The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is a lethal venomous snake native to Africa. Its bite is one of multiple that could be treated with a new universal antivenom… developed from a human named Tim Friede.
Michele D’Amico/Getty Images
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Michele D’Amico/Getty Images
The Egyptian cobra (Naja haje) is a lethal venomous snake native to Africa. Its bite is one of multiple that could be treated with a new universal antivenom… developed from a human named Tim Friede.
Michele D’Amico/Getty Images
What’s it like to get bit by a venomous snake?
“It’s like a bee sting times a thousand,” Tim Friede says.
Friede would know. Over the past few decades, he’s let himself be bitten over two hundred times, by all kinds of venomous snakes — black mambas, taipans, cobras, kraits, and more. He calls it his “claim to fame.”
The bites have sent him to the ICU, put him into comas and more. But with time, he’s gradually built up an immunity to multiple types of venom.
That made him wonder: Could this hobby of his be used for public good? If he survived all these toxins, could scientists share his immunity with other people, too?
The World Health Organization estimates that every year, between one and three million people are bitten by venomous snakes. Of those people, tens of thousands die; thousands more are permanently disabled.
High quality antivenoms are considered the most effective treatment for envenomation. Those existing antivenoms usually come from domestic animals, like horses, that have been injected with small amounts of a specific venom to produce antibodies that identify and neutralize its toxins.
Researchers who studied Friede’s blood hope to synthesize a treatment that could be used for multiple different kinds of venomous snake bites — a universal antivenom.
Want to hear about more medical discoveries? Email us at [email protected] to tell us what areas of science you’d be interested in.
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This episode was produced by Hannah Chinn and edited by our showrunner, Rebecca Ramirez. Tyler Jones checked the facts. Jimmy Keeley was the audio engineer. Special thanks to Johannes Doerge.
