The VIPER Institute is based in Tucson, Arizona, and we’re part of the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine. Together with scientists and clinicians around the world, we study the effects of venom – from spiders, snakes, and scorpions, mainly – on people and animals that are bitten or stung. Some of our affiliated scientists are figuring out how venom interacts with cells and chemicals of the body; others are using venom as the biological starting point for making new drugs.