Toxic Proteins for Drug Discovery

Plants, mushrooms, snails... sessile or slow-moving organisms create potent toxins for defense and, in the case of cone snails, to subdue prey. Noah Whiteman explores the ways in which we humans use natural toxins for drug development, and this latest article includes a couple of my illustrations. Enjoy! (click the image below to read the article)

As an avid mushroom hunter, I am acutely aware of the deadly toxin, alpha-amanitin, which is found in death cap mushrooms. A forager learns to identify the deadly mushrooms first! Noah’s article describes how this toxin is being studied for cancer treatments. Mind blown.

My illustration of the cone snail capturing fish was inspired by my time as an undergrad in Mo’orea, French Polynesia. We were wary of walking through the sand just in case we stumbled upon a toxic (and intoxicatingly beautiful) cone snail. ​