New Antivenom, Thanks To 200 Intentional Snake Bites

Short Wave

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🗓️ 21 May 2025

⏱️ 11 minutes

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Summary

What's it like to get bit by a venomous snake? "It's like a bee sting times a thousand," Tim Friede says. Tim would know. Over the past few decades, he's let himself be bitten over 200 times by all kinds of venomous snakes — black mambas, taipans, cobras, kraits and more. With time, he's gradually built immunity to multiple types of venom. Could scientists help him share that immunity with others?

Science reporter Ari Daniel joins Short Wave to explain how antivenom works, what scientists discovered and where the research may lead. Plus, what does Tim Friede have in common with Princess Bride?

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Transcript

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0:00.0	You're listening to Shortwave from NPR.
0:05.5	Hey, short waver is Regina Barber here. And today I'm joined by reporter Ari Daniel,
0:10.3	who's going to talk to us about snakes. Hey, Ari. Hi there, Regina. Yes, venomous snakes, to be exact.
0:17.2	They're a big problem, especially in low and middle-income countries and in the tropics.
0:23.2	The World Health Organization estimates that every year, tens of thousands of people die as a result of venomous snake bites, and that they permanently disable several hundred thousand more.
0:34.9	That is awful.
0:36.4	Absolutely. The specific health risks vary, and that's partly because venoms are a brew of different
0:42.9	chemicals.
0:44.0	There are neurotoxic venoms that can lead to paralysis, including of the airway, so people
0:49.8	suffocate.
0:50.7	Other venoms can affect the blood, causing it either to fail to clot or to form
0:56.6	clots too readily. Some venom cause intense pain, and others cause no pain at all.
1:02.7	Okay. This is not helping my fear of snakes. Well, would it help if I told you that I met
1:08.1	a couple of researchers working on a potential solution.
1:11.3	Yes.
1:11.9	It's a cocktail that works against a diverse collection of venomous snakes using a process
1:17.4	they hope could one day lead to a universal anti-venom.
1:21.8	Ooh, that's really, really cool.
1:23.5	Yes, that does help quite a bit.
1:25.4	Well, good, because this is happening.
1:27.9	And it all started with this guy, Tim Fridi.
1:31.8	My claim to fame is getting bit by snakes.
	...

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