Man who let snakes bite him 200 times spurs new antivenom hope
Tim Friede was feeling particularly down on the day after the September 11 attacks, so he went to his basement and let two of the world's deadliest snakes bite him.
Four days later, he woke up from a coma.
"I know what it feels like to die from snakebite," Friede told AFP via video call from his home in the small US town of Two Rivers, Wisconsin.
This experience might put most people off snakes entirely, but Friede simply vowed to be more careful next time.
From 2000 to 2018, he allowed himself to be bitten by snakes more than 200 times. He also injected himself with their venom over 650 times.
Friede endured this pain because he wanted to achieve total immunity to venom, a practice called mithridatism which should not be tried at home.
After a couple of years, Friede started to believe he could be the basis for a better kind of antivenom. The former truck mechanic, who does not have a university degree, long struggled to be taken seriously by scientists.
But last month, a study published in the prestigious Cell journal showed that antibodies from his blood protect against a range of snake venom.
The researchers now hope Friede's hyper-immunity could even lead to the development of a universal antivenom.
This would fill a major need, because currently most antivenoms only cover one or a few of the world's 600 venomous snakes.
Up to 138,000 people are killed by snakebites a year, while 400,000 suffer amputations or other disabilities, according to the World Health Organization.
These figures are believed to be vastly underestimated because snakebite victims typically live in poorer, remote areas.
'Pain every time'
Friede's first bite was from a harmless garter snake when he was five years old.
"I was afraid, I cried, I ran away," said Friede, now 57.
Then he started bringing snakes home and hiding them in pickle jars. His mother sought counselling, but his interest in snakes persisted.
Things escalated after Friede attended a class that taught him how to "milk" snakes for their venom.
How antivenom is made has changed little over the last 125 years.
Small doses of snake venom are injected into animals such as horses, which produce antibodies that can be extracted and used as antivenom.
However this antivenom usually only works for bites from that particular species of snake -- and it includes other antibodies from horse that can cause serious side-effects including anaphylactic shock.
"I thought, well, if they make antivenom in horses, why can't I just use myself as a primate?" Friede said.
He started working through the venom from all the deadly species he could get his hands on, such as cobras, taipans, black mambas and rattlesnakes.
"There is pain every time," he said.
'Proud'
For years, the scientists he contacted to take advantage of his immunity refused to bite.
Then in 2017, immunologist Jacob Glanville, who previously worked on universal vaccines, turned his attention towards antivenom.
Glanville told AFP he had been looking for "a clumsy snake researcher who'd been bit accidentally a couple times," when he came across a video of Friede taking brutal back-to-back snake bites.
When they first spoke, Glanville said he told Friede: "I know this is awkward, but I would love to get my hands on some of your blood."
"I've been waiting for this call for a long time," came the response, Glanville said.
The antivenom described in the Cell paper includes two antibodies from Friede's blood, as well as a drug called varespladib.
It offered mice full protection against 13 of the 19 snake species tested, and partial protection for the remaining six.
The researchers hope a future cocktail will cover far more snakes -- particularly vipers -- with further trials planned on dogs in Australia.
Timothy Jackson of the Australian Venom Research Unit praised the immunological research, but questioned whether a human needed to be involved, pointing to synthetically developed antibodies.
Glanville said the ultimate goal of his US-based firm Centivax was to develop a universal antivenom administered by something like an EpiPen, potentially produced in India to keep the costs down.
Friede said he was "proud" to have made a "small difference" in medical history.
Now working for Centivax, Friede stopped self-inflicting himself with venom in 2018 to save the firm from liability issues.
But he hopes to get bitten by snakes again in the future.
"I do miss it," he said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The National
7 hours ago
- The National
Sun unleashes powerful flares as it approaches its most active phase
The Sun has been unusually active this past week, sending out powerful bursts of energy known as solar flares, which have disrupted radio signals and created stunning auroras across parts of North America and Europe. Scientists say this is a sign that the Sun is nearing the peak of its natural 11-year cycle, known as the solar maximum, which had been forecast to take place in July. In recent days, the Sun has emitted several strong flares and enormous clouds of charged particles known as coronal mass ejections. One particularly powerful flare on June 17, classified as X-class, the strongest type, caused brief radio blackouts in North America, with warnings issued for satellites and astronauts in orbit. The Sun unleashed an even stronger X1.9-class flare on June 19, causing radio blackouts over parts of the US and Pacific region. As the Sun nears solar maximum, there is an increase in sunspots and energy bursts that can sometimes be directed towards Earth. Katepalli Raju Sreenivasan, a scientist at New York University Abu Dhabi, said that while solar activity is expected to peak sometime in the next few months, 'no one knows exactly when'. 'It is not going to be especially violent activity this year, so I don't expect any unprecedented damage to Earth's communication infrastructure,' he told The National. 'But I should also say that what matters to us is not necessarily the magnitude of the solar activity but whether one or two of the highly energetic emissions from the Sun reach the Earth. Most, of course, pass by without any effect.' Most of the time, these events do indeed miss Earth or only cause minor effects. But when a strong burst of solar energy is aimed directly at the planet, it can trigger geomagnetic storms, which are powerful disturbances that impact satellites, radio communication, GPS and power grids. Dr Mojtaba Akhavan-Tafti, a space scientist at the University of Michigan, explained the science behind it. 'Solar activity peaks at the solar max because of the increasing number of active spots on the Sun, which are associated with strong releases of magnetic and charged particle energies into the interplanetary environment,' he said. While this can cause disruptions to technology, it also leads to one of the most beautiful natural phenomena – Northern and Southern Lights, or Aurora. 'On the bright side, increased geo-effective phenomena means more chances of observing the mesmerising Northern Lights over the next couple of years,' he said. 'On the other side, heightened geo-effective space weather threatens our technological civilisation, from space-borne assets and the life of astronauts in orbit due to increased space radiation levels, as well as ground-based technologies including communication and power grid platforms due to increased electromagnetic disturbances.' A reminder from history Solar storms have affected Earth in the past. The most powerful on record took place in 1859, known as the Carrington Event, which disrupted telegraph systems and lit up skies around the world with bright auroras. If a storm of that magnitude happened today, it could severely damage satellites, knock out internet and GPS systems and disrupt power supplies in major cities. In 1989, a solar storm caused a blackout for six million people in Quebec, Canada. In 2003, a series of flares damaged satellites and forced airlines to reroute flights away from polar regions due to radiation risks. Watching the Sun closely To stay prepared, space agencies such as Nasa and the European Space Agency are using satellites to monitor the Sun around the clock. Missions s the Parker Solar Probe and Soho (Solar and Heliospheric Observatory) help scientists understand what is coming and give warning before a storm hits Earth. Nasa's Parker Solar Probe became the first human-made object to 'touch the Sun', when it flew through the sun's upper atmosphere to sample particles and magnetic fields in 2021. It beat its own record in 2024 when it made another close approach to the Sun, reaching 6.1 million kilometres from the Sun's surface. The spacecraft also achieved a record-breaking speed of 692,000 kilometres per hour during this fly-by.
