From BBC
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The blood of a US man who deliberately injected himself with snake venom for nearly two decades has led to an “unparalleled” antivenom, say scientists.
Antibodies found in Tim Friede’s blood have been shown to protect against fatal doses from a wide range of species in animal tests.
Current therapies have to match the specific species of venomous snake anyone has been bitten by.
But Mr Friede’s 18-year mission could be a significant step in finding a universal antivenom against all snakebites – which kill up to 140,000 people a year and leave three times as many needing amputations or facing permanent disability.
In total, Mr Friede has endured more than 200 bites and more than 700 injections of venom he prepared from some of the world’s deadliest snakes, including multiple species of mambas, cobras, taipans and kraits.
He initially wanted to build up his immunity to protect himself when handling snakes, documenting his exploits on YouTube.
But the former truck mechanic said that he had “completely screwed up” early on when two cobra bites in quick succession left him in a coma.
“I didn’t want to die. I didn’t want to lose a finger. I didn’t want to miss work,” he told the BBC.
Mr Friede’s motivation was to develop better therapies for the rest of the world, explaining: “It just became a lifestyle and I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing as hard as I could push – for the people who are 8,000 miles away from me
