Last year, I wrote about a Wisconsin man named Tim Friede who had been bitten by venomous snakes more than 200 times on purpose (probably more by now) in the hope that he’d naturally build up a tolerance to their deadly toxins so his blood could one day help scientists create a universal snakebite antivenom. It’s a noble, if absolutely insane, cause.
Now, according to new research from the University of Maryland published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists think the secret to better antivenom might be hiding in blood, too. Just not Friede’s. It may have been sitting inside rattlesnakes all along.
Researchers have long known that rattlesnakes are more or less on their own when it comes to their venom. This raised the question of what was causing bad community. The new research suggests that the answer might be a family of blood proteins called FETUA, which naturally block the venom’s most toxic, uh, toxins.
Scientists Are Studying Rattlesnake Blood to Build a Better Snakebite Treatment
The researchers found that there wasn’t just one protein that could neutralize the venom of a bite. But if you assemble a crew of just the right proteins, now you’re on the right track. In mouse experiments, specific protein combinations completely prevented death from western diamondback rattlesnake venom, even at doses three times higher than what is normally fatal. Some combinations protected against several other venomous pit vipers.
There’s still a long road ahead for this particular rattlesnake antivenom, like proving it works as a rescue therapy, determining safe doses for humans, and how long the proteins remain effective in the bloodstream.
It’s important work, because modern antivenom is still made using a process that, in our wonders age filled with fantastical technology, sounds comically old-timey: inject venom into horses or sheep, collect the antibodies they produce, then purify them for human use. It works, but it’s a process in dire need of a breakthrough. Hence all the work being poured into the anti-venom properties of rattlesnake blood being conducted by professional researchers in a laboratory setting.
Or the antivenom properties in the blood of some crazy yet valiant guy named Tim.
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