Professor Glenn King, the visionary founder of Vestaron, has been honored with the prestigious Prime Minister’s Prize for Innovation in Australia. The award recognizes the translation of science into commercial outcomes.

Back in 2005, King and a University of Connecticut R&D company were experimenting with isolating peptides from spider venom and set up the company that would later become Vestaron at the university’s Technology Incubation Program.

Dr. Bob Kennedy, Vestaron’s Chief Science Officer and long-time associate of King remarked: “In founding and incubating Vestaron, Glenn created a new field; perhaps a new industry with global impact.”

King has since taken the possibilities of using molecules from natural venoms into healthcare with the co-founding of Infensa Bioscience; the company has aims to treat stroke and heart attack victims with their first-in-class technology.

A huge congratulations to Professor King: your curiosity, knowledge and dedication led to an unprecedented approach to crop protection that is revolutionizing agriculture and food, and that same approach has enormous implications in other areas. This is extremely well-deserved recognition for important work.