Speakers

Adelaide University
Australia

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Professor Stuart Brierley is Director of the Visceral Pain Research Group, Director of the Hopwood Centre for Neurobiology, and Co-leader of the Lifelong Health theme at the South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute (SAHMRI). He is also an Affiliate of the School of Biomedicine, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Adelaide University.

He is an international expert in the ‘gut-brain axis’ and chronic visceral pain mechanisms. He is an NHMRC Investigator Leadership recipient and received a NHMRC Research Excellence Award in 2016. His research is funded by the NHMRC, ARC, NIH and industry.

James Cook University
Australia

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Professor Daly was awarded her PhD from the University of Queensland. Her studies involved using NMR spectroscopy to determine the structure of domains of the LDL receptor; a receptor critical for the control of cholesterol levels. Following these studies she was involved in establishing a new field of research involving plant derived cyclic peptides. This work resulted in several granted patents and the establishment of a small biotechnology company associated with The University of Queensland.

Norelle has published more than 170 journal articles, 3 book chapters, been awarded a UQ Research Excellence Award, awarded a National Breast Cancer Foundation Novel Concept award, and held a NHMRC Industry Fellowship, a Queensland Smart State Fellowship and an ARC Future Fellowship.

Stanford University
United States

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Dr. Du Bois's Laboratory is leveraging the power of molecular design and chemical synthesis to address problems in catalysis, natural product assembly, chemical biology, and pharmacology.  An outstanding goal of our program has been to develop C–H bond oxidative processes as general methods for organic synthesis and to demonstrate the utility of such tools in synthetic planning.  These methods continue to be exploited for the purpose of preparing polyfunctionalized carbo- and heterocyclic structures.  A second program of interest focuses on the role of ion channels in electrical conduction and the specific involvement of such proteins in the sensation of pain.  De novo chemical synthesis of naturally occurring small molecule toxins in combination with the tools of molecular biology, electrophysiology, and cellular imaging enable the interrogation of mechanisms associated with ion channel expression, membrane translocation, turnover, and conduction.

University of Queensland
Australia

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Venoms play a range of adaptive roles in the animal kingdom from predation to defense to competitor deterrence. Remarkably, despite their biological importance and uniqueness, the evolution of venom systems is poorly understood. New insights into the evolution of venom systems and the importance of the associated toxins cannot be advanced without recognition of the true biochemical, ecological, morphological and pharmacological diversity of venoms and associated venom systems. A major limitation has been the very narrow taxonomical range studied. Entire groups of venomous animals remain virtually unstudied. My research is inherently interdisciplinary, integrating ecological, evolutionary, and functional genomics approaches in order to understand the evolution of venom systems. Studies range from discovering the shock-inducing hypotensive and anticoagulant venom of the iconic Komodo Dragon through to exploring the unique temperature specific adaptations of Antarctic octopus venoms.

Macquarie University
Australia

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A/Prof Maciej Maselko leads a research group in Applied BioScience at Macquarie University and is the CEO of EntoZyme. His work focuses on using animal synthetic biology to address environmental and human health challenges. These include novel genetic biocontrol tools for invasive species, animals engineered for bioremediation, and transgenic insects for sustainable waste management and biomanufacturing. He earned his PhD in Molecular Biology from Oregon State University followed by a USDA-NIFA fellowship and postdoctoral work at the University of Minnesota.

Maxion Therapeutics
United Kingdom

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John McCafferty is a highly accomplished scientist and entrepreneur with a rich history of leadership in the biopharmaceutical industry. With a career spanning over two decades, he has made significant contributions to the fields of biochemistry, cancer biology, and therapeutic development. As the founder and CEO of Maxion Therapeutics, John has been at the forefront of innovative therapeutic solutions, leveraging his extensive knowledge and experience to drive advancements in treatment protocols as well as drug design. Known for his visionary approach, he has successfully secured partnerships and collaborations that have brought strategic direction to Maxion Therapeutics, ultimately benefiting patients worldwide.

Before his role at Maxion Therapeutics, John co-founded IONTAS, where he served as Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). During his tenure at IONTAS, he was instrumental in developing high-performance antibody therapies, utilizing his expertise in combinatorial antibody technologies. His innovative approach and dedication to advancing science and patient care have significantly bolstered the company’s reputation in the antibody-drug conjugate space.

