Innovative antivenom may work against the world’s deadliest snakes

Scientists have created an antivenom that has shown promise against some of the world’s deadliest snakes after collecting antibodies from a hyperimmune man who exposed himself to their toxins

By James Woodford

2 May 2025

The treatment protected mice against the venom of common taipans, as well as other snake species

Matthijs Kuijpers/Alamy

A snake antivenom based on antibodies from a hyperimmune man seems to be effective against the bites of multiple species, raising the possibility that a universal treatment may be within reach.

Snake bites cause up to 137,000 deaths a year and around three times as many amputations and disabilities. Antivenoms are currently created for individual snake species using antibodies from sheep or horses that have been exposed to their venom.

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But the infusion of non-human antibodies can cause severe side effects, such as life-threatening allergic reactions. It also means that the snake responsible for a bite needs to be identified before an antivenom can be delivered.

Jacob Glanville at biotechnology firm Centivax in San Francisco, California, and his colleagues are looking for broadly neutralising antibodies that could be developed into an antivenom that works against many, or even all, venomous snakes. “Although there are 650 species of venomous snakes, all of their venom uses the same 10 general classes of toxins,” says Glanville.

The researchers first sought out someone who had been bitten multiple times by different snakes. “Perhaps a clumsy snake researcher,” says Glanville. Then he heard media reports about Tim Friede, who, according to his online biography, has “self-administered over 700 escalating doses of snake venom from the world’s deadliest snakes”.