Researcher biography

My main research focus has been applying venom peptide pharmacology to pain pathway characterisation. This approach has led to the identification of novel pain mechanisms underlying the development of chemotherapy-induced pain, ciguatera, and burn-induced pain. In an addition, I have identified and characterised over 20 novel bioactive peptides, which includes a novel class of Nav1.7 inhibitors that is currently undergoing pre-clinical development as analgesics, and a novel class of stinging nettle toxins that act on a previously unidentified Nav1.7 interacting protein named TMEM233.