Person acclaimed for survivng multiple snake bites contributes to advancements in antivenom development
Rewritten Article:
Associated Press, NEW YORK
Meet Tim Friede, a man who's been bitten by venomous snakes some 300 times - deliberately. Now, scientists are studying his blood, holding hope for creating a better treatment for snakebites.
Friede's fascination with reptiles and other dangerous creatures goes back a long way. He used to extract venom from scorpions and spiders as a hobby and kept scores of snakes at his Wisconsin residence.
Intrigued by self-protection and a dash of curiosity, Friede began self-injecting small amounts of snake venom and gradually boosted doses over time to develop a tolerance. He'd then let the reptiles sink their fangs into him.
"At first, it was downright terrifying," Friede shares. "Yet, the more you expose yourself, the more you learn to handle it calmly."
Despite no medical professional recommending such a practice, experts agree it mirrors the body's immune response. When the immune system encounters venom toxins, it produces antibodies that can neutralize the poison. If the dosage is small enough, the body can counteract the venom before it overpowers. If it's venom the body has previously encountered, it can respond faster and cope with larger doses.
Friede's resilience and self-inflicted snakebites have spanned nearly two decades, and his fridge remains stocked with various venoms. He displays his arm fang marks from black mamba, taipan, and water cobra bites in videos on his YouTube channel.
"I've been pushing the limit as close to death as possible, teetering on the brink and then pulling back," he admits.
Yet, he also wanted to make a difference. He reached out to scientists nationwide, entreating them to analyze his developed tolerance.
Approximately 110,000 people lose their lives to snakebites yearly, according to the WHO. Developing antivenom treatments is costly and complex. Most antivenom is created by injecting large mammals, like horses, with venom and collecting their antibody responses. These antivenoms are usually species-specific and can cause adverse effects due to their non-human origins.
Upon learning about Friede, Dr. Peter Kwong of Columbia University Medical Sciences exclaimed, "What we have here is a singular individual with extraordinary antibodies he's developed over 18 years!"
In a recent study published in Cell, Kwong and his colleagues discussed what they achieved with Friede's distinctive blood. They identified two antibodies capable of neutralizing venom from numerous snake species, aiming to eventually create a treatment offering broad protection.
The clinical research stage is still far. The experimental antivenom was solely tested on mice, and scientists estimate human trials to be several years away. While the treatment shows promise against snakes like mambas and cobras, it's ineffective against vipers, such as rattlesnakes.
"Promising though it may be, we still have a long road ahead," Dr. Nicholas Casewell, snakebite researcher at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, remarked via email.
Friede's journey hasn't always been smooth. He recounts that a bad snakebite once necessitated the amputation of a finger, and some particularly dangerous cobra bites left him hospitalized.
Now, Friede works for Centivax, a company dedicated to creating the treatment and funding the study. He expresses his excitement over the potential to save lives from snakebites through his 18-year journey. Yet, his advice to would-be imitators is clear: "Just don't do it."
- The unique antibodies in Tim Friede's blood, developed after years of self-inflicted snakebites, hold potential for the medical-conditions treatment of snakebites through science and health-and-wellness advancements.
- The ongoing study of Tim Friede's blood by scientists aims at creating a broader treatment for various medical-conditions, including snakebites, by identifying antibodies that can neutralize venom from multiple snake species.
