Man Lets Snakes Bite Him Over 200 Times For Science

ISLAMABAD: Every year, snakebites claim up to 140,000 lives worldwide and leave many more with life-altering injuries. The challenge in treating snakebites lies in the diversity of venom—each species, and even snakes of the same species from different regions, produce unique toxins.

This means that current antivenoms must be carefully matched to the specific snake responsible for the bite, making treatment difficult and sometimes impossible in remote or resource-limited areas.

Scientists have long searched for a universal antivenom that could protect against a wide range of snake venoms. Recently, researchers made a breakthrough, thanks to an unusual source: the blood of a man who has spent nearly two decades deliberately exposing himself to snake venom.

Tim Friede, a former truck mechanic from the United States, has endured more than 200 snake bites and over 700 injections of venom from some of the world’s deadliest snakes, including mambas, cobras, taipans, and kraits.

His original goal was to build up his own immunity to snake venom, but over time, his mission evolved into something much bigger. After surviving a near-fatal experience with two cobra bites, Friede dedicated himself to helping others, hoping his unique immunity could lead to better treatments for snakebite victims around the world.

Researchers, led by Dr Jacob Glanville of the biotech company Centivax, saw an opportunity in Friede’s extraordinary immune system. They obtained ethical approval to study his blood, searching for antibodies that could neutralise a broad range of snake venoms. Their focus was on elapids—a family of snakes that includes cobras, mambas, and kraits—whose venom contains neurotoxins that can quickly paralyse and kill.

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The team discovered two powerful antibodies in Friede’s blood that could target two major classes of neurotoxin. By combining these with a third drug, they created an antivenom cocktail. In laboratory tests on mice, this cocktail protected against fatal doses from 13 out of 19 of the world’s deadliest elapid snakes, and offered partial protection against the rest. This level of broad protection is unprecedented in the field of antivenom research.

Experts say this approach could eventually lead to a universal antivenom, or at least a single injection for each major snake family, making treatment faster and more accessible. However, much work remains before this new antivenom can be used in humans, including further refinement and extensive safety testing.