Every six second, someone is bitten by a snake. Snakebite Envenoming is one of the most neglected global health challenges, causing over 125,000 deaths and 400,000 disabilities annually, primarily in rural, low-income regions across Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Over 5 million people are bitten by venomous snakes each year, yet most lack timely access to appropriate care. Snakebite has a significant socioeconomic toll, resulting in an estimated 9-12 million DALYS lost per year and billions in economic losses due to lost productivity, healthcare costs, and long-term disability. The disease disproportionately affects farmers, children, and people living far from hospitals - deepening cycles of poverty and health inequity. Antivenom, the only treatment, is costly, scarce, and can cause severe allergic reactions. Clinicians often don’t know which species bit the patient, forcing them to guess and use broad-spectrum antivenoms that may be less effective or harmful. Diagnosis typically relies on waiting for symptoms, delaying treatment and worsening outcomes. Clinicians face life-or-death decisions without reliable tools. Without fast, accurate diagnostics to confirm envenoming, guesswork costs time, resources, and lives. There is an urgent global need for simple diagnostics that can guide treatment and save both costs, and more importantly, lives.

VenomAid addresses this problem with a portable lateral-flow test - similar to a pregnancy or COVID-19 test - that detects venom proteins in patient samples (blood, urine, wound swabs). Using engineered antibodies, the test gives a visible result within 20 minutes, allowing health workers in rural clinics to confirm if venom is present and guide treatment decisions accordingly. Our tests are designed specifically for use in low-resource settings, requiring only minimal equipment and training. They empower frontline health workers to make better and faster clinical decisions, shortening time from bite to treatment and improving patient outcomes. VenomAid serves communities in remote regions across South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America, and currently have two projects focusing on Brazil and India. Victims are often farmers, children, or others far from hospitals—those most at risk of dying from delayed or inappropriate treatment. By combining advanced biotechnology (antibodies, nanobodies and engineered binders) with a low-cost, field-ready design, VenomAid fills a critical gap in neglected tropical disease management, advancing health equity and contributing to the WHO’s goal of halving snakebite deaths by 2030.

VenomAid serves rural communities in snakebite-endemic regions, with an initial focus on Brazil and India, which see nearly 2 million snakebite cases annually. These populations often live far from hospitals and lack timely access to diagnosis, resulting in preventable deaths and long-term disabilities. Our solution empowers frontline health workers, who are often the first and only caregivers in these settings. India has over 150,000 rural health centers and Brazil more than 40,000 basic care units, yet most lack the tools or training to diagnose snakebite confidently. Diagnosis is often delayed by hours, waiting for symptoms to appear, worsening patient outcomes. VenomAid’s rapid diagnostic test provides a simple, actionable result in under 20 minutes. It aligns with the WHO snakebite strategy by enabling early treatment and reducing reliance on symptom-based triage. With earlier diagnosis, antivenom can be administered closer to the point of care—potentially reducing hospital stays by 1–2 days, cutting unnecessary antivenom use by up to 50%, and lowering mortality by 30–50%. From a government perspective, the test also fills a critical data gap of providing real-time confirmation of envenoming that improves antivenom planning, resource allocation, and ultimately, national investment in snakebite management.