This man survived 200 snake bites, from cobras to mambas, and now his blood is helping scientists beat venom; know how |

In a revolutionary breakthrough in the treatment of snakebites, researchers have used the potential of antibodies in the blood of a man who self-inflicted more than 200 snake bites to create an antivenom with amazing potential. The breakthrough is one step closer towards the creation of a universal snake antivenom that can save thousands of lives every year.
Tim Friede‘s extraordinary path has resulted in a scientific discovery with the potential to transform the way the world fights snakebites. His work may eventually give rise to a universal antivenom that saves thousands of lives annually, meeting the pressing need for effective treatments in areas where snakebites are common. There is still more to be done, but the development of this universal antivenom is a turning point in the battle against one of the world’s most lethal threats.

Tim Friede faced more than 200 bites from deadly snakes to fight for a cure

Tim Friede, a former truck mechanic from the United States, is at the center of this remarkable medical discovery. For nearly two decades, Friede intentionally injected himself with venom from some of the world’s deadliest snakes, including black mambas, cobras, taipans, and kraits. His goal was to build up immunity, allowing him to safely handle venomous snakes in his personal life and YouTube endeavors. With time, his mission changed, though. What had started out as a private experiment became an obsessive quest to advance snakebite treatments worldwide.
In spite of the dangers, including a number of near-lethal experiences — among them, a coma brought on by two cobras biting him — Friede held on. “I did not want to die. I did not want to lose a finger. I did not want to miss work,” he remembered some of his earliest battles. His own battle soon became a larger cause: saving lives of people far from medical care that could save them from snakebites.

Science behind the antivenom

Today, antivenoms are produced by inoculating tiny amounts of venom into animals such as horses, which then develop antibodies to combat the toxins. The antibodies are then collected and employed to develop therapeutic products. But one major setback in antivenom production is the specificity of the therapy. Current therapies have to be for the exact species of snake that inflicted the venom, and even within a single species, there can be varying levels of potency in the venom.
To overcome this limitation, researchers have turned their attention to broadly neutralising antibodies, which act against shared elements of venom across species. Centivax biotechnology company CEO Dr. Jacob Glanville led the quest for these universal antibodies. After learning about Friede’s extensive self-experimentation, Dr. Glanville was quick to contact him, seeing the potential of Friede’s blood to hold the key to a universal antivenom.

Potential in Tim Friede’s blood

The partnership between Friede and scientists was to find antibodies that could give broad protection against a range of snake venom varieties. The particular interest was in elapids, a venomous snake group that includes such species as coral snakes, mambas, and cobras. These snakes mainly employ neurotoxins, which kill their victims by paralyzing them, commonly resulting in death through respiratory failure.
By examining Friede’s blood, researchers found two important broadly neutralising antibodies that were capable of binding to two distinct classes of neurotoxin. Through further improvement, the team included a third ingredient, creating a powerful antivenom cocktail. In initial animal tests, the cocktail offered full protection against venom from 13 out of 19 species targeted by the antivenom. The other six species displayed partial protection, which Dr. Glanville termed an “unparalleled” width of coverage.

New antibodies offer hope for broad venom protection

The research group is now working on purifying these antibodies and seeing if the addition of a fourth element would yield complete protection against the neurotoxin-based venom of elapids. Although this is a significant advancement in snakebite treatment, much more work needs to be done. Next, they will investigate the other forms of venom, including those from vipers, which target the blood using hemotoxins instead of neurotoxins.
Prof. Peter Kwong, a researcher at Columbia University, believes that a fully comprehensive solution could be realized within the next decade. “In the next 10 or 15 years, we’ll have something effective against each one of those toxin classes,” he said. Although the results are encouraging, experts such as Prof. Nick Casewell, director of the Centre for Snakebite Research and Interventions at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, warn that more comprehensive testing will be needed before the new antivenom can be administered in humans. Nevertheless, the discovery gives a good indication that a universal snake antivenom is within sight.
For Friede, this progress is personally fulfilling. “I’m doing something good for humanity, and that was very important to me. I’m proud of it. It’s pretty cool,” he shared. His selfless dedication to saving lives around the world has turned his once-dangerous experiment into a potential game-changer in global healthcare.
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