51³Ô¹Ïapp

I am a NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow and Postdoctoral Research Scientist at the Virology Research Laboratory, SEALS Microbiology, Prince of Wales Hospital and School of Women’s and Children’s Health, University of New South Wales. I completed my Bachelor of Science degree at UNSW with a double major in Molecular Biology/Medical Microbiology and Immunology. I received 1^st class honours for my research and was the recipient of the inaugural Stillbirth Foundation Australia PhD Scholarship and Australian Postgraduate Award. My PhD project investigated human cytomegalovirus (CMV) immunomodulation within the placenta during pregnancy and the implications for adverse pregnancy outcomes, in addition to the development of novel antiviral siRNA molecules as a potential therapeutic. During my PhD I accumulated extensive national and international experience and expertise in the fields of virology, immunology, placentology, molecular biology and diagnostics at various leading institutions including the Institute for Clinical and Molecular Biology, University of Nuremberg-Erlangen, Germany.

Research Interests
My research interests include determining the mechanisms by which CMV placental infection can lead to adverse pregnancy outcomes and investigating antiviral compounds for use during pregnancy. 
– Examining the adverse effects CMV infection has on placental development/function and pregnancy outcomes
– Understanding transmission modes of intrauterine CMV infection
– Developing novel ex vivo placental explant histoculture systems for pathogenesis and therapeutic studies
– Investigating CMV antiviral safety and efficacy profiles in human placental models
– Discovering novel biomarkers for adverse pregnancy outcomes