The National
15 hours ago
- The National
Who is Yonas Kibreab, 14-year-old Filipino Eritrean star of Pixar's Elio?
In Elio, a boy is transported to a utopia in the middle of the galaxy. It's called the Communiverse, a place where aliens from across the stars joyously share the secrets of the universe. For young Elio, it's a dream come true. Yonas Ascuncion Kibreab, the 14-year-old Filipino-Eritrean American actor who plays the title role, once had a moment like that, too. It was the day he went to Pixar Animation Studios in Emeryville, California. Kibreab tells The National: 'That campus is so magical. Being there, it's almost like you're living in a Pixar movie. All the people there are so cool and creative – I'm just so grateful I got to go there.' While he's now one of the handful of child actors to ever lead a Pixar movie, he never thought it possible he'd get there. Growing up, he wanted to be a professional tennis player – though he did watch the film Up over and over – crying each time. 'I started playing tennis when I was around three, and I played until I was 12. But I loved it so much that I would make funny tennis-related videos,' says Kibreab. The US Tennis Association saw his work, inviting him to the US Open in New York to interview the top tennis players. 'I was like, 'oh heck yeah'. That was the dream. But my parents saw me doing the interviews, and they thought, 'I think he could be a good actor'. So I got an agent, did a commercial audition, and now I'm here,' Kibreab says. In the character of Elio, who its Armenian-American co-director Madeline Sharafian describes as 'the world's weirdest kid', Kibreab related most to his active imagination, outgoing personality, and the fact that he doesn't care what people think. 'I think that's his superpower. It was never hard to go into Elio's character, because he's like me in a lot of ways.' When Kibreab auditioned for the role, he didn't have the script – which he found thrilling. 'It was the coolest thing. I could imagine what this movie was – what my character looked like. And all the aliens and the amazing universe that Pixar's animators had created. It was so special because it's something no one had ever seen before,' he continues. In the three years that he played the character, from the age of 11 until 14, he bonded with his character to the point that, to play the most emotional scenes, he didn't have to think of any sad moments in his own life. 'It was Elio that really helped me. I just had to think of Elio's story. There were so many deep things for me. When he's crying in the story, honestly, just that itself made me cry,' says Kibreab. In the film, however, Kibreab actually plays two characters – both Elio, and the AI clone of Elio made by the ship's computer in the Communiverse. The clone travels back to Earth and takes his place, living with his aunt and pretending to be him. 'I feel like other Elio is a little bit creepier,' says Kibreab. 'The directors were like, 'have you seen any horror movies?' I'm like, Yeah, I have!' So they told me, 'just try to do your creepiest voice.'' The young actor got so into the role, that he suggested to the directors that they record both characters at the same time, with him switching back and forth between playing both versions without a break. 'They're like, wow, that's a cool idea. Let's try it,' says Kibreab. In the years that he recorded for the role, Kibreab started to grow up behind the scenes – so fast he hardly noticed until he went to the film's premiere. When he looked up at the screen, he remembered how different Elio was when he auditioned for him – how unsure of himself he was. But the character in the finished product is different – a reflection of the young man he's becoming. 'He has more confidence now than he did. When I watched the movie, I kind of teared up a little bit, because I really felt how Elio is feeling,' says Kibreab.
UAE Moments
a day ago
- UAE Moments
SpaceX Starship Ship 36 Explodes Before Flight Test
SpaceX was set to perform a static fire test of Ship 36 before its planned 10th flight test for its Starship; however, a massive explosion at the Massey's Testing Center site disrupted SpaceX's plans on Wednesday, June 18. 'A safety clear area around the site was maintained throughout the operation and all personnel are safe and accounted for,' SpaceX said in a statement. According to SpaceX, there were no hazards to residents in the area, which is located in Starbase, Texas. The fire continued for two hours after the initial explosion, according to live camera feeds from NASA Spaceflight and LabPadre. The explosion occurred before the start of the static fire and thirty minutes after the propellant load sequence started. The cause of the explosion and the extent of the possible damage are unknown; however, it follows explosions during the seventh, eighth, and ninth Starship flight tests earlier this year. The Brownsville Fire Department crews responded to the incident, according to KRGV news. Fox News reported that the authorities ensured that there were no injuries during the incident. If the explosion had not occurred, the flight test would have continued using SpaceX's 'V2' Starship design. SpaceX is also preparing a V3 design, which is targeting a rate of launching once a week in about 12 months. This article was previously published on omanmoments. To see the original article, click here
