More than 600 different venomous snake species are found on the planet, causing as many as 2.7 million injuries each year, killing approximately 120 000 persons, and injuring 400 000 another. However, experts think that one man’s bravery may alter this tale.
Tim Friede, 57, a slender Wisconsin resident, has injected himself with over 650 properly calibrated, escalating concentrations of poison to increase his resistance to 16 dangerous reptile species over the past 18 years.
In Friede’s body, researchers report finding antibodies that can neutralize the venom of several different snake species in a move toward developing a common antivenom, according to a report released Friday in the journal Cell.
The study’s lead author, Jacob Glanville, founder and CEO of Centivax, a company that produces broad-spectrum vaccines, and lead author of the study found that 19 dangerous reptile species from a large family found in various physical locations were protected by two potent antibodies from Freide’s heart when combined with a drug that prevents toxins.
This is an extraordinary feat because the majority of antivenoms can counteract the venom from just one or a few related snake species from a single area. According to the study, combinations of antitoxins may be able to stop all snake families from dying and getting hurt.
