Overview
Availability
- Dr Sam Robinson is:
- Available for supervision
- Media expert
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, Monash University
Research interests
-
Biopharmacology
My research expertise is in the discovery of new plant and animal toxins and investigation of their structure, function and potential for biomedical applications. I am an expert on plants and animals that sting, and the biology, chemistry, pharmacology and pathophysiology underlying those stings. My research is providing new understanding on the mechanisms of chemical defence and predation used by animals and plants, and the new toxins I have discovered are being used as tools for improving our understanding of the human body and designing new and better treatments for certain diseases e.g. diabetes and chronic pain. My research is multidisciplinary, covering a range of scientific fields including pharmacology, neuroscience, physiology, organismal biology, medicinal chemistry, biochemistry, molecular biology, proteomics and structural biology. Several exciting research projects are available for outstanding prospective RHD students.
Works
Search Professor Sam Robinson’s works on UQ eSpace
Featured
2023
Journal Article
Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins
Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Touchard, Axel, Keramidas, Angelo, Mueller, Alexander, Schroeder, Christina I., Barassé, Valentine, Walker, Andrew A., Brinkwirth, Nina, Jami, Sina, Bonnafé, Elsa, Treilhou, Michel, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Schmidt, Justin O., King, Glenn F. and Vetter, Irina (2023). Ant venoms contain vertebrate-selective pain-causing sodium channel toxins. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2977, 1-11. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-38839-1
Featured
2023
Journal Article
Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function
Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Cheng, Xiaoyang, Kurdyukov, Sergey, Chung, Felicity, Okorokov, Andrei L., Li, Shengnan, Zhang, Jiangtao, Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Israel, Mathilde R., Ju, Robert J., Robinson, Samuel D., Zhao, Peng, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Andersson, Åsa, Tran, Poanna, Schendel, Vanessa, McMahon, Kirsten L., Tran, Hue N. T., Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Zhu, Yifei, Liu, Junyu, Crawford, Theo, Purushothamvasan, Saipriyaa, Habib, Abdella M., Andersson, David A., Rash, Lachlan D., Wood, John N. ... Vetter, Irina (2023). Pain-causing stinging nettle toxins target TMEM233 to modulate NaV1.7 function. Nature Communications, 14 (1) 2442. doi: 10.1038/s41467-023-37963-2
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Venom-derived pain-causing toxins: insights into sensory neuron function and pain mechanisms
Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Klasfauseweh, Tabea, Schendel, Vanessa and Vetter, Irina (2022). Venom-derived pain-causing toxins: insights into sensory neuron function and pain mechanisms. Pain, 163 (S1), S46-S56. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000002701
Featured
2022
Journal Article
Neurotoxic and cytotoxic peptides underlie the painful stings of the tree nettle Urtica ferox
Xie, Jing, Robinson, Samuel D., Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Rehm, Fabian B.H., Yap, Kuok, Ragnarsson, Lotten, Chan, Lai Yue, Hamilton, Brett R., Harvey, Peta J., Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2022). Neurotoxic and cytotoxic peptides underlie the painful stings of the tree nettle Urtica ferox. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 298 (8) 102218, 1-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2022.102218
Featured
2022
Journal Article
A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals
Eagles, David A., Saez, Natalie J., Krishnarjuna, Bankala, Bradford, Julia J., Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Starobova, Hana, Mueller, Alexander, Reichelt, Melissa E., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Norton, Raymond S., Thomas, Walter G., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2022). A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (7) e2112630119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2112630119
Featured
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
Featured
2021
Journal Article
Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras
