Our research

The voltage-gated potassium channel Kv1.3 is highly expressed by terminally-differentiated effector memory T cells, which play a major role in the pathogenesis of a range of autoimmune diseases, including multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis and lupus. Extensive in vitro and in vivo studies have validated Kv1.3 as a target for immunotherapy and shown that the peptide ShK, originally isolated from a sea anemone, is not only a potent blocker of this channel but also an effective immunomodulator. Recently, it has become clear that Kv1.3 is also upregulated on microglia in the brain in neuroinflammatory diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

We have designed a number of highly selective and potent inhibitors of Kv1.3 based on peptides from sea anemones and scorpions, and have demonstrated their efficacy in animal models of autoimmune diseases. We are also creating truncated peptidomimetic inhibitors. We are currently investigating their efficacy in models of neuroinflammatory diseases, the effects of lipidation on their biodistribution, and their ability to enter the CNS in neuroinflammatory diseases.

Key collaborators: Joe Nicolazzo (MIPS), Natalie Trevaskis (MIPS), David Chalmers (MIPS), Mike De Veer (Monash Biomedical Imaging), Gyuri Panyi (University of Debrecen, Hungary), Irina Vetter (University of Queensland).