Man who doesn't mind snakebites may pave way for universal antivenom

More than 600 species of venomous snakes roam the earth, biting as many as 2.7 million people, killing about 120,000 people and maiming 400,000 others every year. But scientists believe one man's daredevilry could change this story.

Tim Friede, 57, a slim man who lives in Wisconsin, has over the past 18 years injected himself with over 650 carefully calibrated, escalating doses of venom to build his immunity to 16 deadly snake species.

In Friede's blood, scientists say they have identified antibodies that are capable of neutralising the venom of multiple snake species, a step toward creating a universal antivenom, they reported Friday in the journal Cell.

Jacob Glanville, founder and CEO of Centivax, a company that aims to produce broad-spectrum vaccines, and lead author on the study, and his colleagues found that two powerful antibodies from Freide's blood, when combined with a drug that blocks neurotoxins, protected mice from the venom of 19 deadly snake species of a large family found in different geographical regions.

This is an extraordinary feat since most antivenoms can counter the venom from just one or a few related snake species from one region. The study suggests that combinations of antitoxins may successfully prevent deaths and injuries from all snake families.