
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
2022
Journal Article
The tarantula venom peptide Eo1a binds to the domain II S3-S4 extracellular loop of voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.8 to enhance activation
Deuis, Jennifer R., Ragnarsson, Lotten, Robinson, Samuel D., Dekan, Zoltan, Chan, Lerena, Jin, Ai-Hua, Tran, Poanna, McMahon, Kirsten L., Li, Shengnan, Wood, John N., Cox, James J., King, Glenn F., Herzig, Volker and Vetter, Irina (2022). The tarantula venom peptide Eo1a binds to the domain II S3-S4 extracellular loop of voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.8 to enhance activation. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 12 789570, 789570. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.789570
2022
Journal Article
Towards a generic prototyping approach for therapeutically-relevant peptides and proteins in a cell-free translation system
Wu, Yue, Cui, Zhenling, Huang, Yen-Hua, de Veer, Simon J., Aralov, Andrey V., Guo, Zhong, Moradi, Shayli V., Hinton, Alexandra O., Deuis, Jennifer R., Guo, Shaodong, Chen, Kai-En, Collins, Brett M., Vetter, Irina, Herzig, Volker, Jones, Alun, Cooper, Matthew A., King, Glenn F., Craik, David J., Alexandrov, Kirill and Mureev, Sergey (2022). Towards a generic prototyping approach for therapeutically-relevant peptides and proteins in a cell-free translation system. Nature Communications, 13 (1) 260, 260. doi: 10.1038/s41467-021-27854-9
2021
Journal Article
Venoms for all occasions: the functional toxin profiles of different anatomical regions in sea anemones are related to their ecological function
Ashwood, Lauren M., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Madio, Bruno, Hamilton, Brett R., Daly, Marymegan, Hurwood, David A., King, Glenn F. and Prentis, Peter J. (2021). Venoms for all occasions: the functional toxin profiles of different anatomical regions in sea anemones are related to their ecological function. Molecular Ecology, 31 (3), 866-883. doi: 10.1111/mec.16286
2021
Journal Article
Total synthesis of the spider-venom peptide Hi1a
Duggan, Nisharnthi M., Saez, Natalie J., Clayton, Daniel, Budusan, Elena, Watson, Emma E., Tucker, Isaac J., Rash, Lachlan D., King, Glenn F. and Payne, Richard J. (2021). Total synthesis of the spider-venom peptide Hi1a. Organic Letters, 23 (21) acs.orglett.1c03112, 8375-8379. doi: 10.1021/acs.orglett.1c03112
2021
Journal Article
Venom composition of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and functional characterization of a major venom peptide
Pinto, Ciro P.G., Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Chin, Yanni K.-Y, King, Glenn F. and Rossi, Guilherme D. (2021). Venom composition of the endoparasitoid wasp Cotesia flavipes (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) and functional characterization of a major venom peptide. Toxicon, 202, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2021.09.002
2021
Journal Article
Multipurpose peptides: the venoms of Amazonian stinging ants contain anthelmintic ponericins with diverse predatory and defensive activities
Nixon, Samantha A., Robinson, Samuel D., Agwa, Akello J., Walker, Andrew A., Choudhary, Shivani, Touchard, Axel, Undheim, Eivind A.B., Robertson, Alan, Vetter, Irina, Schroeder, Christina I., Kotze, Andrew C., Herzig, Volker and King, Glenn F. (2021). Multipurpose peptides: the venoms of Amazonian stinging ants contain anthelmintic ponericins with diverse predatory and defensive activities. Biochemical Pharmacology, 192 114693. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2021.114693
2021
Journal Article
A pain-causing and paralytic ant venom glycopeptide
