Evolution-guided discovery of novel receptor ligands from animal venoms

Predatory marine cone snails use diverse toxins to capture prey. These conotoxins target receptors in the prey’s nervous and sensory system with remarkable selectivity. This project will identify and characterize a large number of novel conotoxins and utilize this data to provide unique insight into the evolution of toxin ligands and their receptor targets. The grant will allow the training of one PhD student, one postdoc, purchasing of equipment and exchange with international collaborators.