Episode 2 – Dr Timothy Jenkins: Can AI Solve Snakebite? Designing Next-Generation Antibodies

Episode Overview

 Snakebite envenoming remains one of the most neglected global health challenges, affecting millions of people each year, particularly in low-resource settings. Traditional antivenom development has relied on approaches that are often difficult to scale, limited in specificity, and challenging to standardise.

 In this episode of Immunity by Design, I am joined by Dr Timothy Jenkins to explore how advances in artificial intelligence—particularly AlphaFold—combined with modern experimental technologies are beginning to reshape how we think about antibody discovery in this space.

 From Sequence to Function

 A central theme of our discussion is the shift from descriptive biology to predictive and design-driven approaches.

 Rather than simply identifying antibodies that work, we now have the opportunity to:

• Predict structure from sequence

• Understand binding at a mechanistic level

• Design molecules with specific functional properties

 This represents a fundamental transition—from finding to engineering biological solutions.

 Designing for Complexity

 Snake venoms are not single targets. They are complex mixtures of toxins, often requiring combinations of antibodies for effective neutralisation.

Dr Jenkins discusses how new strategies aim to:

• Develop antibodies with broader specificity

• Target multiple toxin families simultaneously

• Move toward more scalable and rational therapeutic design

 This is where AI becomes particularly powerful—not as a replacement for experiments, but as a framework to guide them more intelligently.

 Bridging AI and Experiment

 A key insight from the episode is that progress does not come from AI alone, nor from experimental work alone—but from their integration.

 AlphaFold provides structural hypotheses.

Experimental systems validate and refine them.

 Together, they create a feedback loop that accelerates discovery while maintaining biological relevance.

 A Broader Perspective

 While the focus of this conversation is snakebite, the implications extend far beyond it.

 The same principles—combining computational prediction with experimental validation—are increasingly central to:

• Immunotherapy design

• Vaccine development

• Understanding immune recognition at scale

 In that sense, snakebite becomes a powerful case study for a much broader transformation in how we approach biology.

 Listen to the Episode

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2hmoqmKKwIRR77rebG4LAx?si=b3a079c2ce6944ae