Worldwide, there are a handful of people who chase a highly personal obsession with apex predators or a desire to possess a “superhuman” physical trait. Some of these people have taken it far, by exposing themselves to neurotoxic venom(attacks the nervous system), small or diluted doses at first, gradually increasing it to higher doses. Tim Friede, who self-administered over 800 venom injections and survived over 200 direct bites from highly lethal species (like black mambas and cobras) across nearly two decades, is one of the most famous examples. We also have Steve Ludwin, a musician who spent over 30 years injecting diluted venom, whose B-cells, in fact, were later studied by researchers attempting to map out human-derived antivenom.
Self-immunization mimics the traditional process used to manufacture medical antivenom in horses or sheep.
This exposure to venom is often also called Neutralization.
In a major study published in the journal called “Cell”, immunologists mapped the blood of Tim Friede. By screening his memory B-cells, they isolated the human monoclonal antibodies capable of neutralizing the neurotoxins of 13 different lethal snake species. This has paved the way for modern synthetic, universal antivenoms that don’t rely on animal serum, minimizing the risk of severe side effects like anaphylaxis that have been previously recorded.
While this method works against neurotoxic venoms, hemotoxic/cytotoxic venoms contain destructive enzymes that liquefy tissues and destroy blood vessels, also causing severe local necrosis. One cannot simply adapt to enzymes like that.
To produce these modern antivenoms, scientists must extract memory B-cells from the donor’s blood(one being bit by snakes) to clone their antibody DNA. Using phage display screening, specific antibodies that bind tightly to lethal toxins are isolated. These human genetic sequences are mass-produced in bioreactors, creating a 100% human, synthetic antivenom without the dangerous allergic risks of traditional animal-based serums.
If amateur handlers’ dangerous (and illegal) self-experimentation lead to a medical breakthroughs, should scientific journals publish the findings, or does that encourage life-threatening behaviour from people who may be inspired by it?
MBH/PS