
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
2013
Journal Article
Dracula's children: molecular evolution of vampire bat venom
Low, Dolyce H. W., Sunagar, Kartik, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Ali, Syed A., Alagon, Alejandro C., Ruder, Tim, Jackson, Timothy N. W., Gonzalez, Sandy Pineda, King, Glenn F., Jones, Alun, Antunes, Agostinho and Fry, Bryan G. (2013). Dracula's children: molecular evolution of vampire bat venom. Journal of Proteomics, 89, 95-111. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2013.05.034
2013
Journal Article
Aphicidal efficacy of scorpion- and spider-derived neurotoxins
Pal, Narinder, Yamamoto, Takashi, King, Glenn F., Waine, Clement and Bonning, Bryony (2013). Aphicidal efficacy of scorpion- and spider-derived neurotoxins. Toxicon, 70, 114-122. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2013.04.015
2013
Journal Article
SVM-based prediction of propeptide cleavage sites in spider toxins identifies toxin innovation in an Australian tarantula
Wong, Emily S. W., Hardy, Margaret C., Wood, David, Bailey, Timothy and King, Glenn F. (2013). SVM-based prediction of propeptide cleavage sites in spider toxins identifies toxin innovation in an Australian tarantula. PLoS ONE, 8 (7) e66279, e66279.1-e66279.11. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0066279
2013
Journal Article
Squeezers and leaf-cutters: differential diversification and degeneration of the venom system in toxicoferan reptiles
Fry, Bryan G., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Ali, Syed A., Jackson, Timothy N. W., Debono, Jordan, Scheib, Holger, Ruder, Tim, Morgenstern, David, Cadwallader, Luke, Whitehead, Darryl, Nabuurs, Rob, van der Weerd, Louise, Vidal, Nicolas, Roelants, Kim, Hendrikx, Iwan, Gonzalez, Sandy Pineda, Koludarov, Ivan, Jones, Alun, King, Glenn F., Antunes, Agostinho and Sunagar, Kartik (2013). Squeezers and leaf-cutters: differential diversification and degeneration of the venom system in toxicoferan reptiles. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 12 (7), 1881-1899. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M112.023143
2013
Journal Article
Production of recombinant disulfide-rich venom peptides for structural and functional analysis via expression in the periplasm of E. coli
Klint, Julie K., Senff, Sebastian, Saez, Natalie J., Seshadri, Radha, Lau, Ho Yee, Bende, Nira J., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Rash, Lachlan D., Mobli, Mehdi and King, Glenn F. (2013). Production of recombinant disulfide-rich venom peptides for structural and functional analysis via expression in the periplasm of E. coli. PLoS One, 8 (5) e63865, e63865.1-e63865.12. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0063865
2013
Journal Article
Role of the PAS sensor domains in the Bacillus subtilis sporulation kinase KinA
Winnen, Brit, Anderson, Eric, Cole, James L., King, Glenn F. and Rowland, S. L. (2013). Role of the PAS sensor domains in the Bacillus subtilis sporulation kinase KinA. Journal of Bacteriology, 195 (10), 2349-2358. doi: 10.1128/JB.00096-13
2013
Journal Article
Molecular phylogeny and evolution of the proteins encoded by coleoid (cuttlefish, octopus, and squid) posterior venom glands
Ruder, Tim, Sunagar, Kartik, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Ali, Syed A., Wai, Tak-Cheung, Low, Dolyce H. W., Jackson, Timothy N. W., King, Glenn F., Antunes, Agostinho and Fry, Bryan G. (2013). Molecular phylogeny and evolution of the proteins encoded by coleoid (cuttlefish, octopus, and squid) posterior venom glands. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 76 (4), 192-204. doi: 10.1007/s00239-013-9552-5
2013
Journal Article
The insecticidal potential of venom peptides
Smith, Jennifer J., Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F. and Alewood, Paul F. (2013). The insecticidal potential of venom peptides. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 70 (19), 3665-3693. doi: 10.1007/s00018-013-1315-3
2013
Journal Article
Differential evolution and neofunctionalization of snake venom metalloprotease domains
Brust, Andreas, Sunagar, Kartik, Eivind Undheim, Vetter, Irina, Yang, Daryl C., Casewell, Nicholas R., Ruder, Tim, Jackson, Timothy N. W., Koludarov, Ivan, Alewood, Paul F., Hodgson, Wayne C., Lewis, Richard J., King, Glenn F., Antunes, Agostinho, Hendrikx, Iwan and Fry, Bryan G. (2013). Differential evolution and neofunctionalization of snake venom metalloprotease domains. Molecular and Cellular Proteomics, 12 (3), 651-663. doi: 10.1074/mcp.M112.023135
2013
Journal Article
The venom optimization hypothesis revisited
Morgenstern, David and King, Glenn F. (2013). The venom optimization hypothesis revisited. Toxicon, 63 (1), 120-128. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.11.022
2013
Journal Article
Unravelling the complex venom landscapes of lethal Australian funnel-web spiders (Hexathelidae: Atracinae) using LC-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
Palagi, Alexandre, Koh, Jennifer M. S., Leblanc, Mathieu, Wilson, David, Dutertre, Sebastien, King, Glenn F., Nicholson, Graham M. and Escoubas, Pierre (2013). Unravelling the complex venom landscapes of lethal Australian funnel-web spiders (Hexathelidae: Atracinae) using LC-MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Journal of Proteomics, 80, 292-310. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2013.01.002
2013
Other Outputs
Pest-controlling agents isolated from spider venom and uses thereof
King, Glenn Frederick and Hardy, Margaret Carter (2013). Pest-controlling agents isolated from spider venom and uses thereof. WO 2013026105 A1.
