Known by the First Peoples of K’gari (Fraser Island) as the ‘long-toothed spider’, the Fraser Island funnel-web may hold the key to some astounding medical breakthroughs.
A potentially life-saving treatment containing venom from one of the world’s deadliest spiders is one step closer to human trials, thanks to a $23 million investment in a Brisbane start-up.
An IMB PhD student will use a prestigious foreign exchange scholarship to progress his work on developing medicines from nature. Isaac Tucker is harnessing molecules found in the venom of Australian spiders to develop treatments for neurological and gastrointestinal diseases.
It might be one of the most feared arachnids in the world, but research shows the deadly funnel web spider could make the difference between life and death for heart attack victims.