2020 Queensland Women in STEM - Christina Zdenek

Video produced by Matthew Taylor. Filming by Richard Harris, Matthew Taylor, and Abhinandan Chowdhury.
Summary of my neurotoxicity research:
Neurological diseases can substantially reduce quality of life and be fatal. Due to numerous neurological functions throughout the body, interruptions to neurological signalling can lead to a wide range of medical issues like dementia, smoking addiction, and migraines. My research enables rapid and robust testing of neurotoxicity, neuronal receptor function, and drug efficacy, without sacrificing lab animals. Instead of animal tissue, my research uses microscopic synthetic compounds that mimic the binding sites of human neurons. These compounds are strongly attached to mini biosensors so that biomolecular interactions between neurotoxins and their targets can be rapidly and precisely measured. My study uses this powerful new tool to test numerous neurotoxic snake venoms in the search for targeted, side-effect-free drug compounds used to treat neurological diseases in Queensland and worldwide. My research aims to expedite biomedical research and drug design, putting Queensland at the forefront of this medically important field of research.