About

The Venom, Anti-Venom and Natural Toxins Research Centre (VANTRC) was established on 17^th November, 2021 by the Ahmadu Bello University Governing Council at its 197^th Regular Meeting. It is envisaged that the Centre will provide direction for current research in venoms and carry out production of anti-venom serum against snake venom indigenous to Nigeria and West Africa and to establish optimum production protocols and potency standard for anti-venoms. Thus, the main research focus of the Centre will be in developing and implementing the capacity for established and new technologies for venom and toxins research.

The problems of envenomation and paucity of ASV persisting in Nigeria was elaborated at the Nigerian Society of Neuroscience (NSN) AGM held at Federal University Birnin Kebbi (FUBK) in 2018. Consequently, the Ahmadu Bello University group was given the mandate to set-up a venom research and development program, since the ABU team had the most capable hands and facilities. Also the FUBK, Usmanu Danfodio University, Kebbi State Government and the society now known as Toxinological Society of Nigeria (TSN) were able to facilitate cooperation/collaboration with Dr. Naeem Quraishi, Project Manager ASV/ARV serology Laboratory, Pakistan for developing indigenous ASV for Nigeria and West Africa, as there was shortage of the effective EchiTab and EchiTab plus produced by Costa Rica (Jose Maria/ Cheema) developed for Africa. We were specifically interested in adopting their technology for developing camel-based ASV for Nigeria which is an efficient, safe and more heat stable than routine horse ASV

At the invitation of Kamla Lifesciences Limited at G 84/1, MIDC Tarapur, Boisar, Palghar-401506, Maharashtra, India we visited their facilities and established collaboration for development of ASV. The trip was co-ordinated by Professor M.S. Abubakar (Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria) accompanied by Dr. Umar Katsayal, (ABU, Zaria) and one representative from NAFDAC and NDLEA. Also, we visited His Excellency, the Executive Governor of Benue State, Dr. Samuel Ioraer Ortom and thereafter established a working relationship with the State.

The process for establishing VANTRC started in 2019 from a Federal Government capital appropriated fund starting with the sum of one hundred and twenty million Naira (N120,000,000) only. The Stakeholders mandate for the Centre was to conduct research and development on venoms and Natural toxins. This fund was utilized in establishing the physical facilities at Phase II, Research Park of the University. Subsequent appropriation (2020-2022) was utilized for continuous development of physical facilities and equipping the Centre.

The main mandates of the Centre include:

1. To pioneer and exert national and regional leadership in the research and development of antivenom sera, vaccines and anti-toxins.
2. To carry out basic and medical research into therapeutic compounds, the production of therapeutics aids and diagnostics and development of biological reagents from venom and toxin.