Robinson, Samuel D., Kambanis, Lucas, Clayton, Daniel, Hinneburg, Hannes, Corcilius, Leo, Mueller, Alexander, Walker, Andrew A., Keramidas, Angelo, Kulkarni, Sameer S., Jones, Alun, Vetter, Irina, Thaysen-Andersen, Morten, Payne, Richard J., King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A.B. (2021). A pain-causing and paralytic ant venom glycopeptide. iScience, 24 (10) 103175, 1-21. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103175
2021
Journal Article
Therapeutic inhibition of acid sensing ion channel 1a recovers heart function after ischemia-reperfusion injury
Redd, Meredith A., Scheuer, Sarah E., Saez, Natalie J., Yoshikawa, Yusuke, Chiu, Han Sheng, Gao, Ling, Hicks, Mark, Villanueva, Jeanette E., Joshi, Yashutosh, Chow, Chun Yuen, Cuellar-Partida, Gabriel, Peart, Jason N., See Hoe, Louise E., Chen, Xiaoli, Sun, Yuliangzi, Suen, Jacky Y., Hatch, Robert J., Rollo, Ben, Xiao, Di, Alzubaidi, Mubarak A.H., Maljevic, Snezana, Quaife-Ryan, Gregory A., Hudson, James E., Porrello, Enzo R., White, Melanie Y., Cordwell, Stuart J., Fraser, John F., Petrou, Steven, Reichelt, Melissa E. ... Palpant, Nathan J. (2021). Therapeutic inhibition of acid sensing ion channel 1a recovers heart function after ischemia-reperfusion injury. Circulation, 144 (12), 947-960. doi: 10.1161/circulationaha.121.054360
2021
Journal Article
Acid-Sensing Ion Channels: Expression and Function in Resident and Infiltrating Immune Cells in the Central Nervous System
Foster, Victoria S., Rash, Lachlan D., King, Glenn F. and Rank, Michelle M. (2021). Acid-Sensing Ion Channels: Expression and Function in Resident and Infiltrating Immune Cells in the Central Nervous System. Frontiers in cellular neuroscience, 15 738043, 1-16. doi: 10.3389/fncel.2021.738043
2021
Journal Article
Tentacle morphological variation coincides with differential expression of toxins in sea anemones
Ashwood, Lauren M., Mitchell, Michela L., Madio, Bruno, Hurwood, David A., King, Glenn F., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Norton, Raymond S. and Prentis, Peter J. (2021). Tentacle morphological variation coincides with differential expression of toxins in sea anemones. Toxins, 13 (7) 452, 1-18. doi: 10.3390/toxins13070452
2021
Journal Article
Pharmacological Inhibition of the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Nav1.7 Alleviates Chronic Visceral Pain in a Rodent Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Jiang, Yan, Castro, Joel, Blomster, Linda V., Agwa, Akello J., Maddern, Jessica, Schober, Gudrun, Herzig, Volker, Chow, Chun Yuen, Cardoso, Fernanda C., Demétrio De Souza França, Paula, Gonzales, Junior, Schroeder, Christina I., Esche, Steffen, Reiner, Thomas, Brierley, Stuart M. and King, Glenn F. (2021). Pharmacological Inhibition of the Voltage-Gated Sodium Channel Nav1.7 Alleviates Chronic Visceral Pain in a Rodent Model of Irritable Bowel Syndrome. ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, 4 (4) acsptsci.1c00072, 1362-1378. doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.1c00072
2021
Journal Article
Venom chemistry underlying the painful stings of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae)
Jensen, Timo, Walker, Andrew A., Nguyen, Son H., Jin, Ai-Hua, Deuis, Jennifer R., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F., Schmidt, Justin O. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2021). Venom chemistry underlying the painful stings of velvet ants (Hymenoptera: Mutillidae). Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 78 (12), 5163-5177. doi: 10.1007/s00018-021-03847-1
2021
Journal Article
Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans
Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Paluzzi, Jean-Paul V., Merritt, David J., Nixon, Samantha A., Schroeder, Christina I., Jin, Jiayi, Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh Hedayati, Kotze, Andrew C., Dekan, Zoltan, Sombke, Andy, Alewood, Paul F., Fry, Bryan G., Epstein, Marc E., Vetter, Irina and King, Glenn F. (2021). Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 118 (18) 2023815118, e2023815118. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2023815118
