Health
Man’s blood used to create antivenom for 19 deadly snakes
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A California yoga studio combined its love for yoga and pythons to create a “unique experience” called “snake yoga” — ball pythons will slither on the participants during their “flow.”
Scientists have developed what they believe is the most widely effective antivenom ever — and the secret ingredient came from one man’s blood.
In the course of their research, the team found a man, Tim Friede, who had been bitten hundreds of times by 16 species of deadly snakes — the poison lethal enough to kill a horse, according to the scientists — over an 18-year period.
Friede had received the bites intentionally as part of a self-immunization process using escalating doses. As a result, he had become “hyper-immune” to the effects of snake neurotoxins, the researchers stated.
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“After being introduced to Tim Friede and his incredible journey and immune history, we decided there was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study his blood and isolate the basis of a universal antivenom,” lead study author Jacob Glanville, CEO of Centivax, a San Francisco biotechnology company, told Fox News Digital.
The research team found a man, Tim Friede (pictured), who had been bitten hundreds of times by 16 species of deadly snakes over an 18-year period. (Centivax)
Friede agreed to participate in a study in which he donated two blood samples.
The researchers isolated target antibodies from Friede’s blood that reacted with neurotoxins found within 19 of the world’s deadliest snakes.
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They combined two of the antibodies with another molecule to create a new antivenom. In mouse trials, the antidote was found to be protective against venom from the black mamba, king cobra, coral snakes and tiger snakes, among others.
The results were published on May 2 in the journal Cell Press.
Friede said that by participating in the study, he is “helping humanity.”
The researchers isolated target antibodies from Friede’s blood that reacted with neurotoxins found within 19 of the world’s deadliest snakes. (Centivax)
“I know I am helping someone possibly 8,000 miles away, and that makes me feel really good,” he said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
“I realize what I’ve been doing over the years hasn’t been in vain with this research.”
“I know I am helping someone possibly 8,000 miles away, and that makes me feel really good.”
“The reason I have been bitten so many times is to get more comfortable with it,” he added. “It became a lifestyle for me, almost like an addiction.”
The hope is that Friede’s “once-in-a-lifetime, unique immune history” could result in a “broad-spectrum” or universal antivenom, according to Glanville.
“If formulated for intramuscular delivery in a ‘venom EpiPen’ form, which is our preference, it could then be deployed more broadly without any IV requirement, including very rural settings or hiker’s backpacks,” he told Fox News Digital.
The researchers now plan to expand the trials to treat dogs that have been brought to veterinary clinics after receiving snake bites, according to the release.
Scientists combined two of the antibodies with another molecule to create a new antivenom that was found to be protective against poison from the black mamba, king cobra, coral snakes and tiger snakes, among others. (Centivax)
They will also work to create another antivenom to protect against viper bites.
Prior to this research, the process for making antivenom has been more or less the same over the past century, according to the researchers.
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“Typically, it involves immunizing horses or sheep with venom from single snake species and collecting the antibodies produced,” they wrote. “While effective, this process could result in adverse reactions to the non-human antibodies, and treatments tend to be species and region-specific.”
Approximately 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year globally, according to the World Health Organization. Among those, 2.7 million are poisoned by venom, which can cause death or permanent disability. (iStock)
Approximately 5.4 million people are bitten by snakes each year globally, according to the World Health Organization. Among those, 2.7 million are poisoned by venom, which can cause death or permanent disability.
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The research was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health, the National Institutes of Health Small Business Innovation Research program, and the U.S. Department of Energy.
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An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
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Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
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The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
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The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
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This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
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“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
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While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
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Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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