
Overview
Availability
- Professor Glenn King is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Bachelor of Science, University of Sydney
- Doctor of Philosophy, University of Sydney
Research interests
-
Bugs and drugs
Our research harnesses the chemistry of venoms from arthropod predators, such as spiders, scorpions and centipedes, to develop novel pharmaceuticals to treat chronic pain, epilepsy and stroke. Stroke is the second-leading cause of death worldwide. In addition, it causes an extremely high incidence of disability in surviving victims due to the brain damage suffered during stroke. Likewise, chronic pain is a huge medical problem that affects one in five adults. There are few drugs available for treating chronic pain, and many of these have limited efficacy and dose-limiting side effects. Animal venoms are a rich source of stable natural peptides that potently modulate the activity of a wide range of neuronal ion channels and receptors. We have the largest collection of arthropod venoms in the world, a high-throughput pipeline for venoms-based drug discovery, protocols for rapid protein expression and structure determination, and links to key laboratories for testing the efficacy of lead molecules in rodent models of pain, epilepsy and stroke. We are using these world-class resources to move us closer to achieving our aim of developing novel analgesics for pain relief, novel drugs for treating severe paediatric epilepsies, and novel neuroprotective agents for treating stroke victims. An equally important focus of our research is on helping to safeguard Australia’s agricultural crops and reduce the spread of disease from insect pests by discovering new environmentally friendly insecticides. Currently, arthropod pests destroy approximately 15 per cent of the world’s food supply and spread pernicious diseases such as dengue and malaria. Our work is finding better, safer ways to control disease-spreading pests and protect crops.
Works
Search Professor Glenn King’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2013
Journal Article
Spider-venom peptides: structure, pharmacology, and potential for control of insect pests
King, Glenn F. and Hardy, Margaret C. (2013). Spider-venom peptides: structure, pharmacology, and potential for control of insect pests. Annual Review of Entomology, 58, 475-496. doi: 10.1146/annurev-ento-120811-153650
Featured
2011
Journal Article
Venoms as a platform for human drugs: Translating toxins into therapeutics
King, Glenn F. (2011). Venoms as a platform for human drugs: Translating toxins into therapeutics. Expert Opinion on Biological Therapy, 11 (11), 1469-1484. doi: 10.1517/14712598.2011.621940
Featured
2011
Journal Article
Unique scorpion toxin with a putative ancestral fold provides insight into evolution of the inhibitor cystine knot motif
Smith, Jennifer J., Hill, Justine M., Little, Michelle J., Nicholson, Graham M., King, Glenn F. and Alewood, Paul F. (2011). Unique scorpion toxin with a putative ancestral fold provides insight into evolution of the inhibitor cystine knot motif. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108 (26), 10478-10483. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103501108
Featured
2011
Journal Article
Phox homology band 4.1/ezrin/radixin/moesin-like proteins function as molecular scaffolds that interact with cargo receptors and Ras GTPases
Ghai, Rajesh, Mobli, Mehdi, Norwood, Suzanne J., Bugarcic, Andrea, Teasdale, Rohan D., King, Glenn F. and Collins, Brett M. (2011). Phox homology band 4.1/ezrin/radixin/moesin-like proteins function as molecular scaffolds that interact with cargo receptors and Ras GTPases. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108 (19), 7763-7768. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1017110108
Featured
2010
Journal Article
The structural basis for autonomous dimerization of the pre-T-cell antigen receptor
Pang, Siew Siew, Berry, Richard, Chen, Zhenjun, Kjer-Nielsen, Lars, Perugini, Matthew A., King, Glenn F., Wang, Christina, Chew, Sock Hui, La Gruta, Nicole L., Williams, Neil K., Beddoe, Travis, Tiganis, Tony, Cowieson, Nathan P., Godfrey, Dale I., Purcell, Anthony W., Wilce, Matthew C. J., McCluskey, James and Rossjohn, Jamie (2010). The structural basis for autonomous dimerization of the pre-T-cell antigen receptor. Nature, 467 (7317), 844-848. doi: 10.1038/nature09448
Featured
2009
Journal Article
Direct Visualization of Disulfide Bonds through Diselenide Proxies Using Se-77 NMR Spectroscopy
Mobli, M., Dantas de Araujo, A., Lambert, L. K., Pierens, G. K., Windley, M. J., Nicholson, G. M., Alewood, P. F. and King, G. E. (2009). Direct Visualization of Disulfide Bonds through Diselenide Proxies Using Se-77 NMR Spectroscopy. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 48 (49), 9312-9314. doi: 10.1002/anie.200905206
2024
Journal Article
Prey specificity of predatory venoms
Michálek, Ondřej, King, Glenn F. and Pekár, Stano (2024). Prey specificity of predatory venoms. Biological Reviews, 99 (6), 2253-2273. doi: 10.1111/brv.13120
2024
Journal Article
Venomic adaptations of prey specialised spiders
Michálek, Ondřej, Walker, Andrew A., Šedo, Ondrej, Zdráhal, Zbyněk, King, Glenn F. and Pekár, Stano (2024). Venomic adaptations of prey specialised spiders. Toxicon, 248 107976, 107976. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2024.107976
2024
Conference Publication
Deadly Cures: A Drug Candidate To Treat Ischemic Injuries The Heart And Brain From Venom Of The Lethal Australian Funnel-web Spider
King, Glenn (2024). Deadly Cures: A Drug Candidate To Treat Ischemic Injuries The Heart And Brain From Venom Of The Lethal Australian Funnel-web Spider. 22nd World Congress of the International Society of Toxinology (IST), Singapore, 20-25 May 2024. Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier.
