AI-Accelerated Venom Drug Discovery

Venoms don't kill.
They target.
So do drugs.

India holds the world’s most untapped venom library. We’re decoding it with AI.

Our Thesis Founders → See Platform Partner With Us
100K+ Venomous species <0.1% explored (Global) 0% explored (India) ~$12B Venom Drug Market 12 FDA-approved drugs 0 To be discovered
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Cone snail toxins → pain therapeutics Gila monster saliva → Exenatide / Byetta (diabetes) Brazilian pit viper → Captopril (ACE inhibitor) Tarantula peptides → chronic pain Sea anemone toxins → autoimmune diseases Black mamba proteins → analgesics Cone snail toxins → pain therapeutics Gila monster saliva → Exenatide / Byetta (diabetes) Brazilian pit viper → Captopril (ACE inhibitor) Tarantula peptides → chronic pain Sea anemone toxins → autoimmune diseases Black mamba proteins → analgesics
Our Thesis

"Venom peptides don't destroy.
They Bind, Block, Modulate."

Evolution had a 700M-year head start. We're catching up.

Venoms are nature’s most information-dense drug library—vast, precise, and underexplored. We combine high-resolution venomics with AI to decode targets and generate clinically actionable leads.

<0.1% explored.
A library larger than all synthetic chemistry—waiting.

The Science

Nature’s Precision: The Venomics Advantage

100K+
Venomous species on Earth
20M+
Unique bioactive peptides estimated
700M
Years of evolutionary optimisation
~$12B
Global venom-derived drug market
Shield
Structurally Constrained (Stability) Pre-locked conformations ensure high stability and resistance to degradation.
Target
Hyper-Selective (Efficacy) Exceptional target affinity with near-zero off-target toxicity.
Physiologically Validated (Safety) Evolution-vetted across 700 million years of in vivo testing.
Unlocking Hard-to-Hit Targets:

Voltage-gated ion channels (pain, epilepsy), GPCRs (metabolic, cardiovascular), and Coagulation factors (thrombosis).

🐍

Snakes

Phospholipases, metalloproteinases, three-finger toxins — cardiovascular, neurology

4,229+ species
🦂

Scorpions

Chlorotoxin, iberiotoxin — oncology, pain, ion channel targets

2,700+ species
🕷️

Spiders

Acylpolyamines, knottins — pain, epilepsy, anti-infective

53,680+ species
🐚

Cone Snails

Conotoxins — one of the richest peptide sources known, analgesics

900+ species
🪼

Cnidarians

Sea anemone toxins — ion channel blockers, autoimmune disease

11,000+ species
🦎

Lizards & Reptiles

Exendins, helodermins — metabolic disease, GLP-1 pathway

~150+ species
Proof of Concept

Venom-Derived Drugs Transforming Modern Medicine

FDA Approved 🐚

Ziconotide (Prialt)

Derived from cone snail Conus magus toxin ω-conotoxin. A pioneering non-opioid analgesic for severe chronic pain.

POTENCY: 1,000× Morphine
TARGET MARKET: ~$70B (Pain)

Conus magus · FDA Approved 2004

FDA Approved 🦎

Exenatide (Byetta)

Based on exendin-4 from Gila monster Heloderma suspectum saliva. The foundational GLP-1 receptor agonist for type 2 diabetes.

PEAK SALES: $1.2B / year
CLASS VALUE: $20B+

Heloderma suspectum · FDA Approved 2005

FDA Approved 🐍

Captopril

Inspired by bradykinin-potentiating peptides in Brazilian pit viper Bothrops jararaca venom. The first ACE inhibitor to hit the market.

PEAK SALES: $1.6B / year
CLASS VALUE: $30B+

Bothrops jararaca · FDA Approved 1981

What We Do

From fang to pharmacy

Our integrated platform spans the full drug discovery continuum—from specimen acquisition and venom characterisation to lead identification and candidate optimization.

01

Evolutionary Venomics

We profile the full toxin complement of India's venomous species using mass spectrometry and RNA-seq to build the most comprehensive venom proteome database in the subcontinent.

02

AI-Powered Drug Discovery

Deep learning models trained on structure–activity data predict therapeutic potential, target selectivity, and ADMET profiles for millions of candidates simultaneously.

03

Next-Generation Antivenom

We develop recombinant antivenoms from venom gland transcriptomics, enabling broader neutralisation, improved safety, and scalable manufacturing to overcome the limits of horse-serum.

04

Biodiversity Atlas

India's 300+ snake species, 1,400+ spider species, and 150+ scorpion species represent an untapped reservoir. We are building the foundational atlas of this molecular diversity.

05

Structural Biology

AlphaFold-guided structure prediction and cryo-EM validation of peptide–target complexes to understand binding mechanisms and guide rational lead optimisation.

06

Partnerships & Licensing

We collaborate with academic institutions and pharmaceutical companies to co-develop programmes and license our platform and compound portfolio into existing pipelines.

07

End-to-End Therapeutics Pipeline

From computational screening to preclinical validation, our pipeline identifies antimicrobial, antifungal, cardiovascular, and analgesic leads from venom peptide libraries, then advances the highest-confidence candidates through in vitro and in vivo assays.