2013
Journal Article
From kinetics to imaging: An NMR odyssey-a festschrift symposium in honour of Philip William Kuchel
Vandenberg, Jamie L., Conigrave, Arthur, King, Glenn F. and Kirk, Kiaran (2013). From kinetics to imaging: An NMR odyssey-a festschrift symposium in honour of Philip William Kuchel. European Biophysical Journal, 42 (1), 1-2. doi: 10.1007/s00249-012-0883-8
2013
Conference Publication
Harnessing high-throughput screening strategies for identification of selective hNav1.7 blockers for the treatment of chronic pain
Cardoso, F. C., Herzig, V., Hauke, T., King, G. F. and Lewis, R. J. (2013). Harnessing high-throughput screening strategies for identification of selective hNav1.7 blockers for the treatment of chronic pain. CASB Division Symposium 2013, Brisbane Australia, 7 November, 2013.
2013
Journal Article
The insecticidal neurotoxin Aps III is an atypical knottin peptide that potently blocks insect voltage-gated sodium channels
Bende, Niraj S., Kang, Eunji, Herzig, Volker, Bosmans, Frank, Nicholson, Graham M., Mobli, Mehdi and King, Glenn F. (2013). The insecticidal neurotoxin Aps III is an atypical knottin peptide that potently blocks insect voltage-gated sodium channels. Biochemical Pharmacology, 85 (10), 1542-1554. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2013.02.030
2013
Journal Article
A proteomics and transcriptomics investigation of the venom from the Barychelid spider Trittame loki (brush-foot trapdoor)
Undheim, Eivind A. B., Sunagar, Kartik, Herzig, Volker, Kely, Laurence, Low, Dolyce H. W., Jackson, Timothy N. W., Jones, Alun, Kurniawan, Nyoman, King, Glenn F., Ali, Syed A., Antunes, Agostino, Ruder, Tim and Fry, Bryan G. (2013). A proteomics and transcriptomics investigation of the venom from the Barychelid spider Trittame loki (brush-foot trapdoor). Toxins, 5 (12), 2488-2503. doi: 10.3390/toxins5122488
2013
Other Outputs
Isolation of an orally active insecticidal toxin from the venom of an Australian tarantula (Table S1)
Hardy, Margaret, Daly, Norelle L., Mobli, Mehdi , Morales, Rodrigo and King, Glenn F (2013). Isolation of an orally active insecticidal toxin from the venom of an Australian tarantula (Table S1). Figshare. (Dataset) doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0073136.s001
2013
Conference Publication
Discovery of novel spider peptides blocking hNav1.7
Cardoso, F. C., Herzig, V., Hauke, T., Lewis, R. J. and King, G. F. (2013). Discovery of novel spider peptides blocking hNav1.7. 3rd Annual Conference of the Toxinological Society of India and 1st International Conference on “Biology of Natural Toxins”, Goa, India, 19-21 December, 2013.
2013
Journal Article
Natural born insect killers: Spider-venom peptides and their potential for managing arthropod pests
Ikonomopoulou, Maria and King, Glenn (2013). Natural born insect killers: Spider-venom peptides and their potential for managing arthropod pests. Outlooks on Pest Management, 24 (1), 16-19. doi: 10.1564/v24_feb_05
2013
Book Chapter
The Neurotoxic Mode of Action of Venoms from the Spider Family Theraphosidae
Herzig, Volker and King, Glenn F. (2013). The Neurotoxic Mode of Action of Venoms from the Spider Family Theraphosidae. Spider Ecophysiology. (pp. 203-215) edited by Wolfgang Nentwig. Heidelberg, Germany: Springer-Verlag. doi: 10.1007/978-3-642-33989-9_15
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Professor Glenn King is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
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
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
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
-
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
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
Development of NaV1.1-selective agonists with potential for treatment of Dravet syndrome epilepsy
Principal Advisor
-
2019
Doctor Philosophy
Discovery and characterisation of novel spider venom peptides targeting the human NaV1.7 channel
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
Need help?
For help with finding experts, story ideas and media enquiries, contact our Media team: