Areas of interest
Characterising the functional activity of venoms and developing new treatments to combat pathologies caused by envenoming. Reconstructing the evolutionary history of venom systems and their toxic components to understand the molecular basis for such adaptations and ensuing variation in venom composition. Utilising ‘omic’ data to investigate the relationship between the genome, transcriptomes, and proteomes of venomous animals and how this relates to venom production. Investigating how snake venom variation impacts upon antivenom therapy. Testing the immunological cross-reactivity, safety, stability and efficacy of snake antivenoms and the development of novel methods for their manufacture. Screening, selecting and validating small molecule toxin inhibitors as new snakebite therapies.
Background
Professor Casewell is a graduate of the University of Liverpool (BSc Tropical Disease Biology), during which time he also studied at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Casewell’s interest in snake venom research developed at this point, ultimately resulting in a PhD studentship at Bangor University where he studied the composition, evolution and immunology of saw-scaled viper venoms and their antivenoms. The result of Professor Casewell’s PhD research saw him nominated as a finalist for the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution’s young researcher prize, the Walter M. Fitch Award, in 2011. Subsequently, Casewell became Antivenom Manager for the UK manufacturing company MicroPharm Limited, in a commercial and academic collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
In 2012, Casewell was awarded an Independent Research Fellowship from the Natural Environment Research Council, UK to investigate the evolution and composition of different fish venoms, returning to Bangor University to conduct the research.
In 2014, Casewell was appointed as a Lecturer at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and, subsequently, as a Senior Lecturer in 2016.
In 2016 Professor Casewell was awarded a Sir Henry Dale Research Fellowship by the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society to develop new treatments for tropical snakebite.
In 2019, Professor Casewell was appointed to a proleptic Chair in Tropical Disease Biology by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Professor Casewell has published over 70 scientific papers on venoms and antivenoms, and he serves on the editorial board of the scientific journals Toxins and PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases. His scientific research is funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Royal Society, the Medical Research Council, DFID, and NIHR.
Research
Professor Casewell’s research focus is to understand the mechanisms by which variation in venom (toxin) composition are generated, and how this variation can be circumvented during the development of new therapeutics for snakebite. Toxin characterisation work involves applying ‘omic’ technologies (genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics) to:
(i) investigate the evolutionary history of venom in different animal lineages,
(ii) detect venom variation at different taxonomic levels and
(iii) investigate the processes that alter the transcription and translation of toxin gene loci.
Such studies have included the publication of the first snake genomes. Professor Casewell’s therapeutic research focuses on using venom compositional information to rationally develop, select and validate the efficacy of new therapeutics for combatting the pathologies caused by medically important snakes. These approaches include the use of conventional antibody therapies, as well as novel approaches using small molecule toxin inhibitors, decoy receptor molecules, and monoclonal antibodies. This therapeutic research is underpinned by the development and application of a variety of bioassays relevant to toxins that cause medically relevant pathologies. Most recently, Professor Casewell has begun using clinical samples from snakebite victims to better understand how snakebite pathology develops over time, and to assess how effective current treatments are
Public engagement/Media
Featured in the Wellcome Trust’s month of celebrating scientists “advancing ideas”. November 2016.
Wellcome Trust video interview about my science public engagement work. July 2016.
Assisted BBC Earth Unplugged video short on venom blood clotting. April 2016.
Interview about antivenom shortages in Africa. BBC News TV, Radio and website. September 2015.
Interview about snakebite for a forthcoming feature TV documentary. September 2015.
Interview and venom demonstration for BBC World’s “Health Check” TV programme. Aired August 2015.
Scientific advisor for the science communication animation website “Stated Clearly”. 2014-present.
Interviewed by Science for a “news focus” piece entitled “Secrets of Snakes” and by New Scientist for a feature article called “Under the Hood” about my research on snake genomics. December 2013 and January 2014.
