Friede’s unique immune history has provided scientists with two particularly broad-acting anti-bodies that form the basis of an antivenom effective against 13 different snakes. — Centivax/dpa
Sometimes, medical breakthroughs can come from unexpected places.
Tim Friede, a snake enthusiast in the United States, spent nearly two decades injecting himself with increasing doses of snake venom.
Eventually, he could survive bites from some of the world’s most dangerous snakes.
His unusual dedication has now helped pave the way for a potentially groundbreaking antivenom.
Building on Friede’s unique immune system, researchers at Columbia University and the biotech company Centivax in the US have developed what they describe as the broadest- acting snakebite treatment to date.
According to a study published in the journal Cell, the new therapy – made from a cocktail of three components – offers at least partial protection against the venom of the king cobra, black mamba and 17 other species of highly venomous snakes in the elapid family.
Multiple protection
One of the greatest challenges in developing snakebite treatments is the complexity of the venom itself.
Most snake venoms are a toxic cocktail of different molecules, each with distinct effects on the human body.
Traditional antivenoms are created by injecting venom into animals like horses or sheep, and then harvesting the antibodies they produce.
While this method can be effective, it carries risks – especially allergic reactions when non-human antibodies are used in people – and typically only works against a single species’ venom.
“What was exciting about the donor was his once-in-a-lifetime unique immune history,” says study lead author and computational immuno-engineer Dr Jacob Glanville, who is also the chief executive of Centivax.
Over 18 years, Friede was bitten hundreds of times by 16 different snake species.
Remarkably, he survived, and now works with the research team at Centivax.
Researchers isolated two powerful antibodies from Friede’s blood – LNX-D09 and SNX-B03 – and combined them with an enzyme inhibitor to form a new treatment.
In lab tests on mice, the cocktail offered full protection against venom from 13 different snakes, including the king cobra, black mamba and inland taipan – the latter being considered the most venomous snake on Earth.
It also provided partial protection against venom from six additional species, including the green mamba.
However, the team acknowledges this is just an early step.
The next phase involves testing the antivenom in veterinary clinics on dogs bitten by snakes – a more practical model before human trials can begin.
Cautious optimism
Independent experts welcomed the research, but noted its current limitations.
Biochemist Dr Tim Lüddecke from the University of Giessen in Germany points out that the treatment targets only elapids (like cobras and mambas), and not vipers, whose venom works differently and accounts for the majority of serious snakebites worldwide.
He also cautioned that the study focused mainly on immediate survival.
Long-term effects of venom, such as nerve damage, chronic pain or limb amputation, were not addressed.
Still, he praised the study for combining cutting-edge approaches in antibody and enzyme inhibitor research.
Meanwhile, Professor Dr Michael Hust, a specialist in antibody engineering from Germany’s Technical University of Braunschweig, echoed this optimism.
“This antibody-enzyme inhibitor combination could eventually replace traditional animal-derived antivenoms, which often come with serious side effects,” he said.
Snakebites are a major, but often overlooked global health issue.
Each year, more than 100,000 people die from snake envenomation, and an estimated 300,000 more are left with permanent disabilities, including blindness or lost limbs.
The team at Centivax is now working toward an even more ambitious goal: a universal antivenom that protects against both elapids and vipers.
While there’s still a long way to go, the research marks a major step forward and it all started with a man willing to be bitten again and again, in the name of science. – By Larissa Schwedes/dpa
