What Happens When a Person Is Bitten by Venomous Snakes Over 200 Times? This Immunotherapy Company Tells Us: A Brand-New Antivenom Is on the Horizon.

In 2001, Tim Friede, a truck mechanic and snake enthusiast, began injecting himself with low doses of snake venom in an attempt to protect himself from the growing number of fatal snakebites. The method he used to develop immunity has made the antibodies produced in his body a valuable resource for research.

Centivax, a South San Francisco-based immunotherapy company, promptly partnered with the adventurer. Using these antibodies as core ingredients, Centivax developed a broad-spectrum antivenom cocktail therapy through phage display technology and X-ray crystallography.

In May 2025, a cover article in the journal Cell showcased Centivax’s product developed based on Friede blood—a broad-spectrum antivenom cocktail therapy. This technology, capable of simultaneously neutralizing 19 types of lethal snake venoms, is merely the tip of the iceberg of its universal vaccine platform. Its core products aim to precisely address the central challenges in immunotherapy:

Taking multiple sclerosis (MS), a common autoimmune disease, as an example, approximately 2.8 million patients worldwide are affected by this condition. Current treatment approaches primarily include pharmacological therapies such as immunomodulators and corticosteroids, as well as rehabilitative interventions targeting specific symptoms.

However, these traditional treatment modalities have significant limitations. Although immunomodulators can suppress excessive immune responses to some extent, they often require long-term administration, and some patients experience severe adverse effects, such as an increased risk of infection and hepatic or renal impairment. Corticosteroids are primarily used to manage acute exacerbations but have limited efficacy in slowing long-term disease progression; prolonged use can also lead to complications such as osteoporosis and diabetes. Rehabilitation therapy focuses on improving functional impairments but has little substantive impact on the underlying pathological mechanisms of the disease. These limitations necessitate breakthroughs, highlighting the urgent need for more effective therapeutic options.

Financing developments often serve as a “barometer” of a company’s technological value. In July, Centivax announced the completion of a $45 million Series A financing round, led by prominent venture capital firm Future Ventures.

Centivax leverages cutting-edge DNA cytokine vaccine technology, utilizing genetic engineering to modify and assemble natural gene vectors (such as plasmids and viral vectors), thereby precisely delivering nucleic acid sequences encoding specific cytokines into human cells. Acting as “regulatory messengers” of the immune system, these cytokines modulate imbalances in immune tolerance, guiding the restoration of normal immune homeostasis.

Compared with conventional therapies, this technology offers significant advantages. Conventional treatments mostly exert “broad-spectrum” immunosuppression, which, while controlling the disease, also weakens the body’s normal immune defenses—resulting in indiscriminate attacks on both diseased and healthy cells. In contrast, Centivax’s technologyMore targeted, it can precisely act on immune cells related to the lesion, with minimal impact on normal immune function, greatly reducing the risk of side effects.

In terms of application scenarios, this technology demonstrates significant potential for both early disease prevention and therapeutic intervention in the middle to late stages. For individuals at high risk of disease who have not yet developed overt symptoms, vaccination can be used to proactively modulate the immune system and prevent disease onset. For patients already diagnosed with the disease, it can effectively control disease progression, alleviate clinical symptoms, and improve quality of life.

Therefore, Centivax’s core products revolve around universal vaccines and immunotherapies, targeting multiple fields such as influenza, infectious diseases, and oncology, in an attempt to use“Epitope Focusing” (i.e., targeting conserved antigenic epitopes of pathogens)Technology is reshaping the logic of disease prevention and treatment.

Influenza viruses mutate rapidly and have numerous subtypes, leaving traditional vaccines to constantly “chase” emerging strains. Conventional seasonal influenza vaccines primarily target the globular head of hemagglutinin (HA), a surface glycoprotein of the virus. This region is prone to genetic mutations; when the virus undergoes antigenic variation, vaccine efficacy often declines, necessitating annual vaccination to keep pace with evolving viral strains.

Centivax’s universal influenza vaccine targets conserved regions of the virus that do not undergo mutation, such as the “stalk” domain of the hemagglutinin (HA) protein. Because the stalk remains relatively stable across different viral strains and is less prone to conformational changes, the vaccine maintains its efficacy despite viral mutations. This eliminates the need for annual vaccination due to viral evolution; instead, individuals would require only a few doses over their lifetime, significantly reducing the frequency of vaccination.

Preclinical data show that the vaccine provides “comprehensive protection” against the tested influenza viruses in ferret and porcine models, and is even effective against the 2024–2025 H5N1 strain. If clinical validation proves successful, this vaccine has the potential to replace the need for annual revaccination and become a “powerful weapon” against influenza pandemics.

The product portfolio also extends to RSV/hMPV (Respiratory Syncytial Virus/Human Metapneumovirus), herpesviruses, HIV, malaria, and other areas. Taking HIV as an example, traditional therapies rely on a “cocktail strategy” (combining multi-target drugs to enhance efficacy) for long-term viral suppression, whereas the Centivax vaccine aims to induce broadly neutralizing antibodies against conserved epitopes of the HIV virus, thereby reducing the risk of infection from a preventive standpoint.

According to data from the World Health Organization, approximately 4.5 million to 5.4 million people worldwide are bitten by snakes each year, of whom 1.8 million to 2.7 million develop clinical symptoms, and 81,000 to 138,000 die from complications.

