Unique snake antivenom created from a man who was bitten 200 times

A man in the United States has actually spent nearly two decades injecting himself with snake venom, and scientists say his blood has now produced an “unmatched” antivenom.

The antibodies found in Tim Friede’s bloodstream have been tested on animals and show they can protect against lethal dosages from numerous snake species.

Typically, existing treatments need to correspond with the exact type of snake that has bitten someone.

However, Friede’s 18-year endeavor may lead to a universal antivenom that could help fight the bite of snakes, which cause around 14,000 deaths each year, leaving many others facing amputations or lasting disability.

Throughout this journey, he has endured over 200 bites and received more than 700 venom injections prepared from some of the most dangerous snakes, such as mambas, cobras, taipans, and kraits.

His initial goal was to build immunity for safely handling snakes, and he even recorded his experiences on YouTube.

But, as he admits, he “completely messed up” early on—two quick cobra bites sent him into a coma.

“I didn’t want to die. I really didn’t want to lose a finger or miss work,” he shared with the BBC.

His ultimate motivation has turned into developing better treatments for others, explaining, “It became a lifestyle for me, and I just kept pushing because of the people 8,000 miles away who die from snakebites”.

Currently, antivenoms are produced by injecting small quantities of venom into animals, like horses, enabling their immune systems to create antibodies, which are then collected for use.

The challenge is that the antivenom must closely match the specific venom, as different species—and even individuals within the same species—can have varying toxins.

For instance, antivenom derived from snakes in India may not be equally effective against the same snakes in Sri Lanka.

Researchers began looking for a kind of immune defense known as broadly neutralizing antibodies—ones that don’t focus on unique toxin parts but rather on components shared among different classes of toxins.

That’s when Dr. Jacob Glanville, who heads a biotech firm called Centivax, discovered Tim Friede.

“I thought, ‘If anyone in the world has these broadly neutralizing antibodies, it’s likely him,’” he remarked, recalling his initial outreach to Friede.

“On our first call, I was like, ‘This might be a bit strange, but I’d really like to get some of your blood’.”

Friede agreed, and after the necessary ethical approvals—the research would be taking blood, not giving him more venom—the work kicked off.

The focus of the research has been on elapids, a group that includes coral snakes, mambas, cobras, taipans, and kraits. These snakes rely on neurotoxins in their venom, which can cause paralysis and ultimately stop the victim’s ability to breathe.

Researchers selected 19 elapids recognized by the World Health Organization as among the most lethal snakes. They began analyzing Friede’s blood for protective properties.

Their findings, published in the journal Cell, revealed two broadly neutralizing antibodies that could combat two classes of neurotoxin. They also included a drug targeting a third to create a comprehensive antivenom solution.

Experiments on mice showed that this combination provided survival from lethal doses of 13 out of the 19 venomous species, with partial protection against the others.

This wide-ranging protection is, as Dr. Glanville noted, “unmatched,” likely covering many elapids for which no antivenom exists.

The research team is now refining the antibodies and exploring whether adding a fourth element could achieve complete protection against elapid snake venom.

On the other hand, vipers use haemotoxins, which primarily affect the blood, unlike the neurotoxins of elapids. Overall, there are about a dozen major toxin classes in snake venom, including cytotoxins that destroy cells directly.

Prof. Peter Kwong from Columbia University suggests that in the next decade or so, we could have effective treatments for each of these toxin types.

And the investigation continues with Friede’s blood samples.

“Tim’s antibodies are quite remarkable—he’s essentially trained his immune system to broadly recognize these toxins,” commented Prof. Kwong.

The ultimate goal? Either a single antivenom for all snakebites or two specific injections—one for elapids and one for vipers.

Prof. Nick Casewell, who leads the snakebite research center at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, emphasized that the range of protection found is “certainly novel” and hints at a promising direction for future research.

However, he does remind us that there’s still quite a bit of work ahead and extensive testing is crucial before it can be approved for human use.

For Friede, reaching this milestone is fulfilling. “I’m contributing positively to humanity, and that’s really meaningful to me. I’m proud of this—it’s pretty amazing,” he expressed.