2024
Journal Article
Taking the sting out of scorpions: electrophysiological investigation of the relative efficacy of three antivenoms against medically significant Centruroides species
Campbell, Sam I. D., Chow, Chun Yuen, Neri-Castro, Edgar, Alagón, Alejandro, Gómez, Aarón, Soria, Raúl, King, Glenn F. and Fry, Bryan G. (2024). Taking the sting out of scorpions: electrophysiological investigation of the relative efficacy of three antivenoms against medically significant Centruroides species. Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part C: Toxicology & Pharmacology, 283 109977. doi: 10.1016/j.cbpc.2024.109977
2024
Conference Publication
Improved recovery of rat hearts after prolonged cold storage by acid sensing ion channel (ASIC) inhibitor Hi1a varies with preservation solution
Dutta, Sanjay, Villanueva, Jeanette E., Gao, Ling, Doyle, Aoife, Palpant, Nathan, King, Glenn and Macdonald, Peter S. (2024). Improved recovery of rat hearts after prolonged cold storage by acid sensing ion channel (ASIC) inhibitor Hi1a varies with preservation solution. 30th International Congress of The Transplantation-Society (TTS), Istanbul, Turkey, 22-25 September 2024. Philadelphia, PA United States: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
2024
Conference Publication
Improved recovery of rat hearts after prolonged cold storage by acid sensing ion channel (ASIC) inhibitor Hi1a varies with preservation solution
Dutta, Sanjay, Villanueva, Jeanette E., Gao, Ling, Doyle, Aoife, Palpant, Nathan, King, Glenn and Macdonald, Peter S. (2024). Improved recovery of rat hearts after prolonged cold storage by acid sensing ion channel (ASIC) inhibitor Hi1a varies with preservation solution. 30th International Congress of the Transplantation Society, Istanbul, Turkey, 22-25 September 2024. Philadelphia, PA United States: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. doi: 10.1097/01.tp.0001066648.27486.ce
2024
Conference Publication
Venomic Adaptations Of Prey Specialised Spiders
Michalek, Ondrej, Walker, Andrew A., Sedo, Ondrej, Zdrahal, Zbynek, King, Glenn F. and Pekar, Stano (2024). Venomic Adaptations Of Prey Specialised Spiders. 22nd World Congress of the International Society of Toxinology (IST), Singapore, 20-25 May 2024. OXFORD: Elsevier.
2024
Conference Publication
In vitro evolution of cyclic peptide inhibitors of acid-sensing ion channel 1a for neuroprotective applications during stroke
Biggs, Kimberley, Passioura, Toby, Eagles, David and King, Glenn (2024). In vitro evolution of cyclic peptide inhibitors of acid-sensing ion channel 1a for neuroprotective applications during stroke. 37th European Peptide Symposium 14th International Peptide Symposium, Florence, Italy, 25-29 August 2024. Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
2024
Journal Article
Venom exaptation and adaptation during the trophic switch to blood-feeding by kissing bugs
Zdenek, Christina N., Cardoso, Fernanda C., Robinson, Samuel D., Mercedes, Raine S., Raidjõe, Enriko R., Hernandez-Vargas, María José, Jin, Jiayi, Corzo, Gerardo, Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F., Fry, Bryan G. and Walker, Andrew A. (2024). Venom exaptation and adaptation during the trophic switch to blood-feeding by kissing bugs. iScience, 27 (9) 110723, 110723. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110723
2024
Conference Publication
Mending achy-breaky hearts: cyclic peptide TL01 is an enhancer of cardiac intracellular protein-protein interactions and promotes heart contractility
Rojas-Azofeifa, Daniela, Passioura, Toby, McMillen, Timothy, Cheesman, Elisabeth, Saez, Natalie, Chow, Jonathan, Eagles, David, Norman, Alexander, Perry, Matthew, Molenar, Peter, Regnier, Michael, King, Glenn and Palpant, Nathan (2024). Mending achy-breaky hearts: cyclic peptide TL01 is an enhancer of cardiac intracellular protein-protein interactions and promotes heart contractility. 37th European Peptide Symposium 14th International Peptide Symposium, Florence, Italy, 25-29 August 2024. Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
2024
Conference Publication
In-silico application of structure prediction to peptide mechanism of action
Tucker, Isaac, King, Glenn, Saez, Natalie, Deplazes, Evelyne, Rash, Lachlan, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben and Budusan, Elena (2024). In-silico application of structure prediction to peptide mechanism of action. 37th European Peptide Symposium 14th International Peptide Symposium, Florence, Italy, 25-29 August 2024. Oxford, United Kingdom: John Wiley & Sons.
2024
Conference Publication
Development of an equipotent NaV1.1 and NaV1.7 inhibitor for the treatment of chronic visceral pain
Eagles, David, King, Glenn, Cardoso, Fernanda, Muttenthaler, Markus and Brierley, Stuart (2024). Development of an equipotent NaV1.1 and NaV1.7 inhibitor for the treatment of chronic visceral pain. 37th European Peptide Symposium 14th International Peptide Symposium, Florence, Italy, 25 - 29 August 2024. Hoboken, NJ, United States: Wiley.
2024
Conference Publication
Characterisation of novel venom peptides from the underexplored Australian Wishbone Spider
Pinter, Michael, Wirth, Hayden, Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh, Muller, Jessica A. I., Nixon, Samantha, Walker, Andrew A., King, Glenn F. and Cardoso, Fernanda C. (2024). Characterisation of novel venom peptides from the underexplored Australian Wishbone Spider. East Coast Protein Meeting by the Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB), Coffs Coast, NSW, Australia, 17-19 July 2024.
2024
Conference Publication
Characterisation of novel venom peptides from the underexplored Australian Wishbone Spider
Pinter, Michael, Wirth, Hayden, Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh, Muller, Jessica A.I., Nixon, Samantha, Walker, Andrew A., King, Glenn F. and Cardoso, Fernanda C. (2024). Characterisation of novel venom peptides from the underexplored Australian Wishbone Spider. Institute for Molecular Bioscience Student Symposium, Brisbane, QLD, Australia, 12 July 2024.
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Glenn King is:
- Available for supervision
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Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the production, composition, and function of venom produced by the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri and the Irukandji jellyfish Carukia barnesi
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nathan Palpant, Dr Andrew Walker
-
Doctor Philosophy
Venom-derived drugs for targeting ion channels involved in genetic epilepsies
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Lata Vadlamudi
-
Doctor Philosophy
Development of a first-in-class biologic drug for stroke
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Natalie Saez
-
Doctor Philosophy
Identifying the structure, function, and mechanism of action of cardiotoxic components in the venoms of box (Chironex fleckeri) and Irukandji (Carukia barnesi) jellyfish
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nathan Palpant, Dr Andrew Walker
-
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the production, composition, and function of venom produced by the box jellyfish Chironex fleckeri and the Irukandji jellyfish Carukia barnesi
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nathan Palpant, Dr Andrew Walker
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation of Phylogenetic Patterns of Scorpion Pathophysiological Effects and Effectiveness of Next-Generation Antivenoms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sam Robinson, Professor Bryan Fry
-
Doctor Philosophy
Utilising invertebrates to identify novel coagulotoxins
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bryan Fry, Dr Andrew Walker
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evolution and function of nettle caterpillar venom toxins
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Andrew Walker
-
Doctor Philosophy
Characterising the Structure and Function of Caterpillar Venom Toxins
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Andrew Walker
-
Master Philosophy
Pharmacological screening of Columbian scorpion venoms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Andrew Walker
-
Doctor Philosophy
Using genetics to predict drug efficacy and on-target side effects of pharmacological agents
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Sonia Shah, Professor David Evans
-
Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation of Phylogenetic Patterns of Scorpion Pathophysiological Effects and Effectiveness of Next-Generation Antivenoms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Sam Robinson, Professor Bryan Fry
-
Doctor Philosophy
Selective modulation voltage gated sodium channels to investigate pathophysiology and treatment for motor neuron disease
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Fernanda Cardoso
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Enhancing the efficacy of venom-derived peptide therapeutics for the treatment of ion channel diseases
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Natalie Saez
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Cyclic peptides as therapeutics for ischemic heart disease and heart failure
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Nathan Palpant
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Venomous Mechanisms: Structural Studies of Venom Modalities
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Landsberg
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Identification and Evaluation of Macrocyclic hASIC1a Inhibitors for Neuroprotective Applications
Principal Advisor
-
2023
Doctor Philosophy
Venom Components as Analgesics and Pharmacological Tools to Elucidate Mammalian Pain Signalling Pathways
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Markus Muttenthaler, Dr Fernanda Cardoso
-
2022
Doctor Philosophy
Discovery and characterisation of two orally active insecticidal spider-venom peptides and elucidation of the molecular basis of their oral activity
Principal Advisor
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Is acid sensing ion channel 1a a viable therapeutic for spinal cord injury?