Kazandjian, T. D., Petras, D., Robinson, S. D., van Thiel, J., Greene, H. W., Arbuckle, K., Barlow, A., Carter, D. A., Wouters, R. M., Whiteley, G., Wagstaff, S. C., Arias, A. S., Albulescu, L.-O., Plettenberg Laing, A., Hall, C., Heap, A., Penrhyn-Lowe, S., McCabe, C. V., Ainsworth, S., da Silva, R. R., Dorrestein, P. C., Richardson, M. K., Gutiérrez, J. M., Calvete, J. J., Harrison, R. A., Vetter, I., Undheim, E. A. B., Wüster, W. and Casewell, N. R. (2021). Convergent evolution of pain-inducing defensive venom components in spitting cobras. Science, 371 (6527), 386-390. doi: 10.1126/science.abb9303
Featured
2020
Journal Article
Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree
Gilding, Edward K., Jami, Sina, Deuis, Jennifer R., Israel, Mathilde R., Harvey, Peta J., Poth, Aaron G., Rehm, Fabian B. H., Stow, Jennifer L., Robinson, Samuel D., Yap, Kuok, Brown, Darren L., Hamilton, Brett R., Andersson, David, Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina and Durek, Thomas (2020). Neurotoxic peptides from the venom of the giant Australian stinging tree. Science Advances, 6 (38) eabb8828, 1-10. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abb8828
Featured
2018
Journal Article
A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family
Robinson, Samuel D., Mueller, Alexander, Clayton, Daniel, Starobova, Hana, Hamilton, Brett R., Payne, Richard J., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2018). A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family. Science Advances, 4 (9) eaau4640, eaau4640. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4640
Featured
2015
Journal Article
Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails
Safavi-Hemami, Helena, Gajewiak, Joanna, Karanth, Santhosh, Robinson, Samuel D., Ueberheide, Beatrix, Douglass, Adam D., Schlegel, Amnon, Imperial, Julita S., Watkins, Maren, Bandyopadhyay, Pradip K., Yandell, Mark, Li, Qing, Purcell, Anthony W., Norton, Raymond S., Ellgaard, Lars and Olivera, Baldomero M. (2015). Specialized insulin is used for chemical warfare by fish-hunting cone snails. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 112 (6), 1743-1748. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1423857112
2025
Journal Article
Molecular mimicry: ecology, evolution, and applications of doppelgänger peptides
Koch, Thomas L., Robinson, Samuel D. and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2025). Molecular mimicry: ecology, evolution, and applications of doppelgänger peptides. Trends in Biochemical Sciences, 50 (9), 795-809. doi: 10.1016/j.tibs.2025.06.011
2025
Journal Article
Biodiversity2Drugs—Renaissance of exploring nature-derived peptides for GPCR ligand discovery
Gruber, Christian W., Beets, Isabel, Boudreault, Pierre-Luc, Bolzani, Vanderlan da S., Carlsson, Jens, Fernandes, Pedro A., Freissmuth, Michael, Gilles, Nicolas, Göransson, Ulf, Hauser, Alexander S., Heinis, Christian, Kool, Jeroen, Lubell, William D., Modica, Maria Vittoria, Selent, Jana, Tytgat, Jan, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Gruber, Christian W., Freissmuth, Michael, Gilles, Nicolas, Chaigneau, Marion, Iturrioz, Xavier, Kessler, Pascal, Robin, Philippe, Beets, Isabel, Undheim, Eivind A. B., Kool, Jeroen, Leurs, Rob, Vischer, Henry ... Wootten, Denise (2025). Biodiversity2Drugs—Renaissance of exploring nature-derived peptides for GPCR ligand discovery. British Journal of Pharmacology, 182 (16), 3691-3694. doi: 10.1111/bph.70072
2024
Journal Article
Adaptive trade-offs between vertebrate defence and insect predation drive Amazonian ant venom evolution
Touchard, Axel, Robinson, Samuel D., Lalague, Hadrien, Ascoet, Steven, Billet, Arnaud, Dejean, Alain, Tene, Nathan J., Petitclerc, Frederic, Troispoux, Valerie, Treilhou, Michel, Bonnafe, Elsa, Vetter, Irina, Vizueta, Joel, Moreau, Corrie S., Orivel, Jerome and Tysklind, Niklas (2024). Adaptive trade-offs between vertebrate defence and insect predation drive Amazonian ant venom evolution. Proceedings of the Royal Society B-Biological Sciences, 291 (2035) 20242184, 20242184. doi: 10.1098/rspb.2024.2184
2024
Journal Article
Exaptation of an evolutionary constraint enables behavioural control over the composition of secreted venom in a giant centipede
Schendel, Vanessa, Hamilton, Brett R., Robinson, Samuel D., Green, Kathryn, Sayre, Marcel E., Brown, Darren, Stow, Jennifer L., Øyen, Jan Philip, Voje, Kjetil L., Millard, S. Sean, Vetter, Irina, Rash, Lachlan D. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2024). Exaptation of an evolutionary constraint enables behavioural control over the composition of secreted venom in a giant centipede. Nature Ecology and Evolution, 9 (1) 755, 73-86. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02556-9
