Projects per year
Personal profile
SUMMARY of research interests (100 words)
Snakebite affects millions of people every year and is estimated to cause >100,000 deaths and 400,000 life-altering injuries annually. Conventional antivenoms are the current mainstay treatment but are associated with many issues including high cost, poor stability, being snake species-specific, the need to be delivered intravenously, and poor efficacy against local tissue necrosis caused by cytotoxic snake venoms. Dr Hall’s research is therefore focused on (i) the pharmacological determination of synergistic drug combinations with multi-species efficacy, and (ii) the development of local drug administration methods that could be exploited to better treat the devastating effects of snakebite-induced tissue necrosis.
Web Links
1) Conversation article summarising our research and goals.
2) Nature Outlook article discussing snakebite and mentioning our work.
3) Video interview for the Royal Society of Biology's A to Z of the Biosciences.
4) Minutes to Die Documentary [1h02m, 2017] summarising the snakebite issue.
User-defined keywords
- Pharmacology
- Snakebite
- Venom
- Toxinology
- Drugs
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
-
-
Development of drug delivery devices for the treatment of local envenoming
Hall, S. (Principal Investigator)
Project: Research
-
Determining the oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction mechanisms of action of cytotoxic snake venoms
Hall, S. (Principal Investigator)
Project: Research
-
Quantifying pharmacological synergy between snake venom-inhibiting drugs
Hall, S. (Principal Investigator)
Project: Research
-
Synergistic snakebite therapies: Quantifying pharmacological synergy between snake venom-inhibiting drugs
Hall, S. (Principal Investigator)
12/06/25 → 31/07/25
Project: Research
-
Small Molecule Drug Discovery for Neglected Tropical Snakebite
Clare, R. H., Hall, S. R., Patel, R. N. & Casewell, N. R., 31/05/2021, In: Trends in Pharmacological Sciences. 42, 5, p. 340-353 14 p.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Review article › peer-review
-
Repurposed drugs and their combinations prevent morbidity-inducing dermonecrosis caused by diverse cytotoxic snake venoms
Hall, S. R., Rasmussen, S. A., Crittenden, E., Dawson, C. A., Bartlett, K. E., Westhorpe, A. P., Albulescu, L.-O., Kool, J., Gutiérrez, J. M. & Casewell, N. R., 14/12/2023, In: Nature Communications. 14, 1, p. 1-15 15 p., 7812.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile29 Downloads (Pure) -
Molecular dissection of cobra venom highlights heparinoids as an antidote for spitting cobra envenoming
Du, T. Y., Hall, S. R., Chung, F., Kurdyukov, S., Crittenden, E., Patel, K., Dawson, C. A., Westhorpe, A. P., Bartlett, K. E., Rasmussen, S. A., Moreno, C. L., Denes, C. E., Albulescu, L.-O., Marriott, A. E., Mackay, J. P., Wilkinson, M. C., Gutiérrez, J. M., Casewell, N. R. & Neely, G. G., 17/07/2024, In: Science Translational Medicine. 16, 756, eadk4802.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile89 Downloads (Pure) -
Dermonecrosis caused by a spitting cobra snakebite results from toxin potentiation and is prevented by the repurposed drug varespladib
Bartlett, K. E., Hall, S., Rasmussen, S. A., Crittenden, E., Dawson, C. A., Albulescu, L.-O., Laprade, W., Harrison, R. A., Saviola, A. J., Modahl, C., Jenkins, T. P., Wilkinson, M. C., Gutiérrez, J. M. & Casewell, N. R., 7/05/2024, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 121, 19, p. 1-12 12 p., e2315597121.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile46 Downloads (Pure) -
Heparin-incorporated whey protein isolate-derived hydrogels with an intended dual function as snakebite wound dressings and drug delivery systems inhibit spitting cobra venom-induced cytotoxicity
Grey, M., Baines, D., De Castro, G., Cobb, T., Tyrrell, L., Hyam, S., Smith, A., Casewell, N. R., Allinson, S., Douglas, T. & Hall, S., 1/06/2026, In: Toxicon. 275, 109061.Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Open AccessFile21 Downloads (Pure)
Activities
-
Letter S | Snakebite Treatment Researcher Dr Steven Hall | A to Z of the Biosciences
Hall, S. (Speaker)
7/11/2024Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
-
Lancaster Drug Discovery Group: Link Building and Grant Development Workshop
Fielding, A. (Organiser), Dawson, N. (Speaker), Munoz-Herranz, M. P. (Speaker), Menzies, S. (Speaker), Hall, S. (Speaker), Clancy, D. (Speaker), Baggaley, A. (Speaker), Docherty, J. (Speaker), Doulcet, J. (Speaker), Urbaniak, M. (Member), Allinson, S. (Member), Peng, Q. (Member), Northcote-Smith, J. (Member), Mann, O. (Speaker), Copeland, N. (Member), Bambini Junior, V. (Speaker), Banaji, M. (Member), Brown, E. (Member), Kotsantis, P. (Member), Parkin, E. (Member) & Kotsantis, P. (Member)
8/07/2026Activity: Participating in or organising an event types › Participation in workshop, seminar, course
-
ASPET Discovery (Journal)
Hall, S. (Peer reviewer)
23/06/2026 → 23/06/2029Activity: Publication peer-review and editorial work types › Editorial activity
-
586.3ml of Science - Fantastic drugs and where to find them
Martin, J. (Organiser), Hall, S. (Speaker), Urbaniak, M. (Speaker) & Northcote-Smith, J. (Speaker)
16/06/2026Activity: Talk or presentation types › Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
-
Pharmacology & Pharmaceutical Science: solutions in health, from lab to life - Lancaster University
Hall, S. (Speaker) & Fielding, A. (Speaker)
11/06/2026Activity: Talk or presentation types › Oral presentation
Prizes
-
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
Hall, S. (Recipient), 28/07/2026
Prize: Election to learned society
Press/Media
-
Snakebites can destroy skin, muscle, and even bone – exciting progress on drugs to treat them
Hall, S. & Casewell, N. R.
20/05/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Research
-
-
A Man Let Snakes Bite Him 200 Times. His Blood Inspired a Universal Antivenom.
10/06/25
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Opinion
-
He injected himself with snake venom hundreds of times. His blood could ‘revolutionize’ snakebite treatment
3/05/25
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Expert Opinion
-
Next-generation snakebite therapies could reduce death toll
21/11/24
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Research