University New South Wales
Australia

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Associate Professor Kate Michie is Chief Scientist of the Structural Biology Facility at UNSW Sydney and an academic in the School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences. She specialises in structural biology and biophysics, with a focus on integrating experimental approaches with emerging computational methods.

Kate trained in protein chemistry and biophysics at the University of Sydney (BSc (Hons), PhD), before undertaking Marie Curie and L’Oréal–UNESCO fellowships at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, where she transitioned into structural biology. Her work now centres on embedding deep learning–based structure prediction into routine structural biology workflows, alongside cryo-EM, crystallography and biophysical characterisation.

Her research focuses on protein-protein interaction prediction, complex modelling, and the application of protein design approaches, including binder design. She is particularly interested in the capabilities and limitations of current predictive models, and how they can be applied critically to interpret molecular interactions, guide experimental design, and avoid over-interpretation in the analysis of protein interfaces.

Seattle Children's Research Institute
United States

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My scientific and medical career has been devoted primarily to discovering and advancing new therapies for pediatric brain tumor patients. The children in my clinical practice over the past 27 years have motivated our lab’s translational research, which led to 12 human clinical trials. I recently led a Phase 3 Children’s Oncology Group trial in more than 150 institutions that improved five-year overall survival for high-risk Group 3 medulloblastoma patients from 64% to 83%. Our lab invented Tumor Paint, a molecular imaging agent designed to guide surgeons as they remove tumors with minimal damage to adjacent normal tissue.. Over the past nine years, our lab has evolved into a protein therapeutics lab with a sharp focus on bispecific and multispecific therapeutics.

University of Debrecen
Hungary

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Dr. Panyi graduated as a medical doctor from the University of Debrecen in 1991 and started his basic research career right after finishing medical school. He was trained to be an ion channel biophysicist and pharmacologist. He currently moves towards ion channels and cancer and the role of ion channels in the differentiation and proliferation of various cells. Dr. Panyi currently serves as Professor and Chair of the Department of Biophysics and Cell Biology at the University of Debrecen, Hungary.

University of Utah
United States

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Associate Professor Helena Safavi-Hemami, PhD, is a researcher at the University of Utah specializing in the biochemistry of marine venoms, particularly cone snails, to develop novel therapeutics for pain, epilepsy, and diabetes. She leads a lab investigating peptide-based toxins that mimic human hormones.

The University of Queensland
Australia

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Professor Mark Smythe is a distinguished academic at the University of Queensland, specializing in combinatorial chemistry and molecular design. His research focuses on translating chemistry into high value medicine, with a particular emphasis on developing drugs or patients. Smythe has been instrumental in the discovery and exploitation of privileged structures, contributing significantly to the field of drug development. His work has led to the design and synthesis of molecules that mimic protein structure and function, aiming to discover compounds that can mimic protein activity.

Smythe's career began as an environmental chemist in the mines, but he shifted his focus to medicinal chemistry after a PhD scholarship. His postdoctoral work in the United States honed his skills in molecular modeling, which he later applied to drug development at the University of Queensland. Smythe's innovative approach and commitment to creating high-value medicines have made him a prominent figure in the biotech industry.

Linnaeus University
Sweden

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Johan joined Cawthron in 2019 as the Science Leader of Algal Research and Bioactives. Johan’s main research areas of interest are marine natural products, marine biotechnology, antifouling, medicinal chemistry, biomaterials and peptide chemistry. At Cawthron, Johan leads Cawthron’s development of a New Zealand algae sector by exploring collaborative R&D programmes to generate algal based products, novel bioactives for commercial applications, as well as analytical standards.

Johan’s research background includes a wealth of international experience. After completing his PhD in 2003, Johan spent 10 years in Norway working on marine bioprospecting and searching for novel bioactive natural products in Arctic marine organisms and algae. In addition, he spent 15 years leading the development of bioactive peptides inspired by natural compounds. Previous roles include Associate Professor (docent) in Biomaterials Chemistry at the Linnaeus University (Sweden), and Research Manager of Chemistry and Materials at RISE Research Institute of Sweden.

In addition to a passion for marine life, he brings a chemical viewpoint and a commercial perspective to algal research at Cawthron. Johan is a prolific writer and has co-authored 65 research papers and more than 30 miscellaneous and popular science articles.

University of Oslo
Norway

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Eivind A. B. Undheim is a research group leader in the Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis at the University of Oslo, Norway, whose research focuses on the mechanisms and processes that underlie evolutionary innovation and the emergence of novel traits. He is particularly interested in the biology and evolution of venoms, which are fascinating and key adaptive traits for a wide range of organisms that provide outstanding opportunities for studying evolutionary innovation and novelty at levels that range from morphology to molecules. Undheim also has a keen interest in how understanding venom protein and peptide evolution can guide the development of novel analytical and molecular tools as well as the discovery of new therapeutic and agrochemical leads.

Russian Academy of Sciences
Russia

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Dr. Alexander Vassilevski is a Principal Investigator and senior scientist at the Shemyakin–Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences (IBCh RAS) in Moscow, where he leads research at the interface of venom peptide chemistry, ion channel pharmacology, and neurobiology.

His laboratory focuses on discovering and characterizing bioactive peptides from animal venoms, particularly spider venoms, and developing these molecules as tools for neuroscience research and as leads for therapeutic development. Key areas of interest include the modulation of ion channels and neuroreceptors, the creation of subtype-selective ligands for potassium and sodium channels, and the design of fluorescent probes to map channel distribution in neural tissues.

Dr. Vassilevski’s work spans structural and functional studies of venom peptides, with applications in pain research, neuropharmacology, and drug discovery. He has co-authored numerous publications on venom-derived peptides that selectively target receptors and channels of biomedical interest.

University of Queensland
Australia

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Prof Irina Vetter is Head of the Sensory Neuropharmacology Group and an NHMRC Investigator at The University of Queensland. She obtained her PhD in 2007 from the UQ School of Pharmacy and subsequently held NHMRC-funded postdoctoral fellowships at the Queensland Brain Institute and the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, where she developed expertise in ion channel pharmacology and venom peptide bioactivity.

Her research focuses on the discovery and mechanistic characterisation of bioactive molecules from animal venoms, with a particular emphasis on venom-derived modulators of ion channels involved in pain signalling. Prof Vetter leads multidisciplinary programs integrating toxinology, neuropharmacology and translational drug discovery to identify novel therapeutic leads from venom peptides. She is Lead Investigator on the NHMRC-funded Deadly Venoms program, which aims to harness the pharmacological diversity of venom peptides to develop new treatments for pain and other disorders.

Prof Vetter has extensive experience in toxinology, sensory neuroscience, and high-throughput functional screening, and her work has contributed to the identification of new molecular targets and lead compounds for analgesic development. She is the recipient of the International Association for the Study of Pain Patrick Wall Young Investigator Award (2018). Her current research centres on understanding peripheral pain mechanisms and leveraging venom-derived ion channel modulators as next-generation therapeutics.

Monash University
Australia

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Denise Wootten is a Professor in the Faculty of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences at Monash University, a Senior Research Fellow of the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia, and the Monash node leader for the ARC Centre for Cryo-EM of Membrane Proteins (CCeMMP). Prof. Wootten is an international expert in the study of G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs), particularly the class B1 GPCR subfamily. Her research is directed towards understanding drug action at GPCRs, in particular modes of GPCR activation, signalling and regulation, biased agonism, allosteric modulation and the interaction of receptors with regulatory accessory proteins, and the application of cryo-EM to GPCR structure elucidation. Her research incorporates structural biology (cryo-EM), molecular, cellular and analytical pharmacology, computational biology, and preclinical mouse models of metabolic disease. She has published >100 peer reviewed research publications, and is an associate member of the Faculty of 1000, serves on the editorial board of the British Journal of Pharmacology and is a scientific advisor for Septerna Inc.

University of China
China

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Prof. Rilei Yu's research focuses on the intelligent discovery and structural optimization of marine peptide drug leads (especially from Cone snail venom). He has led over five projects including the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) Excellent Youth Project, Key Projects of the Joint Fund, and the National Key R&D Program. He has published more than 110 SCI papers, with over 30 as first or corresponding author in the last five years in journals such as Molecular Cell, Nature Communications, Acta Pharmaceutica Sinica B, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Briefings in Bioinformatics, and the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry. His innovative work has resulted in 8 national invention patents, 2 PCT applications, 5 authorized patents, one software copyright. He has received numerous accolades including the Marine Science and Technology Innovation Award (2025, 2023), the Qingdao Youth Science and Technology Award (2022).