Self-Experimentation Leads To Snakebite Breakthrough

A groundbreaking study published in the prestigious journal Cell reveals how one man’s extreme self-experimentation with deadly snake venom has led to the development of a potentially universal antivenom that could revolutionize treatment for the estimated 5.4 million people bitten by venomous snakes annually worldwide.

Tim Friede, a 57-year-old former truck mechanic from Wisconsin, has endured approximately 200 direct snakebites and over 650 self-administered venom injections over nearly two decades, generating a remarkable immune response that scientists are now leveraging to create lifesaving treatments.

Unprecedented Scientific Collaboration

After discovering Friede’s unusual immunity through YouTube videos showing his voluntary snake bites, immunologist Jacob Glanville of biotechnology company Centivax recognized a unique opportunity. “I remember calling [Friede] and being like, ‘Look, I know this is awkward, but I would love to get my hands on a little bit of your blood,'” Glanville told Science.

The resulting collaboration between Friede, Glanville, and Columbia University structural virologist Peter Kwong led to the May 2, 2025 publication in Cell describing a three-component antivenom that fully protected mice against venom from 13 deadly snake species and partially protected against six more. This represents a significant advancement over existing species-specific antivenoms.

Lifesaving Potential For Global Health Crisis

Snakebites kill between 81,000 and 138,000 people annually and permanently disable hundreds of thousands more, according to data from the World Health Organization, which added snakebites to its list of neglected tropical diseases in 2017. The new antivenom could address major limitations in current treatments.

“This speaks to the power of nature and these systems and their awesome ability, with appropriate selection pressure, to produce these remarkable molecules,” Glanville told Fierce Biotech. Traditional antivenoms are created using horses or sheep, requiring separate production for each snake species and sometimes causing dangerous immune reactions in patients.

The Science Behind The Discovery

Friede’s unprecedented immunity developed through carefully calibrated exposure to venoms from numerous deadly snake species, including black mambas, cobras, taipans, kraits, and various vipers. This long-term process allowed his immune system to generate antibodies targeting common features across different snake toxins.

The research team isolated two particularly effective antibodies from Friede’s blood that target specific neurotoxin families. When combined with a drug called varespladib, which blocks phospholipase A2 (another major venom component), the resulting cocktail demonstrated remarkable protective capabilities against venoms from diverse snake species across Africa, Asia, and Australia, according to Science News.

Ethical Considerations And Medical Legacy

While Friede’s self-experimentation has yielded potentially life-saving results, scientists emphatically discourage others from attempting similar practices. “No one else should do what Tim did,” Glanville stated, acknowledging both the extreme danger and the ethical concerns surrounding such experimentation.

Friede retired from active self-immunization in 2018 after 202 snakebites and 654 immunizations, some of which resulted in life-threatening reactions requiring hospitalization. He now serves as director of herpetology at Centivax, contributing his expertise to the company’s antivenom development program.

Future Applications And Research

Clinical trials in humans remain at least two years away, but researchers are moving forward with plans to deploy the antivenom for veterinary use in Australia within approximately nine months, potentially treating dogs bitten by the continent’s numerous elapid snake species, according to The Washington Post.

The team is simultaneously working to expand their antivenom to address venoms from the Viperidae family—including rattlesnakes and pit vipers—which dominate in the Western Hemisphere. Researchers are also exploring whether additional effective antibodies can be found by reexamining the billions of antibodies originally discovered in Friede’s blood samples.