Tim Friede, a former computer expert from America, has willingly put himself through more than 200 snake bites and about 700 venom injections from some of the most poisonous snakes over 20 years, all to create a universal antivenom. His strange experiments started after he had a close call with death when two cobras bit him, and he was saved by a miracle.
Surviving that incident made Tim believe he had super immunity and that he would never die from snake venom again. However, this journey turned into something much bigger.
Over the years, his body built up a resistance to the venom, and his blood became like a universal antivenom, able to neutralize toxins from different snake species. Researchers began to study Tim’s unique biology to develop a universal antivenom that could change medicine and save countless lives around the world. Right now, antivenom is made by injecting small amounts of venom into animals like horses.
Their immune systems fight off the venom and create antibodies, which are then collected for treatment. But the success of antivenom relies on matching the venom, since toxins can differ between species, and even within the same species, there can be variations. For instance, antivenom made in India might not work as well against the same species in Sri Lanka.
A team of scientists started looking for a type of immune defense called broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs).
Instead of focusing on the specific parts of the venom, they aimed at the structural features that are common across different venom families. That’s when Dr. Jacob Glanville, the CEO of Centivax, a biotech firm, met Tim Friede. “I instantly thought, ‘If anyone on the planet has these broadly neutralizing antibodies, it’s him,’” Glanville said.
