NHMRC Research Fellowship: Pain Drugs from Venom Peptides

Abstract:: Persistent pain is a costly and poorly managed disease. To address this major health burden, improved treatments are needed to meet this significant unmet clinical need. We have identified venom peptides (conotoxins) from cone snails and spiders that either directly or indirectly (via G protein coupled receptors) inhibit voltage-gated sodium or calcium channels in pain pathways. Using recently established venomic discovery capabilities, the goal is to discover venom peptides from cone snails and spiders that modulate sodium and calcium channels in peripheral pain and associated pathways and optimise these for clinical use.
Grant type:: NHMRC Research Fellowship
Funded by:: National Health and Medical Research Council

The University of Queensland