‘Would normally kill a horse’: Immune man helps create snake anti-venom

A “hyper immune” man has injected himself with the venom from 16 different species of snake to help create an anti-venom “cocktail” that treats multiple different kinds of snake bites.

The blood of a “hyperimmune” man who survived deadly snake venom a staggering 856 times has helped create an anti-venom “cocktail” that could treat humans and pets alike.

Australian dogs may even be the first to benefit, with researchers hoping to trial the treatment – hoped to work against more than a dozen snakes – at local veterinary clinics.

Anti-venom has typically been species-specific, meaning the correct snake bite treatment relies on identifying the type of snake.

But a study by Centivax and Columbia University has detailed a new “cocktail” that gave mice full protection against 13 species — including Australia’s tiger snake — and partial protection against another six, including the Eastern Brown snake.

The team developed the anti-venom after meeting Tim Friede, who had several snakes and – after deliberating exposing himself to venom to reduce the risk of bites – had become “hyper immune”.

Centivax chief executive Dr Jacob Glanville said “the hairs on the back of my neck stood up” when he learnt about Mr Friede and his “once-in-a-lifetime unique immune history.”

The anti-venom could be used to treat a variety of different snake bites. Picture: Tony Karumba

“The donor, for a period of nearly 18 years, had undertaken hundreds of bites and self-immunisation with escalating doses from 16 species of very lethal snakes that would normally a kill a horse,” he said.

“The secrets of universal anti-venom could be in his blood.”

“When I first called him, I remember asking ‘this is an awkward question, but I would love to get my hands on some of your blood.’

“His answer? ‘I’ve been waiting for this call for a long time.’

“Tim knew what he was doing.”

Anti-venom has typically been produced by exposing horse or sheep to small amounts of venom and collecting the antibodies — specific to that species’ venom — that were then produced.

But Dr Glanville said they discovered Mr Friede, who know works at Centivax, had developed two unique antibodies, called LNX-D09 and SNX-B03, that protected him from several species.

“We think that his very long period of cyclical exposure to venoms from many different species of snakes “trained” his immune system to favour and refine these ultra broad antibodies,” he said.

The Tiger Snake was one of the deadly snakes used for the anti-venom development. Picture: Bailey Elmer

The team combined these antibodies with a known toxin inhibitor to create their anti-venom, with the details of the trial set to be released in the prestigious journal Cell on Saturday.

Dr Glanville said it offered a “dramatically unparalleled breadth of full protection for 13 of the 19 species” of elapid snakes and they were now also working on anti-venom to target the other type of venomous snakes — vipers.

“We are working on that cocktail now,” he said.

The team hopes to begin a small trial in Australia soon, and with owner’s permission, offer the drug to 30 or 40 dogs who present to a vet clinic with a snake bite.

Dr Glanville said, if the dog did not improve within 20 minutes, they could then receive the standard anti-venom.

“The animal can be safely maintained for 20 minutes, so the study will not risk the health of the pet, and potentially will improve outcomes,” he said.

Originally published as ‘Would normally kill a horse’: Immune man helps create snake anti-venom