Venom Protein C Activators as Diagnostic Agents for Defects of Protein C System

The fast-acting PC activator Protac® from Agkistrodon contortrix contortrix (Southern copperhead snake) venom has found a broad application in diagnostic practice for the determination of disorders in the PC pathway. Recently, screening assays for the PC pathway have been introduced, based on the observation that the PC pathway is probably the most important physiological barrier against thrombosis.