🌅 The Most Broadly Effective Antivenom to Date

SOURCE

Glanville et al. (2025)

WHAT TO KNOW

• Researchers used antibodies from a human blood donor with a self-induced hyper-immunity to snake venom to create the most broadly effective antivenom to date. The donor, a snake handler from Wisconsin named Tim Friede, injected himself with more than 650 calibrated, escalating doses of venom over 18 years to build his immunity. He also let snakes bite him around 200 times.

WHY IT MATTERS

• More than 600 species of venomous snakes roam the world, biting 2.7 million people and claiming up to 138,000 lives each year (though both figures are thought to be underestimates). The antivenom produced in the present study provides protection against 19 of the world’s deadliest snakes, including black mambas, king cobras, and tiger snakes.

CONNECT THE DOTS

• The researchers say working with Friede’s antibodies and his “once-in-a-lifetime unique immune history” (the team says he took doses of venom so large they “would normally kill a horse”) could lead to the development of the world’s first universal antivenom. Scientists say the impact would be massive, as the vast majority of snake bites and deaths occur in developing countries and disproportionately impact rural communities.