Researchers have developed a powerful new antivenom using antibodies from a man who has endured hundreds of snake bites. This treatment has been shown to protect mice from the venoms of 19 different deadly snakes, including the formidable king cobra (Ophiophagus hannah).

The antivenom is a combination of the drug varespladib and synthetic antibodies modeled after those found in the blood of Tim Friede, an American snake enthusiast who has self-administered over 600 venom doses to increase his immunity. Friede has also survived around 200 venomous snake bites. The findings were published today in the journal Cell.

Researchers believe this study could pave the way for much-needed treatments, though they acknowledge ethical concerns due to the source of the antibodies coming from a person who has engaged in risky self-experimentation. The authors of the study clarify that they did not encourage Friede’s self-endangerment. “We had no role in advising Friede to undertake these dangerous acts, and no one should attempt this in the future—we now have all the molecules required,” stated Jacob Glanville, CEO of the biotech company Centivax in South San Francisco, California. He stressed the dangers of snake venom and advised against mimicking Friede’s actions.

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Outdated Antivenoms

Traditional antivenoms are produced by injecting animals like horses with snake venom and then collecting the antibodies that form. Typically, these antivenoms only cover the venom from a few snake species.

“With today’s advanced immunology technologies, it’s unacceptable to keep relying on these antiquated methods for treating snakebites,” argues Kartik Sunagar, a biologist specializing in antivenom development at the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru.

The authors aimed to create an antivenom effective against a broader array of the world’s 600-plus venomous snake species. Initially, they focused on the Elapidae family, which accounts for nearly half of these species. Elapid venoms contain peptides such as short-chain neurotoxins (SNX) and long-chain neurotoxins (LNX), which bind to the same receptors on nerve cells, disrupting neuron communication and potentially leading to muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.

Not for Replication

Glanville and Peter Kwong, a biochemist at Columbia University in New York, learned about Friede through media reports and carefully documented his venom exposures. After ethical review board approval and informed consent from Friede, they collected samples of his blood, isolating antibodies that were tested against elapid snake toxins. These antibodies were then tested in mice injected with snake venom. To enhance protection, the researchers also incorporated varespladib, which blocks a venom enzyme that degrades muscle and nerve tissues.

Their research produced a cocktail of varespladib and two of Friede’s antibodies, enabling mice to survive lethal doses of venom from 19 different elapid snake species. One antibody targets a common feature of the LNX toxins, and the other targets the SNX toxins.

Glanville noted that using exact replicas of human antibodies might reduce the risk of adverse reactions compared to those derived from animals or synthesized through computational methods.

While praising the study’s execution, Sunagar and other experts have raised ethical concerns given the risks Friede took. Sunagar also questioned whether these antibodies could be produced affordably on an industrial scale.

Jean-Philippe Chippaux, a venomous-snake bite expert and emeritus researcher at the French National Research Institute for Sustainable Development in Paris, pointed out that the main challenge in treating snake bites isn’t the efficacy of the treatments but the delay in administering them. “We need strategies to make antivenoms more accessible in regions prone to snake bites and to encourage faster hospital visits by bite victims,” he stated. He remains skeptical that the new broad-spectrum antibodies will solve these issues.

Glanville is exploring ways to make these treatments more portable and affordable, emphasizing the importance of proving the cocktail’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios before commencing human trials.

Centivax plans to test the antivenom cocktail on dogs in Australia that have been bitten by snakes. The experimental treatment will be administered first; if ineffective, traditional antivenom will follow.

This article is reproduced with permission and was first published on May 2, 2025.