Venoms: predatory, defensive, and a treatment for chronic pain.

Our lab researches the venoms of cone snails and spiders to better understand their evolution and potential as research tools and therapeutics to treat pain.

Cone snail venom peptides in drug discovery

Cone snail venom peptides in drug discovery

Striatus fish feeding

Group leader

Professor Richard Lewis

Professor Richard Lewis

Group Leader, Pharmacology of marine toxins

  +61 7 334 62984
  r.lewis@imb.uq.edu.au
  UQ Experts Profile

  • Proteomic studies of cone snail venoms
  • Transcriptomic studies of cone snail venoms
  • Origin and diversification of conotoxins for predation and defence
  • Pharmacological studies of cone snail and tarantula venoms
  • Structure-function of venom peptides targeting sodium and calcium channels, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor, GPCRs and monamine transporters
  • Discovery, characterisation and development of sodium channel inhibitors of pain