Snake enthusiast survived hundreds of bites. Now his blood is aiding the search for a universal antivenom

Blood from a snake enthusiast who's been bitten hundreds of times aided the search for a universal snakebite treatment

May 2, 2025 - 16:02
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Snake enthusiast survived hundreds of bites. Now his blood is aiding the search for a universal antivenom

Theirs is an unusual scientific collaboration, to say the least. Jacob Glanville is an immunologist, who worked for the pharma giant Pfizer before striking out to found startups focused on developing therapies that protect against things like coronaviruses, malaria, HIV, and, more recently, snakebites. Tim Friede is a truck mechanic and snake enthusiast from Wisconsin. Between 2001 and 2018, he was bitten 856 times by the world’s deadliest snakes: black mambas, water cobras, and kraits. 

On purpose.

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