2024
Journal Article
χ-Conotoxins are an evolutionary innovation of mollusk-hunting cone snails as a counter-adaptation to prey defense
Espino, Samuel, Watkins, Maren, Probst, Rodolfo, Koch, Thomas Lund, Chase, Kevin, Imperial, Julita, Robinson, Samuel D., Flórez Salcedo, Paula, Taylor, Dylan, Gajewiak, Joanna, Yandell, Mark, Safavi-Hemami, Helena and Olivera, Baldomero M. (2024). χ-Conotoxins are an evolutionary innovation of mollusk-hunting cone snails as a counter-adaptation to prey defense. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 41 (11) msae226. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msae226
2024
Journal Article
A venom peptide-induced NaV channel modulation mechanism involving the interplay between fixed channel charges and ionic gradients
Thapa, Ashvriya, Beh, Jia Hao, Robinson, Samuel D., Deuis, Jennifer R., Tran, Hue, Vetter, Irina and Keramidas, Angelo (2024). A venom peptide-induced NaV channel modulation mechanism involving the interplay between fixed channel charges and ionic gradients. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 300 (10) 107757, 107757. doi: 10.1016/j.jbc.2024.107757
2024
Conference Publication
GENOME OF A SINGLE WORKER OF THE GREENHEAD ANT, <i>RHYTIDOPONERA METALLICA</i>, REVEALS MECHANISMS OF TOXIN EVOLUTION IN A GENETICALLY HYPERDIVERSE EUSOCIAL SPECIES
Isaksen, Anders, Nachtigall, Pedro G., Araya, Robin A., Maurstad, Marius F., Robinson, Samuel D., Hansen, Thomas F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2024). GENOME OF A SINGLE WORKER OF THE GREENHEAD ANT, RHYTIDOPONERA METALLICA, REVEALS MECHANISMS OF TOXIN EVOLUTION IN A GENETICALLY HYPERDIVERSE EUSOCIAL SPECIES. 22nd World Congress of the International-Society-of-Toxinology (IST), Singapore Singapore, May 20-25, 2024. OXFORD: PERGAMON-ELSEVIER SCIENCE LTD.
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, 1-19. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110723
2024
Journal Article
Prey shifts drive venom evolution in cone snails
Koch, Thomas Lund, Robinson, Samuel D., Salcedo, Paula Flórez, Chase, Kevin, Biggs, Jason, Fedosov, Alexander E., Yandell, Mark, Olivera, Baldomero M. and Safavi-Hemami, Helena (2024). Prey shifts drive venom evolution in cone snails. Molecular Biology and Evolution, 41 (8) msae120. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msae120
2024
Journal Article
Phylogeny, envenomation syndrome, and membrane permeabilising venom produced by Australia’s electric caterpillar Comana monomorpha
Goudarzi, Mohaddeseh H., Robinson, Samuel D., Cardoso, Fernanda C., Mitchell, Michela L., Cook, Lyn G., King, Glenn F. and Walker, Andrew A. (2024). Phylogeny, envenomation syndrome, and membrane permeabilising venom produced by Australia’s electric caterpillar Comana monomorpha. Scientific Reports, 14 (1) 14172, 14172. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-65078-1
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Sam Robinson is:
- Available for supervision
Before you email them, read our advice on how to contact a supervisor.
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Identification and characterisation of new pain-causing toxins from animal venoms
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter, Dr Jennifer Deuis
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Doctor Philosophy
Evolutionary shifts in venom function and chemistry within Bees (Hymenoptera: Apiformes)
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter, Dr Andrew Walker
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Doctor Philosophy
New Toxin Tools for Dissecting Pain
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter, Dr Thomas Durek
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Doctor Philosophy
Characterization of novel family of voltage-gated sodium channel toxins from ant venoms
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
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Doctor Philosophy
Evaluation of Phylogenetic Patterns of Scorpion Pathophysiological Effects and Effectiveness of Next-Generation Antivenoms
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Bryan Fry
Media
Enquiries
Contact Dr Sam Robinson directly for media enquiries about:
- ants
- bees
- cone snails
- stings
- toxins
- venom
- wasps
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