Australian Venom Research Unit in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia | Medical research centre

Australian Venom Research Unit

Locality: Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

Phone: +61 3 8344 7753

Address: University of Melbourne 3010 Melbourne, VIC, Australia

Website: http://www.avru.org

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24.01.2022 After last week’s courageous exercise in fence-sitting regarding the venomousness of varanid lizards, this week we’re jumping back onboard the anatomy train to take the gland track to. more controversy and ambiguity. Snakes are the archetypal venomous reptiles, so you would be excused for thinking that it must be easy to agree upon which species are venomous and which aren’t, and what exactly qualifies as a snake venom gland. Again, thanks to the treasure trove of transitional forms that is the Toxicofera, things are not quite so simple.

22.01.2022 What's the best way to think about the evolution of venom in reptiles? We don't know, but we have some conjectures for you to criticise!

20.01.2022 Snakebite envenoming is a neglected tropical disease that disproportionately affects the poor and kills up to 138,000 people every year - though the real number could be even higher. Tackling this disease is extremely complicated. (*please ignore the glitch with the cover photo that won’t seem to resolve! It should be of a mamba, not scorpion telson ) https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au//snakebite-enve/

16.01.2022 You may have heard the terms haemotoxic, neurotoxic, and cytotoxic being used to describe snake venoms but what do these terms actually mean? This week, we take a closer look at the meaning behind this general terminology. https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au//toxin-pathologi

13.01.2022 The defensive venom apparatus of fish are characterised by a passive delivery system and venoms that cause intense pain to deter the predators unlucky enough to experience it. https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au//wide-world-of-v

11.01.2022 Toxins are functional ecomolecules. Tools are functional artefacts. Pharmacological biodiscovery is the process of turning toxins (and other active molecules found in nature) into tools.

07.01.2022 Congratulations to Ben Bande, on being named a country ambassador by the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine & Hygiene. Ben is a snakebite researcher who was instrumental to the success of our work in Papua New Guinea. He also spent some time in our labs in Melbourne where he investigated the South-East Asian snake venoms and antivenoms. Congratulations Ben!

07.01.2022 An egg-laying, lactating, nipple-less, toothless, stomach-less, venomous mammal? This week in the Wide World of Venom series, we introduce the enigmatic platypus. https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au//wide-world-of-v

05.01.2022 We begin our exploration of the diversity of venomous creatures with the scorpions https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au//wide-world-of-v

05.01.2022 This week we're looking at best practices for snakebite first aid. We also take a look at some of the weird and less than wonderful first aid techniques that clinically speaking are best left to history. #snakebite #firstaid https://biomedicalsciences.unimelb.edu.au//first-aid-throu

05.01.2022 Today is International Snakebite Awareness Day. Up to 140,000 people die from snakebite every year and 3x more are left with permanent disabilities. Around the world scientists, clinicians, educators and advocates work tirelessly to decrease the impact of snakebite. So today we're joining with our partners at Health Action International and International Snakebite Awareness Day -September 19 to celebrate the women working to save lives and reduce suffering from snakebite. St...arting with our very own Bianca op den Brouw. More stories and snakebite champions can be found at: http://snakebiteawareness.org/

04.01.2022 As Melbourne's human contingent prepares to emerge from a long winter's lockdown, its scaly residents are also beginning to stir....

04.01.2022 Perhaps the most vivid illustration of venomous and poisonous animals coevolving with their predators and prey (i.e. target organisms) is the existence of toxin resistance. This is a big subject, so this week we'll be introducing it in general terms before highlighting specific examples in future posts. Get ready for the Toxin Resistance Tango!