PM awards
innovation prize
to UQ venom researcher
When Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation recipient Professor Glenn King wanted to develop bee-friendly insecticides, he sought help from unexpected allies.
“In the mid-1990s, we began to think about whether there were more environmentally sustainable ways to protect crops from insect pests, so we turned to the best insect killers on the planet, which are spiders,” Professor King said.
Using a variety of advanced technologies, The University of Queensland researcher explored the chemical composition of spider venom and potential uses for the myriad of molecules he discovered.
The results were eco-friendly insecticides that are now being sprayed on fields internationally, protecting one bee at a time.
It was this out-of-the-box thinking that led to Professor King, from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, being awarded the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation, a $250,000 recognition of his pioneering work.
Increasing food production in an environmentally sustainable way
Professor King’s interest in eco-friendly methods of protecting crops from pests arose from the challenge of feeding a growing global population.
Projections show crop production needs to double in the next 30 years but most of the insecticides on the market to protect food plants contain chemicals that also kill important pollinators such as bees and can also affect the health of people, pets, and livestock.
“We were searching for molecules that would kill insects but were completely harmless to humans,” Professor King said.
“The answer was right here in our backyard.
“The best molecules were small proteins known as peptides from the venom of the Australian funnel-web spider.”
In 2005, Professor King founded the biotechnology company Vestaron to translate his research into bioinsecticides that are safe, effective, and eco-friendly.
Vestaron’s global impact can be seen in its 21 investors, which include Syngenta, the largest agricultural company in the world.
But Professor King didn’t stop there.
Protecting hearts and minds with spider venom
Enlisting the help of spiders to kill insects makes sense because spiders have had more than 300 million years of evolution to develop insecticidal molecules.
But using molecules from spider venom to treat heart attacks and strokes in people?
That’s innovative thinking.
“Ten years of working with spiders made us realise that these venoms have molecules that have potential as human therapeutics,” Professor King said.
“While some of them hurt humans, most of the thousands of molecules within spider venom are harmless to us – and some are actually beneficial.”
One of these beneficial molecules, IB001, was discovered in the venom of another Australian funnel-web spider from K’gari, formerly known as Fraser Island.
Professor King, with IMB colleague Dr Nathan Palpant and collaborators from the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute and Monash University, found that IB001 can prevent the death of cells following strokes and heart attacks.
Importantly, IB001 can be administered by first responders rather than only in a hospital environment, meaning greatly improved outcomes for patients in remote, rural and regional areas of Australia.
An Australian story
Professor King and Dr Palpant co-founded a company called Infensa Bioscience to take this discovery further. Infensa plans to start clinical trials in 2024.
Heart attack and stroke are two of the leading causes of death both in Australia and worldwide, but there are currently no drugs to prevent the damage they inflict on the body.
This time around, Professor King was determined to keep the company ownership in Australia.
IMB and Infensa researchers (L–R): Associate Professor Nathan Palpant, Dr Natalie Saez, CEO Associate Professor Mark Smythe, Dr Aline Dantas de Araujo, Professor Glenn King.
“We were on a call with a venture capitalist who offered us the entire $23 million of seed capital we needed in one go,” he said.
“But this venture capitalist was based in the U.S., and we wanted to keep Infensa onshore, so we turned them down.
“Infensa is truly an Australian story. It’s an Australian innovation. It’s funded by Australians, it’s based in Australia, it’s employing Australians and the benefits will feed back into the Australian economy.”
IMB and Infensa researchers (L–R): Associate Professor Nathan Palpant, Dr Natalie Saez, CEO Associate Professor Mark Smythe, Dr Aline Dantas de Araujo, Professor Glenn King.
IMB and Infensa researchers (L–R): Associate Professor Nathan Palpant, Dr Natalie Saez, CEO Associate Professor Mark Smythe, Dr Aline Dantas de Araujo, Professor Glenn King.
30 years of innovation
UQ Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Terry said the Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation was a wonderful recognition of Professor King’s decades of innovation.
“Professor King has spent 30 years applying advanced technology to study the venoms of spiders and other animals, and I am delighted that his pioneering work has been recognised,” Professor Terry said.
“The entire community benefits from his unique ideas and insights, which have led to the delivery of environmentally friendly bioinsecticides and the potential for new drugs to treat some of the leading causes of death.
“This award is also testament to the founding vision of UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience, which was established to make Queensland an epicentre of drug discovery, and its bipartisan government and philanthropic supporters.
“Professor King has tirelessly worked to educate the public about venomous animals, and the ways in which they can help us.
“His work has contributed to the advancement of Australia’s STEM landscape through the economic benefits his companies bestow, and the talented students and researchers he has attracted and mentored.”
For his part, Professor King is passionate about mentoring future innovators.
“I think the students that I’ve trained will be my most enduring scientific legacy,” he said.
“It is vital that we grow and train the next generation of Australian scientists.”
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