The traditional production of antidotes is achieved by first injecting small doses of snake poison into horses. By slowly increasing the administered dose proteins build up in the blood of the horse which can then be isolated. However the antidote produced this way is not specific enough and may cause life-threatening allergic reactions when applied to humans.
 

According to a report of the “Frankfurter Rundschau” (a German newspaper) British scientists are presently working on producing antibodies against snake poison from cell cultures of mice. In experiments it was possible to isolate a lethal enzyme of the Jararaca snake (bothrops jararaca) and then to inject it into the skin of mice. The effected cells then developed antibodies as a part of the endogenous immune system, which neutralizes the effect of the enzyme and at the same time starts to destroy it. After successful experiments with mice the scientists hope to then produce matching human antibodies with the help of genetically modified animals..
The Jaracara snake belongs to the group of lance head vipers and produces a whole cocktail of poison proteins. Only the enzyme called “Jararahagin” was administered to the mice cells. This enzyme attacks the lining of the blood vessels and the components of the blood plasma which results in severe haemorrhages causing death in the end. The produced antibodies prevent this one effect but not all of the others. Keeping in mind that the composition of the poison varies from species to species and that the production of antidotes has to be matched precisely the likelihood of developing and obtaining 100% effective antidotes even in future can be considered as rather low.