HABRI Central

Creepy crawlies are much more than the stuff of nightmares. Animal venoms have numerous properties that could serve as exceptional therapeutics for life-threatening medical conditions. Professor Glenn King, a pioneer in development of new applications for animal venom, believes the next revolutionary treatment for stroke comes from the barbs, pincers, and fangs of the most venomous creatures. After completing his PhD at The University of Sydney and postdoctoral studies at The University of Oxford, Glenn was an academic at The University of Sydney and The University of Connecticut (USA) before joining the Institute for Molecular Bioscience at The University of Queensland in 2007. Glenn is a pioneer in using animal venoms to develop eco-friendly insecticides and human therapeutics. His early work on venoms led him to found an agricultural biotechnology company – Vestaron Corporation – that is developing bee-safe insecticides. His laboratory maintains the largest venom collection in the world, comprising venom from more than 700 species of ants, assassin bugs, caterpillars, centipedes, scorpions, spiders, and wasps. Glenn has co-authored three books and 19 book chapters, and he has published more than 250 peer-reviewed scientific articles. In his talk, Glenn will discuss his current research on the development of a venom-derived drug to prevent the brain damage caused by stroke.

Researchers should cite this work as follows:

1. Animal roles
2. Health
3. open access
4. Reptiles
5. Snakes
6. spiders
7. venoms
8. Wild animals