Cory Woliver, DVM

12/09/2024

12/06/2024

THREE DAYS LEFT! We are in the last three days of our 2025 ASF Calendar Photo Contest! Don’t miss out on your chance to vote on your favorite photos, preorder a calendar, and/or reserve a date on the calendar to commemorate a special occasion! Submissions are also still open if you have a photo you want to submit. Visit the link in the comments for more information!

11/27/2024

11/26/2024

Mark your calendars!

We are happy to announce another opportunity to take our Online "Venomous Snakes of the Southeast" course! Pour yourself some hot coco, grab a blanket while you listen in and learn about all of the species of venomous snakes native to the US southeast from the cozy comfort of your own home! This course covers a more in-depth look at each species, their ecology, threats, harmless look-alikes and what to do when you encounter them!

Perfect for wildlife professionals, educators, aspiring biologists & conservationists, southern homeowners, or just anyone with a desire to know more about venomous snakes! Grab your tickets today, or give them as a gift to the outdoor enthusiast in your life!

Register at the link below: https://www.savethebuzztails.org/events/venomous-snakes-of-the-southeast-online-course-3

11/14/2024

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! It’s time for some friendly competition in support of a great cause! 👀🗓️

We are hosting the 2025 ASF Calendar Photo Contest to raise money for the foundation! Think your bearded dragon (or leopard gecko…or corn snake…or painted turtle…or horned frog…) could be a star? Did you take an amazing photo while herping?

We're looking for photos of awesome amphibians and reptiles to feature in our first calendar. Your photo could be one of 13 winners!

Visit the link in the comments to learn more and to read our entry rules! The contest begins 11/15 at 12:00AM EST and ends 12/8 at 11:59PM EST!

Best of luck 🤩

11/14/2024

ASF’s goal is to help reduce these numbers and improve outcomes for snakebite victims globally. With your support, we expand our reach and empower communities to prevent deaths and disabilities caused by snakebites!

11/11/2024

Asclepius Snakebite Foundation is dedicated to improving snakebite outcomes around the world! Visit our website to learn how you can get involved!

snakebitefoundation.org

10/30/2024

10/15/2024

📢 Calling all veterinarians and veterinary technicians!

Join us for the inaugural Emergency & Critical Care Conference at UF Small Animal Hospital on November 9!

Learn from industry leaders and earn up to 8 CE hours on cutting-edge topics like snake envenomation, feline urethral obstruction, and life-saving techniques to boost your skills.

Secure your spot before November 7 as space is limited - register now! https://smallanimal.vethospital.ufl.edu/clinical-services/emergency-critical-care/emergency-and-critical-care-conference/

10/11/2024

Join us for a riveting episode of Animal Airwaves - Live featuring Dr. Cory Woliver, an emergency and critical care expert at the UF Small Animal Hospital. Dr. Woliver delves into the lives of coral snakes, discussing what happens from an envenomation and what makes these snakes unique among venomous serpents. Dr. Woliver will also discuss his groundbreaking clinical trial which is being used to treat dogs envenomated by coral snakes. Don’t miss this opportunity to gain potentially life-saving knowledge about this elusive fossorial species and the latest advancement in treatment.
https://bit.ly/33GNM6v

10/01/2024

October is breast cancer awareness month. Did you know that venom could hold an important key in future options for cancer patients?

A potential new cancer therapy called CB-24 was derived from the venom of the South American rattlesnake (Crotalus durissus terrificus) and could be effective for the treatment of solid tumors and cancers. It bypasses healthy cells and selectively targets and attacks the surface of malignant cells, allowing for an influx of calcium ions - ultimately destroying them.

During pre-clinical in vivo trials, CB-24 showed 83% growth inhibition in Lewis lung carcinoma, 69% in MX-1 human mammary carcinoma, and 44% in HL-60 leukemia cells. The lower activity in the leukemia cells may suggest CB-24 is more specifically effective against solid tumors. The research has advanced to phase 1 human trials, which are designed only to establish safety (not effectiveness). These trials are already exceeding researcher expectations, as clinical responses in patients as well as analgesic properties of the drug have already been reported.

While it hasn't been used in human trials or treatment, Contortrostatin, a protein found in copperhead venom, has been shown to inhibit the growth of tumors, slow angiogenesis (the growth of blood vessels into the tumor that supply it with nutrients and allow the tumor to grow and spread), and also helped prevent metastasis (the spread of cancer cells to new areas of the body) in studies of mice implanted with human breast cancer cells. 🐁

These are not the first time that snake venom has been the basis of medical research and treatment! 🧪🧫💉

Other drugs derived from snake venoms include the antiplatelet drugs eptifibatide, which contains a modified venom protein which was discovered in the dusky pygmy rattlesnake, and tirofiban, which contains a venom protein from the African saw-scaled viper. Captopril, an antihypertensive drug that was the first to be approved in the US in 1981 was developed from bradykinin-potentiating peptides (BPPs) found in the venom of the Bothrops jararaca snake.