
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
2019
Journal Article
Missiles of mass disruption: Composition and glandular origin of venom used as a projectile defensive weapon by the assassin bug Platymeris rhadamanthus
Walker, Andrew A., Robinson, Samuel D., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Jin, Jiayi, Han, Xiao, Fry, Bryan G., Vetter, Irina and King, Glenn F. (2019). Missiles of mass disruption: Composition and glandular origin of venom used as a projectile defensive weapon by the assassin bug Platymeris rhadamanthus. Toxins, 11 (11) 673, 673. doi: 10.3390/toxins11110673
2019
Journal Article
Fluorescence imaging of peripheral nerves by a Nav1.7-targeted inhibitor cystine knot peptide
Gonzales, Junior, Demetrio de Souza Franca, Paula, Jiang, Yan, Pirovano, Giacomo, Kossatz, Susanne, Guru, Navjot, Yarilin, Dimitry, Agwa, Akello J., Schroeder, Christina I, Patel, Snehal, Ganly, Ian, King, Glenn F. and Reiner, Thomas (2019). Fluorescence imaging of peripheral nerves by a Nav1.7-targeted inhibitor cystine knot peptide. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 30 (11) acs.bioconjchem.9b00612, 2879-2888. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.9b00612
2019
Journal Article
The unusual conformation of cross‐strand disulfide bonds is critical to the stability of β‐hairpin peptides
Deplazes, Evelyne, Chin, Yanni K.‐Y., King, Glenn F. and Mancera, Ricardo L. (2019). The unusual conformation of cross‐strand disulfide bonds is critical to the stability of β‐hairpin peptides. Proteins, 88 (3) prot.25828, 485-502. doi: 10.1002/prot.25828
2019
Journal Article
Development of high-throughput fluorescent-based screens to accelerate discovery of P2X inhibitors from animal venoms
Bibic, Lucka, Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F. and Stokes, Leanne (2019). Development of high-throughput fluorescent-based screens to accelerate discovery of P2X inhibitors from animal venoms. Journal of Natural Products, 82 (9) acs.jnatprod.9b00410, 2559-2567. doi: 10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b00410
2019
Journal Article
A cell-penetrating scorpion toxin enables mode-specific modulation of TRPA1 and pain
Lin King, John V., Emrick, Joshua J., Kelly, Mark J. S., Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F., Medzihradszky, Katalin F. and Julius, David (2019). A cell-penetrating scorpion toxin enables mode-specific modulation of TRPA1 and pain. Cell, 178 (6), 1362-1374.e16. doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2019.07.014
2019
Journal Article
Tying pest insects in knots: the deployment of spider‐venom‐derived knottins as bioinsecticides
King, Glenn F. (2019). Tying pest insects in knots: the deployment of spider‐venom‐derived knottins as bioinsecticides. Pest Management Science, 75 (9) ps.5452, 2437-2445. doi: 10.1002/ps.5452
2019
Journal Article
Zinc-binding to the cytoplasmic PAS domain regulates the essential WalK histidine kinase of Staphylococcus aureus
Monk, Ian R., Shaikh, Nausad, Begg, Stephanie L., Gajdiss, Mike, Sharkey, Liam K. R., Lee, Jean Y. H., Pidot, Sacha J., Seemann, Torsten, Kuiper, Michael, Winnen, Brit, Hvorup, Rikki, Collins, Brett M., Bierbaum, Gabriele, Udagedara, Saumya R., Morey, Jacqueline R., Pulyani, Neha, Howden, Benjamin P., Maher, Megan J., McDevitt, Christopher A., King, Glenn F. and Stinear, Timothy P. (2019). Zinc-binding to the cytoplasmic PAS domain regulates the essential WalK histidine kinase of Staphylococcus aureus. Nature Communications, 10 (1) 3067, 3067. doi: 10.1038/s41467-019-10932-4
2019
Journal Article
Sea anemone toxins: a structural overview
Madio, Bruno, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2019). Sea anemone toxins: a structural overview. Marine Drugs, 17 (6) 325, 325. doi: 10.3390/md17060325
2019
Journal Article
The antitrypanosomal diarylamidines, diminazene and pentamidine, show anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus in vitro
Nixon, Samantha A., Saez, Natalie J., Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F. and Kotze, Andrew C. (2019). The antitrypanosomal diarylamidines, diminazene and pentamidine, show anthelmintic activity against Haemonchus contortus in vitro. Veterinary Parasitology, 270, 40-46. doi: 10.1016/j.vetpar.2019.05.008
2019
Journal Article
Periplasmic expression of 4/7 alpha-conotoxin TxIA analogs in E. coli favors ribbon isomer formation suggestion of a binding mode at the α7 nAChR
El Hamdaoui, Yamina, Wu, Xiaosa, Clark, Richard J., Giribaldi, Julien, Anangi, Raveendra, Craik, David J., King, Glenn F., Dutertre, Sebastien, Kaas, Quentin, Herzig, Volker and Nicke, Annette (2019). Periplasmic expression of 4/7 alpha-conotoxin TxIA analogs in E. coli favors ribbon isomer formation suggestion of a binding mode at the α7 nAChR. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 10 (MAY) 577, 577. doi: 10.3389/fphar.2019.00577
2019
Journal Article
The modulation of acid-sensing ion channel 1 by PcTx1 is pH-, subtype- and species-dependent: importance of interactions at the channel subunit interface and potential for engineering selective analogues
Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Saez, Natalie J., Chassagnon, Irène R., King, Glenn F. and Rash, Lachlan D. (2019). The modulation of acid-sensing ion channel 1 by PcTx1 is pH-, subtype- and species-dependent: importance of interactions at the channel subunit interface and potential for engineering selective analogues. Biochemical Pharmacology, 163, 381-390. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2019.03.004
2019
Journal Article
NMR structure and dynamics of inhibitory repeat domain variant 12, a plant protease inhibitor from Capsicum annuum, and its structural relationship to other plant protease inhibitors
Gartia, Janeka, Anangi, Raveendra, Joshi, Rakesh S., Giri, Ashok P., King, Glenn F., Barnwal, Ravi P. and Chary, Kandala V. R. (2019). NMR structure and dynamics of inhibitory repeat domain variant 12, a plant protease inhibitor from Capsicum annuum, and its structural relationship to other plant protease inhibitors. Journal of Biomolecular Structure and Dynamics, 38 (5), 1-10. doi: 10.1080/07391102.2019.1607559
2019
Conference Publication
Hi1a, an ASIC1a Inhibitor, Significantly Improves the Tolerance of Donor Allografts to Ischaemia in a Rodent Model of DCD Heart Transplantation
Scheuer, S. E., Gao, L., Hicks, M., Chew, H., Doyle, A., Villanueva, J., Jabbour, A., King, G., Macdonald, P. and Dhital, K. (2019). Hi1a, an ASIC1a Inhibitor, Significantly Improves the Tolerance of Donor Allografts to Ischaemia in a Rodent Model of DCD Heart Transplantation. 39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International-Society-for-Heart-and-Lung-Transplantation (ISHLT), Orlando Fl, Apr 03-06, 2019. NEW YORK: ELSEVIER SCIENCE INC. doi: 10.1016/j.healun.2019.01.440
2019
Journal Article
A process of convergent amplification and tissue‐specific expression dominate the evolution of toxin and toxin‐like genes in sea anemones
Surm, Joachim M., Smith, Hayden L., Madio, Bruno, Undheim, Eivind A. B., King, Glenn F., Hamilton, Brett R., van der Burg, Chloé A., Pavasovic, Ana and Prentis, Peter J. (2019). A process of convergent amplification and tissue‐specific expression dominate the evolution of toxin and toxin‐like genes in sea anemones. Molecular Ecology, 28 (9) mec.15084, 2272-2289. doi: 10.1111/mec.15084
2019
Conference Publication
ARTHROPOD VENOMS AS NOVEL TREATMENTS FOR PARASITIC WORMS
Nixon, Samantha, Herzig, Volker, Kotze, Andrew C. and King, Glenn F. (2019). ARTHROPOD VENOMS AS NOVEL TREATMENTS FOR PARASITIC WORMS. 19th World Congress of the International-Society-on-Toxinology (IST) / 11th Asia Pacific Congress of the International-Society-on-Toxinology (IST) / 13th Chinese Conference on Toxins and Medical Applications, Haikou Peoples R China, Oct 24-31, 2017. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD. doi: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2018.10.181
2019
Conference Publication
Discovery of novel cav and nav modulators in spider venoms and applications in the development of drugs to treat chronic pain
Cardoso, Fernanda C., King, Glenn F. and Lewis, R. J. (2019). Discovery of novel cav and nav modulators in spider venoms and applications in the development of drugs to treat chronic pain. 19th World Congress of the International Society on Toxinology, Haikou City, Hainan Province, China, 24-31 October 2017. Oxford, United Kingdom: Elsevier.
2019
Journal Article
Can we resolve the taxonomic bias in spider venom research?
Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A.B. (2019). Can we resolve the taxonomic bias in spider venom research?. Toxicon: X, 1 100005, 100005. doi: 10.1016/j.toxcx.2018.100005
2018
Journal Article
Novel venom-derived inhibitors of the human EAG channel, a putative antiepileptic drug target
Ma, Linlin, Chin, Yanni K.Y., Dekan, Zoltan, Herzig, Volker, Chow, Chun Yuen, Heighway, Jacqueline, Lam, Sau Wing, Guillemin, Gilles J., Alewood, Paul F. and King, Glenn F. (2018). Novel venom-derived inhibitors of the human EAG channel, a putative antiepileptic drug target. Biochemical Pharmacology, 158, 60-72. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2018.08.038
2018
Journal Article
Buzz kill: Function and proteomic composition of venom from the Giant Assassin Fly Dolopus genitalis (Diptera: Asilidae)
Walker, Andrew, Dobson, James, Jin, Jiayi, Robinson, Samuel, Herzig, Volker, Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn and Fry, Bryan (2018). Buzz kill: Function and proteomic composition of venom from the Giant Assassin Fly Dolopus genitalis (Diptera: Asilidae). Toxins, 10 (11) 456, 456. doi: 10.3390/toxins10110456
2018
Journal Article
Efficient enzymatic ligation of inhibitor cystine knot spider venom peptides: using sortase a to form double-knottins that probe voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7
Agwa, Akello J., Blomster, Linda V., Craik, David J., King, Glenn F. and Schroeder, Christina I. (2018). Efficient enzymatic ligation of inhibitor cystine knot spider venom peptides: using sortase a to form double-knottins that probe voltage-gated sodium channel NaV1.7. Bioconjugate Chemistry, 29 (10) acs.bioconjchem.8b00505, 3309-3319. doi: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.8b00505
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
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
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
-
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
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: