He injected himself with snake venom for 20 years and endured more than 200 bites: today his blood could change medicine

Who would voluntarily do something like that? 🐍 Tim Friede spent two decades injecting himself with small doses of venom from different snakes and allowing himself to be bitten more than 200 times. It was not an extreme challenge or a bet: he wanted his body to develop defenses against some of the world’s deadliest venoms.

The incredible thing is that it worked. His blood developed antibodies that are now being studied by scientists to create a broad-spectrum antivenom, something that could help treat bites from different species with a single medication. What for years seemed like complete madness could now end up saving thousands of lives.

🚨: Un Américain s’est injecté du venin de serpent plus de 800 fois pendant 20 ans (et s’est fait mordre 200 fois) pour devenir hyper-immunisé.

Son sang vient de permettre la création d’un antivenin quasi-universel qui protège contre les serpents les plus mortels. pic.twitter.com/NzNTo8xmu9

— Neural Space (@NeuralSpace_) July 29, 2026