Medicine with bite
Making pharmaceuticals from venom
Some of the world's deadliest creatures are becoming the unlikely heroes in the fight to treat disease and conquer major economic problems.
Researchers across UQ are working to unlock the secrets of venom and its applications in a range of pharmaceuticals, from pain relief to antiparasitics.
Below, we explore how researchers within the UQ School of Biological Sciences’ Venom Evolution Laboratory are using venom to further our understanding of pain and create life-saving medications and antivenom.
We then examine how a PhD student from the UQ Institute for Molecular Bioscience is using venom to try and save the Australian economy more than $400 million a year.
The bloody reality of treating disease
One of the biggest factors preventing the advancement of venom research is the very narrow range of toxins studied due to the difficulty of obtaining toxin samples from rare or remote species.
As a result, entire groups of venomous creatures remain unstudied and the potential treatments in their venom undiscovered.
This is where the work of UQ researchers like Associate Professor Dr Bryan Fry comes in.
Dr Fry is part of a group of scientists known as herpetologists who work on the ground collecting and discovering new toxins in venom samples, often at great personal risk.
Dr Fry’s work focuses on the poorly understood evolution of venom systems and the importance of the associated toxins.
"To effectively treat snake bite victims and discover the possibilities for pharmaceuticals, we need to understand the unique chemistry of venom," Dr Fry said.
"If you don't understand the mechanisms and evolution of venom you are just throwing darts in a dark room."
This work may lead to the discovery of bioactive peptides and proteins, which are components in the venom, that can be used to develop medicines.
Venom can also be used as a probe to discover more about how the human body reacts to pain.
"When you have venoms from several different creatures that act on the same pain pathways in humans, it can tell you so much more about our physiology," Dr Fry said.
Dr Bryan Fry with Venom Evolution Lab member Ms Jordan Debono
Dr Fry and the Venom Evolution Lab also focus on addressing the public health issuesposed by snakebite.
"My lab is helping to address the issue of the burden of snakebite as a neglected tropical disease.
"Some of the current antivenoms being used to treat the most common deadly snake bites are ineffective.
"But by studying which antivenoms work against certain species, we can provide doctors with a better guide for antivenoms that will work with critically ill snakebite patients."
In a world-first, Dr Fry and his lab have collected and categorised a variety of blood and venom samples in one central bank for research. This resource will allow scientists to test the reaction of venom with blood.
"The outcomes of the bank we've developed are potential treatments and cures for critical human diseases such as blood-clotting disorders, cancer, and chronic pain.
"There is so little we know, particularly when it comes to rarer species of venomous creatures, about how venom reacts with blood," Dr Fry said.
"At the moment we often rely on anecdotal and subjective accounts from bite victims, which can be sketchy and incomparable at best."
The project has spanned several decades and involved a network of international researchers.
This harsh and often dangerous work has taken Dr Fry from the depths of the Amazon rainforest to the Zamzama gas fields of the Sindh desert in Pakistan.
Dr Fry's resource-intensive research requires ongoing community support to propel it forward and to generate new antivenoms and medication. To learn more about supporting this work visit: www.venomdoc.com/support-our-research
Dr Fry is also an avid mentor of budding herpetologists and researchers like PhD student Jordan Debono.
UQ PhD student Jordan Debono from the Venom Evolution Lab
Ms Debono is the winner of the 2017 Queensland Women in STEM People's Choice Award.
Ms Debono's work also focuses on investigating the impact of snake venom on the blood system, with a focus on Asian pit vipers.
“My aim is to put this information out there and contribute to the larger body of scientific knowledge, and if somehow my research can aid someone in the future, then I’ve done my job,” Ms Debono said.
Her work also has implications for discovering new compounds that can be used to develop more effective medications.
“At the moment a lot of people with heart conditions that require blood thinning medication take aspirin, but long term that can have some adverse side-effects. The new drugs that are being developed from venom compounds give people choice.
“Because we in Australia have all these venomous species of snakes, octopuses, ants, and lizards there’s always something interesting going on.”
She says UQ is the best place to pursue scientific study.
"From the moment I set foot in the research facilities on campus during my first high school visit I knew I had to study science at UQ.
"Then as soon as I met Bryan, during a field trip to Fraser Island in my undergraduate degree and saw the passion he had for his work I also knew that I wanted to study under him and so venom research also became my passion."
Ms Debono said her mentor had really driven her to pursue her study in a male-dominated area.
"While the number of women in STEM is growing, there still aren't many in the area I work - on the ground collecting samples and working with the animals.
"I have been lucky to have had such a positive and nurturing experience with my team and my lab.
"I really admire Bryan, he will do anything to help you, if you prove that you're willing to work hard and learn," Ms Debono said.
Her mentor pushed her to excel every step of the way.
"Bryan encouraged me to apply for the Women in STEM prize and then put a lot of effort into promoting my entry."
In addition to her current research, Ms Debono is passionate about making scientific research a visible choice for other young women.
"I present to a lot of primary and high school classes on my work and the opportunities for women in STEM.
"Quite frequently I will have children remark that they didn't know girls could do the work I do, which while in itself is sad, I'm so glad that I can be a part of breaking down those perceptions."
Worming your way out of economic losses
After overcoming a severe fear of spiders, PhD student and Westpac Future Leaders Scholar Samantha Nixon is using tarantula venom to combat drug-resistant parasites.
"They say that Australia used to ride on the sheep's back, but the problem of parasitic worms has crippled the Australian Sheep Industry," Ms Nixon said.
"This issue costs the Australian economy more than $400 million each year in losses, making us one of the world's most affected countries."
Her work investigates the use of a compound in Brazilian tarantula venom first discovered by her supervisors, UQ's Dr Volker Herzig and Dr Andrew Kotze, as a potential treatment for sheep parasites.
The parasitic worms her work targets have become increasingly resistant to modern treatments resulting in anaemia and death in infected animals, and massive economic losses for farmers.
Ms Nixon also has a strong interest in tropical disease research.
"I feel fortunate to have been born in Australia where we have access to immunisations and medicine to prevent and treat disease," she said.
"However, for thousands of people living in developing countries this is not the case and neglected tropical diseases cause significant suffering and loss of life each year.
"It is my goal in life to see the end of neglected tropical disease."
