Man Survives Deadly Snake Bites for 20 Years, Reveals Universal Antivenom Secrets
Antibodies from a Wisconsin man who endured decades of intentional snake exposures are helping shape next-generation antivenoms. Scientists have isolated his immune proteins and used them to build a toxin-neutralizing drug cocktail.
The case, summarized by keywords Man Survives Deadly Snake Bites for 20 Years and universal antivenom, provided rare biological material. Researchers say his immune history offered unusually broad neutralizing antibodies.
The donor and his regimen
The donor is Tim Friede, a self-taught venom expert from Wisconsin. He serves as director of herpetology at Centivax.
Friede milks snakes, then injects small venom doses, increasing them over years. He later allowed direct bites to test his immunity.
He says the process was methodical and often painful. Twin bites from an Egyptian cobra and a monocled cobra put him in a coma for four days.
Over time, Friede developed resistance to several lethal species. These include black mambas, king cobras, and tiger snakes.
How scientists turned antibodies into a drug
Biotech firm Centivax analyzed Friede’s blood for antitoxin antibodies. Two antibodies, LNX-D09 and SNX-B03, were selected for further work.
Researchers combined those antibodies with a toxin-blocking drug, varespladib. The resulting cocktail went into preclinical testing on mice.
In rodent trials, the treatment fully protected animals against venom from 13 snake species. It also offered partial protection against six additional species.
The research team published the results in the journal Cell in 2025. Jacob Glanville, Centivax CEO and lead author, called the donor’s immune record once-in-a-lifetime.
Peter Kwong, a lead author affiliated with Columbia University, said the group will optimize minimum antibody mixes. The aim is broad protection against viperid venoms.
Next steps and clinical testing
The team plans to begin trials in Australia on dogs treated at clinics for snakebite. Those trials will test safety and real-world effectiveness.
Researchers hope to extend the approach to viper bites. Iterative testing will identify the smallest effective antibody cocktail.
Worldwide snakebite causes an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 deaths annually. About 300,000 more survivors suffer lasting disabilities.
If successful, this antibody-plus-enzyme approach could inform a broad-spectrum or universal antivenom. Such a treatment could change care for millions of snakebite victims.
Reporting by Filmogaz.com.
