Man bitten 200 times by deadly snakes helps create life-saving antidote

A man from Wisconsin who endured more than 200 lethal snake bites and injected himself with over 700 small venom doses of some of the world’s deadliest serpents has been instrumental in the creation of an antidote that could save thousands of lives.

Tom Friede, of Wisconsin, exposed himself to deadly venom for 18 years. He began with small doses and gradually increased the amounts he took to build up tolerance.

After analysing his blood, researchers have published details of a venom that can protect against bites from 19 species of deadly poisonous snakes, whose bites kill up to 140,000 people a year and leave over 400,000 people needing amputation or lifetime disability, according to the World Health Organisation. Several experts said the lethal snake bite antidote, based on antibodies in Friede’s blood and venom-blocking drug, could revolutionise the treatment against snakebite envenoming, a potentially life-threatening disease caused by toxins in the bite of deadly snakes.

I ‘screwed up’ and ended up in a coma

Friede’s initial goal was to build up his immunity to protect himself when handling snakes. However, the former American truck mechanic said he had “completely screwed up” early on when two cobra bites in quick succession lef him in a coma.

“I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to lose a finger. I didn’t want to miss work,” he said in an interview with British broadcaster BBC. However, he then decided it was no longer just about him but a greater goal: to develop better therapies for victims of snake bites worldwide.

“It just became a lifestyle and I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing as hard as I could push – for the people who are 8,000 miles away from me who die from snakebite,” he told the BBC.

Antivenom is currently made by injecting small doses of snake poison into animals, including horses. Their immune system fights the venom by producing antibodies, which are harvested and later used as therapy.

However, poison and antidotes must be closely matched because the toxins in a venomous bite are as different as the snakes from which the poison comes.

And then Friede was discovered by an antidote expert

A team of researchers began searching for a universal antidote. And that’s when Dr Jacob Glanville, chief executive of biotech company Centivax, came across Tim Friede.

“Immediately, I was like ‘if anybody in the world has developed these broadly neutralising antibodies, it’s going to be him’ and so I reached out,” Glanville said.

“The first call, I was like ‘this might be awkward, but I’d love to get my hands on some of your blood’,” the doctor added.

However, Friede agreed, and the work was received ethical approval because the study would only take blood from him, rather than use him as a guinea pig.

Do not try this at home

“Tim, to my knowledge, has an unparalleled history,” the immunologist added. “It was different, very diverse species from every continent that have snakes, and he kept rotating between (the snake venoms) over a 17-year, nine-month history, and he took meticulous records the entire time.”

The good doctor said don’t try this at home. “We strongly discourage anyone from trying to do what Tim did. Snake venom is dangerous.”

The immunologist said significant progress has been made, but the antivenom still needs extensive testing before it can be used in people.

Friede concluded: “Makes me feel good. I’m doing something good for humanity. That was very important to me. I’m proud of it. It’s pretty cool.”