Tim Friede with Water Cobra
Centivax
I have lived through the harrowing experience of being bitten by a snake, facing a life-threatening situation. I remember the sensation of complete paralysis and panic; I could hear the doctors discussing my case, questioning whether it was a suicide attempt. No, it wasn’t. I simply made a mistake.
My journey began in 2001 when I started injecting myself with snake venom to pioneer a new treatment. Annually, 5 million people are bitten by snakes, leading to 138,000 deaths and over 400,000 amputations and serious complications—these numbers are staggering.
Fortunately, there are organizations dedicated to combatting this issue. Strike Out Snakebite is a global initiative that raises awareness about the dangers of snake venom. The concept of snake antivenom, which dates back 125 years, was introduced by Albert Calmette. However, antivenoms have not evolved significantly and carry risks, such as causing anaphylactic shock due to the presence of foreign horse proteins.
I was determined to eliminate the horse from this equation without causing harm to it while also safeguarding my own health and livelihood.
My initial training in venom extraction from spiders, scorpions, and centipedes began in 1999, making the task of extracting snake venom feasible. I started by diluting cobra venom to 1:10,000 for injections. The initial doses felt mild, akin to a bee sting, but over time, I escalated the concentrations to potentially lethal levels.
After extensive research, I was ready to test myself against a live snake. Anxiety surged through me as I questioned my immune response. There were no manuals, no guidance—it was entirely self-taught experimentation.
My first attempt was disastrous. On September 12, 2001, at precisely 11:02 p.m., I was bitten by a cobra and then again by another cobra only an hour later. The first bite seemed manageable, but the second overwhelmed my antibodies. I flatlined at midnight and awoke four days later in the ICU, dependent on antivenom from a local zoo. Ironically, antivenom was available at home, but paramedics were unaware of it.
Upon my discharge, I faced a choice: give up or learn from this experience. I chose the latter, enduring over 200 stings, never relying on antivenom again.
I became increasingly serious about my mission, engaging with scientists and exploring the rich history of self-experimentation in medicine. I even secured a signed letter from Nobel laureate Barry Marshall, who famously treated himself and received the Nobel Prize in return. Conversations with other esteemed scientists, including immunologist Peter Doherty, fueled my academic curiosity and commitment to researching toxins.
Snake venom varies enormously, even within the same species. A prime example is the brown snake, Shudnaja textile, which exhibits differing venom effects from northern to southern Queensland. This variation complicates the effectiveness of antivenoms, which are region-specific.
My aim was to cultivate broad-spectrum antibodies capable of neutralizing various venoms. With around 650 species of venomous snakes worldwide, I could not test them all. Therefore, I focused on the most dangerous, such as Taipans—the world’s most venomous snakes, along with cobras, coral snakes, and rattlesnakes.
Interestingly, Taipan bites largely involve pure neurotoxins, whereas pit viper bites can result in necrotic damage to muscle tissues due to varying toxic components.
Throughout the past 25 years, I have participated in six studies, which have been instrumental to my journey. Without participation, I wouldn’t advance antivenom development. Recently, Jacob Granville from Sentivax reached out after viewing a YouTube video of me being bitten by a black mamba followed closely by a Taipan. They extracted DNA from my B cells to clone my IgG antibodies for further in vivo research with mice.
The research yielded stunning discoveries, revealing that I could neutralize the venom of a king cobra, Ophiophagus hannah, even without having previously tested the venom itself. This offers hope for the development of a broad-spectrum, universal antivenom.
Our findings were recently published in Cell Press— a culmination of 25 years of work. Despite my name not being on the authorship list due to academic pushback against self-experimenters, I prioritize the collective impact over personal recognition.
Although human application of the antivenom is still a distant goal, I find solace in knowing that I have contributed all I can towards making a positive difference in this field.
As narrated by Colin Barras
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Source: www.newscientist.com