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Marc Ruitenberg
-
2021
Doctor Philosophy
Arthropod venoms in antiparasitic drug discovery: isolation and biological characterisation of venom-derived anthelmintic compounds
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Adjunct Professor Andrew Kotze
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Discovery of novel cyclic peptide acid sensing ion channel-1a inhibitors to protect heart from ischemia-reperfusion injury
Principal Advisor
-
2020
Doctor Philosophy
Rational development of analgesics for the treatment of chronic pain: dissecting the molecular details of the interaction between gating modifier peptide modulators and human voltage-gated sodium channels
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mehdi Mobli
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Discovery and characterisation of novel spider venom peptides targeting the human NaV1.7 channel
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Linda Blomster
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Development of NaV1.1-selective agonists with potential for treatment of Dravet syndrome epilepsy
Principal Advisor
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
A combined proteomic and transcriptomic investigation of venom from Australian sea anemones
Principal Advisor
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Peptide modulators of ASIC1a: a putative drug target for the treatment of stroke
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
-
2017
Doctor Philosophy
Biotechnological applications of spider venom peptides
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
-
2016
Master Philosophy
Venoms-based discovery of novel modulators of human neuronal ¿7 and ¿3* nicotinic acetylcholine receptors
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Understanding the molecular basis of the interaction between spider toxins and the voltage sensor domain of voltage-gated ion channels
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mehdi Mobli
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Engineering Insect-Resistant Plants by Transgenic Expression of an Insecticidal Spider-Venom Peptide
Principal Advisor
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Bioinsecticides for the control of human disease vectors
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mehdi Mobli
-
2015
Doctor Philosophy
Developing Novel Analgesics To Treat Chronic Pain: Inhibiting Voltage Gated Sodium Channel 1.7 With Spider-Venom Peptides
Principal Advisor
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Structural and mechanistic studies of a bacterial histidine kinase
Principal Advisor
-
2014
Doctor Philosophy
Centipede Venom Evolution: Casting light on a neglected group of venomous animals
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bryan Fry
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
Characterisation of spider-venom peptides that target voltage-gated sodium channels: pharmacological tools and potential therapeutic leads for the treatment of chronic pain
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mehdi Mobli
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
The Bio-logic of Venom Complexity: A Chemical and Evolutionary Investigation into the Role of Venom Complexity in Two Orders of Venomous Animals
Principal Advisor
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
Characterising the molecular basis of the interaction between the putative drug target ASIC1a and pi-TRTX-Pc1a
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
Dissecting the interaction between the sea anemone toxin APETx2 and its analgesic target, acid-sensing ion channel 3
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Probing the chemical diversity of venom from the Australian funnel-web spider Hadronyche infensa
Principal Advisor
-
2011
Doctor Philosophy
Isolation and characterization of orally active insecticidal peptides from spider venoms
Principal Advisor
-
2009
Doctor Philosophy
Unraveling the role of the bacterial cell division protein DivIB
Principal Advisor
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Discovery and modulation of acid-sensing ion channel modulating venom peptides
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Lachlan Rash
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Structural studies of the Yersinia entomophaga ABC toxin complex YenTc using cryo-EM
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Michael Landsberg
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Tarantulas of Australia: phylogenetics and venomics
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Associate Professor Lyn Cook, Professor Bryan Fry
-
2018
Doctor Philosophy
In vivo protein splicing of secreted cysteine-rich repeat proteins and their structural characterization by NMR spectroscopy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Mehdi Mobli
-
2016
Doctor Philosophy
A philosophical and empirical investigation of the evolution of the toxicoferan reptile venom system
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter, Professor Bryan Fry
-
-
2013
Doctor Philosophy
The impact of parasitism on the host transcriptome and microRNA profile in Diadegma semiclausum - Plutella xylostella system
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Sassan Asgari
-
2012
Doctor Philosophy
Investigation of novel bioactive peptides from Australian venomous animals
Associate Advisor
Media
Enquiries
Contact Professor Glenn King directly for media enquiries about:
- Chronic pain
- Dravet syndrome
- drug discovery
- epilepsy
- Insecticides
- Ion channel drugs
- NMR spectroscopy
- pain drugs
- painkillers
- peptide drugs
- Protein structure
- Stroke
- Venomous animals
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