The blood of an American who deliberately injected himself with snake venom for nearly two decades has led to an “unparalleled” antivenom, according to scientists.
Tim Friede’s antibodies have been shown to protect against fatal doses from a wide range of species in tests.
His 18-year mission could be a significant step in finding a universal antivenom against all snakebites - which kill up to 140,000 people a year and leave three times as many needing amputations or with permanent disability.
In total, Mr Friede has endured more than 200 bites and more than 700 injections of venom he prepared from some of the world’s deadliest, including multiple species of mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits.
Current therapies have to match the specific species of venomous snake anyone has been bitten by.
But former truck mechanic Mr Friede has long had a fascination with reptiles and other poisonous creatures.
He used to milk scorpions’ and spiders’ venom as a hobby and kept dozens of snakes at his Wisconsin home.
Hoping to protect himself from bites - and out of what he calls “simple curiosity” - he began injecting himself with small doses of venom and then slowly increased the amount to try to build up tolerance. He would then let snakes bite him.
“At first, it was very scary,” Mr Friede said. “But the more you do it, the better you get at it, the more calm you become with it.”
When the immune system is exposed to the toxins in snake venom, it develops antibodies that can neutralise poison.
If it’s a small amount, the body can react before it’s overwhelmed
In videos posted to his YouTube channel, Mr Friede shows off swollen fang marks on his arms.
His journey has not been without its missteps. Among them, Mr Friede said after one bad snake bite he had to cut off part of his finger.
And some particularly nasty cobra bites in quick succession left him in a coma.
He said: “I wanted to push the limits as close to death as possible to where I’m just basically teetering right there and then back off of it.”
In a study published on Friday in the journal Cell, Columbia University’s Peter Kwong and collaborators shared what they were able to do with Mr Friede’s unique blood.
They identified two antibodies that neutralise venom from many different snake species with the aim of someday producing a treatment that could offer broad protection.
When he heard of Mr Friede, Mr Kwong said: “Oh, wow, this is very unusual. We had a very special individual with amazing antibodies that he created over 18 years.”
Mr Friede is now employed by immunologist Jacob Glanville’s biotechnology company Centivax.
“Tim, to my knowledge, he has an unparalleled history," Mr Glanville said.
“It was different, very diverse species from every continent that has snakes.
“However, we strongly discourage anyone from trying to do what Tim did. Snake venom is dangerous.”
