For years, snakes bit him. His blood may help create a new antivenom Short Wave

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.

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 shortwave@g.org to tell us what areas of science you’d be interested in.

Listen to Short Wave on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.