- April 19, 2023
- Posted by: KBCF
- Category: Events
This lecture will have a complimentary reception at SALT Waterfront Restaurant on the Rosenstiel Campus, beginning at 6:30 PM. The lecture will begin promptly at 7:00 PM in the Rosenstiel auditorium. This lecture is also being offered virtually via Zoom.
Associate Professor in Chemistry at Hunter College and CUNY-Graduate Center, with scientific appointments at The American Museum of Natural History and Weill Cornell Medicine
Mollusks to Medicine aka Venom to Drugs
Venoms—molecules that evolved as toxins—have the power to transform lives. Marine chemical biologist Dr. Mandë Holford studies snail venom and its ability to disable prey by interfering with cell signaling. These peptides can provide insights into cellular physiology, informing efforts to develop new medical therapeutics, new agricultural pesticides with gentler environmental impacts, and myriad other innovations yet to be discovered. This talk will demonstrate the scientific path from mollusks to medicine examining how venom evolved over time in the terebrid snails (Terebridae), and how we can use this evolutionary knowledge as a roadmap for discovering and characterizing new compounds with therapeutic potential for treating pain and cancer.