Spider research video

Close-up of large tarantula spider in container.

Marian Ives reports:

"Big, hairy and poisonous, spiders like this one are enough to make most people's skin crawl.

"But for Doctor Volker Herzig, they're a fascination. The researcher at Monash University first started collecting arachnids when he was a child. Now he's studying them in the hope that it will one day lead to a cure for disease."

Dr Volker Herzig in his lab.

Dr Volker Herzig: "Well, I found it fascinating, you know, seeing the spiders kill grasshoppers and other insects and how they do it with their webs or like Wolf Spiders when they're hunting and jumping spiders. I think they're fascinating creatures."

Marian Ives: "Doctor Herzig mostly examines tarantulas, first anaesthetising them with carbon-dioxide before inserting their fangs into a tube. A 12-volt shot of electricity then causes the muscles to contract, allowing venom to be squeezed out of the spider's glands.

"Researchers believe that a toxin found in the venom could one day lead to a treatment of certain diseases."

Dr Volker Herzig: "Experiments are done in crickets. We've been injecting the venom into crickets and checking different doses and we'll see the effects and compare it with other spider venoms."

Marian Ives: "The scientist said that he's never lost a spider during the process."

Close up of spider in container.

Marian Ives: "In fact, this one is on its last legs after having lived for several months. But, don't worry. Doctor Herzig won't run out of spiders to study any time soon. He's just bred another 900 to add to his collection."

Video ends.