Given the severity of such injuries, the efficacy of traditional antivenoms appears somewhat limited. Traditional antivenoms follow a “one snake, one antivenom” paradigm; however, the world is home to an immense diversity and vast number of snake species. In regions with complex snake distributions, such as India and many parts of Africa where venomous snakes are prevalent, it is exceedingly difficult for antivenoms to cover the full spectrum of venom types, highlighting the lack of a universal solution.

Centivax collaborates with the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop a breakthrough antivenom technology, the “Three-Component Cocktail Therapy.” Its core design logic leverages the synergistic effects of three components to cover the major classes of lethal toxins found in snake venom:

First is the antibody LNX-D09:Derived from blood samples of snake venom immunizer Tim Friede, this agent binds to long-chain three-finger neurotoxins (LNX), precisely blocking their interaction with nerve cells and thereby inhibiting their lethal effects of muscle paralysis and respiratory failure.

Next is the antibody SNX-B03:Targeting short-chain three-finger neurotoxins (SNX), a similar receptor-mimicry mechanism neutralizes short-chain toxin types not covered by LNX-D09 (such as toxins from coral snakes and certain cobras), thereby forming a “dual blockade” against neurotoxins.

Finally, the small molecule Varespladib:Inhibiting the Destructive Activity of Phospholipase A2 (PLA2). PLA2 can dissolve cell membranes and induce tissue necrosis, which is difficult to neutralize with conventional antibodies. The enzymatic activity inhibitor Varespladib can rapidly penetrate tissues to block its toxic effects, thereby compensating for the limitations of antibody therapy.

The three-component cocktail therapy screens antibodies via phage display technology and combines X-ray crystallography to resolve toxin structures, enabling the serum toNeutralizes venoms from 19 WHO-priority snake species, providing broad-spectrum protection against 10 Category I highly lethal snakes.. Once this type of universal serum is widely adopted, it is expected to expand the application scenarios of serumFrom“Hospital-Specific Refrigerated Supply” Iterates into “Field First Aid Kit”。

Centivax’s vaccine therapeutics encompass both universal influenza vaccines and treatments for infectious diseases, while its unique antivenom platform delivers therapeutic advantages with multi-class universality. This diversified pipeline and cutting-edge technology are reflected in its market performance: Centivax has completed three rounds of financing, raising a total of $59.2 million. These funds will continue to support the company’s R&D efforts, team building, and advancement of clinical trials.

Centivax’s Historical Financing and Investment Activity (Source: Crunchbase)

From the perspective of fund allocation, Centivax has a clear roadmap. From early-stage technological exploration to platform development and team building, and further to advancing products into clinical trials, each step is well-aligned with its corresponding financing stage, demonstrating the company’s precise control over its development pace. This series of financing activities collectively establishes Centivax’s growth trajectory from innovative concepts to tangible products.

Technical Validation → Scenario Implementation → Capital Injection: The underlying logic is “addressing capital risk with scientific breakthroughs.” With each financing round, more robust preclinical data and clearer application scenarios are leveraged to alleviate investors’ concerns about the high risks inherent in biotechnology.

In addition to its technological advantages, Centivax’s core competitiveness is further strengthened by a team of members with extensive experience in both the scientific and industrial sectors.

Dr. Jacob Glanville, Founder and CEO, is a pioneer in computational immunology and a serial entrepreneur. His previous company, Distributed Bio, was acquired by Charles River Laboratories (CRL) for $104 million due to its high-throughput antibody engineering platform, laying the technological foundation for Centivax. He studied under Professor Mark M. Davis, a member of the U.S. National Academy of Sciences and Director of the Institute for Immunity, Transplantation and Infection at Stanford University. Since founding Centivax, he has developed universal vaccine technology, the Super Human Discovery Library, and Tumbler technology.

Founder and CEO Jacob Glanville

“Godfather of Vaccines,” Chief Medical Officer Dr. Jerald Sadoff—With over 50 years of experience in vaccine development, he currently serves on several scientific advisory committees for HIV and malaria vaccine initiatives sponsored by the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), including the NIAID AIDS Vaccine Research Working Group. Over the past 35 years, he has authored more than 350 papers and holds 29 patents.

Sadoff previously served as a Senior Advisor for Infectious Diseases and Vaccine Development at Janssen, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, where he oversaw the clinical development of universal influenza vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, and vaccines against HIV, malaria, and other diseases. He also served as Head of Clinical Vaccine Development at Merck & Co. for eight years and has received honors such as the Paul A. Siple Memorial Medal.

Chief Medical Officer Jerald Sadoff

Dr. Sawsan Youssef, Chief Scientific Officer, completed her postdoctoral training at the Steinman Laboratory at Stanford University, where she investigated the inhibitory effects of statins on T-cell differentiation and the reversal of neuroinflammation in mice. In 2008, Dr. Youssef joined Rinat Neuroscience Corp., a Pfizer subsidiary, where she established the Immunology Department and became the Research Project Leader for the Phase I anti-PD-1 candidate (PF-06801591) in 2013.

As the developer of Pfizer’s anti-PD-1 drug sasanlimab, Sawsan strengthens Centivax’s immuno-oncology expertise, enabling the platform to expand into the field of cancer prevention. Her addition will drive the development of next-generation therapies and vaccines.

Chief Scientific Officer Sawsan Youssef

The story of Centivax is, at its core, a mutual convergence of technological innovation and capital acumen: leveraging cutting-edge immunology to push the boundaries of disease prevention and control, developing universal products, expanding practical application scenarios, and ultimately demonstrating through its financing rhythm and product milestones how a biotech company can achieve “implementable innovation and manageable risk.”