2021
Journal Article
Trends in peptide drug discovery
Muttenthaler, Markus, King, Glenn F., Adams, David J. and Alewood, Paul F. (2021). Trends in peptide drug discovery. Nature Reviews Drug Discovery, 20 (4), 309-325. doi: 10.1038/s41573-020-00135-8
2021
Journal Article
A spider-venom peptide with multitarget activity on sodium and calcium channels alleviates chronic visceral pain in a model of irritable bowel syndrome
Cardoso, Fernanda C., Castro, Joel, Grundy, Luke, Schober, Gudrun, Garcia-Caraballo, Sonia, Zhao, Tianjiao, Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F., Brierley, Stuart M. and Lewis, Richard J. (2021). A spider-venom peptide with multitarget activity on sodium and calcium channels alleviates chronic visceral pain in a model of irritable bowel syndrome. Pain, 162 (2), 569-581. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002041
2021
Journal Article
Bimodal imaging of mouse peripheral nerves with chlorin tracers
Gonzales, Junior, Hernández-Gil, Javier, Wilson, Thomas C., Adilbay, Dauren, Cornejo, Mike, Demétrio de Souza Franca, Paula, Guru, Navjot, Schroeder, Christina I., King, Glenn F., Lewis, Jason S. and Reiner, Thomas (2021). Bimodal imaging of mouse peripheral nerves with chlorin tracers. Molecular Pharmaceutics, 18 (3) acs.molpharmaceut.0c00946, 940-951. doi: 10.1021/acs.molpharmaceut.0c00946
2020
Journal Article
Crouching tiger, hidden protein: searching for insecticidal toxins in venom of the red tiger assassin bug (Havinthus rufovarius)
Wait, Laura C., Walker, Andrew A. and King, Glenn F. (2020). Crouching tiger, hidden protein: searching for insecticidal toxins in venom of the red tiger assassin bug (Havinthus rufovarius). Toxins, 13 (1) 3, 3. doi: 10.3390/toxins13010003
2020
Journal Article
Fifteen years of NaV1.7 channels as an analgesic target: Why has excellent in vitro pharmacology not translated into in vivo analgesic efficacy?
Eagles, David A., Chow, Chun Yuen and King, Glenn F. (2020). Fifteen years of NaV1.7 channels as an analgesic target: Why has excellent in vitro pharmacology not translated into in vivo analgesic efficacy?. British Journal of Pharmacology, 179 (14) bph.15327, 3592-3611. doi: 10.1111/bph.15327
2020
Journal Article
Two for the price of one: heterobivalent ligand design targeting two binding sites on voltage-gated sodium channels slows ligand dissociation and enhances otency
Peschel, Alicia, Cardoso, Fernanda C., Walker, Andrew A., Durek, Thomas, Stone, M Rhia L., Braga Emidio, Nayara, Dawson, Philip E., Muttenthaler, Markus and King, Glenn F. (2020). Two for the price of one: heterobivalent ligand design targeting two binding sites on voltage-gated sodium channels slows ligand dissociation and enhances otency. Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, 63 (21), 12773-12785. doi: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.0c01107
2020
Journal Article
Venom of the red-bellied black snake Pseudechis porphyriacus shows immunosuppressive potential
Ryan, Rachael Y. M., Lutzky, Viviana P., Herzig, Volker, Smallwood, Taylor B., Potriquet, Jeremy, Wong, Yide, Masci, Paul, Lavin, Martin F., King, Glenn F., Lopez, J. Alejandro, Ikonomopoulou, Maria P. and Miles, John J. (2020). Venom of the red-bellied black snake Pseudechis porphyriacus shows immunosuppressive potential. Toxins, 12 (11) 674, 674. doi: 10.3390/toxins12110674
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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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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
Bioinsecticides for the control of human disease vectors
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
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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