Man Bitten 200 Times by Snakes Helped Develop Revolutionary Antivenom

Snakebites kill thousands of people each year, mostly in rural areas where antivenom is hard to get.

Many victims are children. Others survive but lose limbs or suffer permanent injuries.

The problem isn’t just the snakes. It’s the fact that there’s no one-size-fits-all cure.

The antivenom needs to match the exact species of snake that delivered the bite. That’s where Tim Friede’s story comes in.

Tim Friede is not a doctor or scientist. He used to be a truck mechanic. But over nearly 20 years, he injected himself with venom from some of the world’s deadliest snakes, reports Digi24.

Bitten 200 Times to Build Immunity

He’s been bitten more than 200 times. His goal was to build immunity and survive the kind of bites that kill others.

At first, he almost died. A cobra bite put him in a coma. But he kept going.

His extreme efforts have now helped scientists take a big step forward. A biotech company, Centivax, teamed up with Friede to study his blood.

The researchers were looking for powerful antibodies. Not just ones that fight one type of venom. They were searching for something that could defend against a wide range.

They found it. Two of Friede’s antibodies could stop major classes of neurotoxins found in snakes like cobras, kraits, and mambas.

These snakes paralyze their victims, often fatally. The team also added a drug that blocks a third kind of toxin.

In lab tests, the treatment saved mice from lethal doses of venom from 13 different snakes. It gave some protection against six others.

Experts say the results are unlike anything they’ve seen before. Still, the new antivenom needs more testing before it can be used in hospitals.

Friede says he’s proud. He did it for people he’ll never meet—farmers, kids, and villagers dying far from help. “I’m doing something good for humanity,” he says. “And that feels really cool.”