MONDAY, May 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — Tim Friede has survived hundreds of snakebites — on purpose. For nearly two decades, he let some of the world’s most dangerous snakes sink their fangs into his arms, all for science.

Now, his bold experiment could potentially help save thousands of lives.

Friede, 57, from Wisconsin, has spent nearly 20 years injecting himself with snake venom to build immunity.

His work may now help solve a major global health problem: Each year, venomous snakes bite up to 2.7 million people, causing an estimated 120,000 deaths and 400,000 injuries, The New York Times reported.

In a two-minute video, Friede is seen calmly allowing two deadly snakes — a black mamba and a taipan — to bite his arms. Despite bleeding from both arms, he smiles and says, “Thanks for watching.”

Researchers have discovered two powerful antibodies in Friede’s blood that, when combined with a drug called varespladib, protected mice from the venom of 19 snake species.

This is a major leap forward: Current antivenoms typically only work against one or a few closely related snake species.

“I’m really proud that I can do something in life for humanity, to make a difference for people that are 8,000 miles away, that I’m never going to meet, never going to talk to, never going to see, probably,” Friede told The Times.

He began experimenting in the early 2000s, sometimes housing up to 60 venomous snakes in his basement. His passion nearly cost him his life in 2001, when he let two cobras bite him and ended up in a coma for four days. That experience pushed him to become more careful and precise in his work.

Jacob Glanville, founder of San Francisco-based vaccine developer Centivax and lead author of the study, met Friede in 2017. Working with Peter Kwong, a Columbia University vaccine researcher, Glanville’s team isolated the antibodies and tested them in the mice.

One antibody protected against six snake species. When combined with the second antibody, mice were protected from 13 snake venoms and partly shielded against six more.

Nicholas Casewell, a researcher at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in England, told The Times that cocktails of antitoxins may neutralize the venom of many species.

Traditional antivenom is made by injecting animals like horses or sheep with small amounts of venom, then collecting the antibodies they produce. But this process is outdated and pretty much only works on specific snakes. Many antivenoms can also cause dangerous allergic shock in some people because of the proteins from the mammal.

The hope? Combining human-made antibodies with drugs like varespladib can neutralize a wider range of snake venoms with fewer side effects. 

Next, researchers plan to test the treatment in dogs bitten by snakes in Australia, The Times said in a recently published report. Australia is home to some of the world’s deadliest snakes.

Friede says his snakebite days are behind him. His last bite was in 2018.

“Well, that’s it, enough is enough,” Friede said.

He misses the snakes. But, “I’ll probably get back into it in the future,” he said. “But for right now, I’m happy where things are at.”

More information

The Smithsonian Institution has more on antivenom.

SOURCE: The New York Times, May 2, 2025

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