Indian Journal of Experimental Biology Vol. 56, October 2018, pp. 707-715 Minireview Nanotechnology in snake venom research—an overview Antony Gomes* 1 , Sourav Ghosh 1 , Jayeeta Sengupta 2 , Kalyani Saha 1 & Aparna Gomes 3 1 Laboratory of Toxinology & Experimental Pharmacodynamics, Department of Physiology, University of Calcutta, 92, APC Road, Kolkata-700 009, West Bengal, India 2 Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, T6G 1H9 3 CSIR-Indian Institute of Chemical Biology (IICB), Kolkata-700 032, West Bengal, India Received 02 June 2017; revised 12 July 2018 Nanotechnology has revolutionized the paradigm of today’s upcoming biological sciences through its applications in the field of biomedical research. One such promising aspect is by interfacing this modern technology with snake venom research. Snake venom is a valuable resource of bioactive molecules, which has shown efficient and promising contributions in biomedical research. The potentiality of merging these two unique fields lies in the approach of interfacing active bioactive molecules derived from snake venoms, which would yield better therapeutic molecules for future applications in terms of drug delivery, enhanced stability, reduced toxicity, bioavailability and targeted drug delivery. Available literature on nanoconjugation of snake venom bioactive molecules have suggest that these molecules have better therapeutic advantage in several fields of biomedical research viz., arthritis, cancer, etc. Another perspective in snake venom research could be green synthesis or herbal based synthesis of nanoparticles, which has shown enhanced effect in snake venom neutralizing capacity. Therefore, in terms of snake venom therapeutic potential and development of snake venom antidote, nanotechnology is a prodigious tool to be taken into serious consideration by the researchers. In this review, a comprehensive overview has been given on bridging nanoparticles with active biomolecules derived from snake venoms/herbs, current scientific evidences and records in this field, present trends and developments in nanotechnology in venom research along with future prospects in this arena. This may open new domains in snake venom research using nanotechnology in the near future. Keywords: Antidote, Ayurveda, Drug delivery, Herbal, Nano applications, Nanoconjugation, Snake envenomation, Venoms-toxins Nanotechnology and snake venom Since the birth of its concept, nanotechnology has been employed in various sectors including information and computing technology, energy, sensors, biotechnology, biomedicine, food industry and even agriculture owing to its unique physico- chemical properties which are completely different from their bulk form 1 . In fact, nanoscale materials, aggregates of atoms and molecules, gives rise to some unforeseen properties which needs analysis and further detailing since these properties are what which makes the nanotechnology— an unique technology. These unique yet highly potential properties of nanomaterials cannot be predicted by quantum mechanics (individual atoms) or classical physics (bulk materials). The novel properties of nanomaterial has opened the door to diverse applications of this technology in almost every field bridging different disciplines, such as biology, chemistry, physics, electronics, mechanics, optics, mathematics and others. Due to its rapid growth since its basic origin, it has climbed the steps of development and reached almost every sector of applications. It is a big shot commercial market today which has billions of investments in global perspectives, and is expected to be a giant market of future. Several nanoproducts are commercially available already and innumerable products are under research and development. Nanotechnology can therefore be considered as the next technological revolution which has direct impact on human health and environment. With wide array of applications of nanotechnology in biomedical sciences, it is essential to know how these nanoparticles actually work within the biological system. Owing to their miniature size, these particles can translocate from their entry portals (routes exposed) into the circulatory and immune systems, and ultimately to body tissues and organs. ________ *Correspondence: Phone: +91 33 23508386; Fax: +91 33 23519755, 22413288 E-mail: agomescu@gmail.com