With an estimated 2.5 million people bitten every year, contact with venomous snakes is an often overlooked problem that is likely to worsen due to the effects of climate change in tropical and subtropical countries. Approximately 150,000 deaths occur annually, with even more people experiencing amputations and permanent disabilities due to these incidents.
However, unlike many health concerns, most snakebites can be successfully treated with effective, high-quality antivenoms. The problem is, however, that many regions lack the resources to swiftly provide the correct antivenom to snakebite victims—assuming those victims even know which species bit them. With over 650 venomous snake species worldwide, dozens of antivenoms have been developed, but with little incentive to manufacture them widely.
A universal antivenom would go a long way towards ensuring that more people are able to survive a run-in with a venomous snake. And there’s one man who has had an outsized impact on that antivenom becoming a reality.
Originally from Milwaukee, Tim Friede is a self-taught herpetologist who has made himself hyperimmune to the venom of numerous snakes. With the goal of protecting himself in case he was ever bitten by one of the venomous snakes in his home collection, Fried self-administered around 700 diluted venom injections between 2001 and 2018. He gradually strengthened his immune system against the neurotoxins of many different species and ultimately allowed himself to be directly bitten over 200 times.
Friede is now the director of herpetology for the biotechnology company Centivax, which is spearheading the universal antivenom research. Friede began working with Centivax in 2017, when he attracted the attention of researchers interested in studying the broadly neutralizing antibodies in his blood.
Though research is still underway, Friede’s antibodies have already produced compelling results, even against some of the world’s deadliest snakes. In studies on mice, an antivenom derived from two of Friede’s antibodies and a venom-blocking drug fully neutralized venom from 13 different snake species and partially neutralized venom from six others. Those snakes included deadly species like mambas, taipans, cobras, kraits, and more.
A groundbreaking antivenom:
- One of the most compelling results of the Centivax research is that Friede’s antibodies were effective even against certain snakes that he had never come into contact with.
- Though clinical trials on humans are likely to be at least two years away, Centivax hopes that their antivenom could be used in Australia within nine months, initially on dogs bitten by snakes.
- Pit vipers and rattlesnakes are the most common venomous snakes in the Western Hemisphere, so Centivax hopes to eventually expand the antivenom to provide protection against these Viperidae snakes.
