Researcher fights insects with venom

An Australian researcher has returned from the US to continue working on environmentally-friendly insect control methods based on spider venom compounds.

Professor Glenn King has joined The University of Queensland's Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB) from the University of Connecticut to further develop his approach to insecticide discovery.

"Since spiders have been developing insecticidal compounds for almost 400 million years, I decided to integrate their venoms to find natural toxins that might kill insects without harming vertebrates," King said.

He has since described three families of insecticidal compounds and moved back to Australia with the help of a $576,000 Australian Research Council grant entitled "Safeguarding Australia against invasive arthropod pests'.

King returned to Australia to access the advanced infrastructure and collaborative opportunities available at the IMB.

"The IMB houses a 900 MHz nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometer, the most powerful commercially-available machine in the world for determining the three-dimensional solution structure of large molecules," he said.

King will use the grant to examine spider venom to discover and develop compounds to control insects and other arthropod pests.

"Hopefully this project will result in environmentally-sustainable methods for controlling insects that destroy crops or spread human and animal disease," he said.

IMB director, Professor Brandon Wainwright said that King's move from the US to Brisbane highlights the region's growing reputation as a hub for scientific research.