Discovery Engine

Seven Stages from Field to Clinic

An end-to-end, data-driven engine compressing a traditionally decade-long journey into a streamlined, scalable platform.

01
Venom Collection

Field expeditions across India's biodiversity hotspots

02
Omics

Mass-spectrometry + Sequencing

03
Bioassays

High-throughput screening of ion channels and targets

04
AI-powered Discovery

Deep learning models score millions of peptide candidates

05
Lead Synthesis

Candidates ranked, selected, and synthesised

06
Preclinical Studies

In vivo models for efficacy and toxicity

07
Clinical Candidate

IND-ready molecule advanced to partners or in-house

The Founders

Meet the minds behind the mission

A multidisciplinary team spanning toxinology, computational biology, and machine learning.

Prof. Kartik Sunagar
Dr. Kartik Sunagar
The Venomics Guru
Professor, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru

An evolutionary biologist and founder building at the intersection of biodiversity, deep science, and drug discovery. Based at IISc, Bengaluru, his research group studies animal venoms and develops innovative treatments for snakebite, including monoclonal antibodies and small-molecule therapeutics. Through Venomics AI, he is creating a scalable biodiscovery platform that transforms nature’s toxins into tomorrow’s medicines.

Google Scholar ↗
Dr. Vinay Prabhu
Dr. Vinay Prabhu
The AI Wonk
PhD, Electrical & Computer Engineering Carnegie Mellon University MSEE · IIT Madras

An AI expert and technology leader building at the intersection of computation and drug discovery. He leads the development of advanced machine learning platforms that analyse complex biological data, enabling the identification and optimisation of novel therapeutic candidates. As co-founder of Venomics.AI, he drives the company’s computational strategy, transforming large-scale venom datasets into actionable insights for next-generation medicines.

Google Scholar ↗
The Rest of The Team →
Updates

Latest Developments

Key milestones, press features, and research breakthroughs from the Venomics AI team.

View All News →
Jan 15, 2026
Milestone

Venomics AI Conceptualized

The founding story
Apr 10, 2026
Funding

$XM Seed Round Secured

Read Announcement →
Feb 22, 2024
Press

IISc researchers develop synthetic antibody to neutralise snake bite toxins

The Hindu →
Scientific Network

Advisors & Collaborators

World-Class Scientists Guiding and Validating Our Science.

Prof. Nicholas Casewell
Professor of Tropical Disease Biology Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, UK
Snakebite Therapeutics
Prof. Glenn King
Professor, Institute for Molecular Bioscience University of Queensland, Australia
Peptide Pharmacology
Prof. Nikhil Gandasi
Assistant Professor, Department of Developmental Genetics, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, India
Diabetes

+ Expanding Advisory Board

Our advisory network is growing — reach out if you'd like to collaborate.

Selected Publications

Peer-reviewed science

Science Translational Medicine
Synthetic development of a broadly neutralizing antibody against snake venom long-chain α-neurotoxins
2024
Book Chapter · Oxford Univ Press
Venomous Reptiles and Their Toxins: Evolution, Pathophysiology and Biodiscovery
2015
Review · Toxins
Snake Venom Evolution: Narrating a Tale of Two Timescales
2013
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Beyond the 'big four': Venom profiling of the medically important yet neglected Indian snakes
2019
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Biogeographical venom variation in the Indian spectacled cobra underscores the need for pan-India efficacious therapy
2021
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Biogeographical venom variation in Russell’s viper and the preclinical inefficacy of antivenom therapy
2021
Toxins
Venomics of the Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus) from diverse biogeographic regions reveals unprecedented venom variation
2021
Science Translational Medicine
Synthetic development of a broadly neutralizing antibody against snake venom long-chain α-neurotoxins
2024
Book Chapter · Oxford Univ Press
Venomous Reptiles and Their Toxins: Evolution, Pathophysiology and Biodiscovery
2015
Review · Toxins
Snake Venom Evolution: Narrating a Tale of Two Timescales
2013
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Beyond the 'big four': Venom profiling of the medically important yet neglected Indian snakes
2019
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Biogeographical venom variation in the Indian spectacled cobra underscores the need for pan-India efficacious therapy
2021
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
Biogeographical venom variation in Russell’s viper and the preclinical inefficacy of antivenom therapy
2021
Toxins
Venomics of the Indian krait (Bungarus caeruleus) from diverse biogeographic regions reveals unprecedented venom variation
2021
View all publications →
Get In Touch

Let's build the future of medicine together

Whether you're an investor, partner, scientist, or patient advocate — we want to hear from you.

info@venomics.ai

Location

Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru 560012, India

Partnerships & Licensing

info@venomics.ai

press@venomics.ai for media inquiries

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Institutional Support

In Partnership with Distinguished Institutions and Agencies

Indian Institute of Science
Indian Institute of Science
Speciale Invest
Speciale Invest
South Park Commons
South Park Commons
ArtPark
ARTPARK
Evolutionary Venomics Lab
Evolutionary Venomics Lab