PIF2025 - Unleashing Snake Genomics: Exploring Venom Evolution and Evolutionary Dynamics in Colubroidea (VENOMEVOL) - (PID2024-162288NB-I00)

Venomous snakes are a major global health challenge, causing up to 2.7 million envenomings and over 100,000 deaths each year, mostly in impoverished tropical regions. Recognized by the WHO as a priority Neglected Tropical Disease, snakebite envenoming remains understudied from an evolutionary and molecular perspective. This project will use cutting-edge multi-omics approaches to explore the systematics, evolution, and venom diversity of snakes within the superfamily Colubroidea, focusing on medically important and evolutionarily unique species from Africa, Arabia, and Asia. By generating chromosome-level reference genomes and integrating transcriptomic and proteomic data, we will build the first comprehensive catalog of venom-gland toxin genes. This work will reveal the molecular and ecological mechanisms driving venom diversification and adaptation, while providing a genomic foundation for next-generation synthetic antivenoms. Beyond improving public health, the project will advance fundamental knowledge in evolutionary biology, support snake conservation, and provide key resources to policymakers and researchers addressing biodiversity loss and human–snake conflict.