Overview
Background
Dr Hana Starobova is a pharmacist and NHMRC research fellow at the Sensory Neuropharmacology Group at the University of Queensland (UQ). She works under the mentorship of Prof. Vetter, and as an early career researcher, she is working toward an independent research career as a group leader. She obtained her PhD in 2020 from the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, UQ, and continued here to conduct studies as a Children Hospital Foundation Fellow (2021-2023) in the areas of cancer therapy-induced adverse and late effects with the main focus on neuropathies. Over the past four years, she has developed a research program focusing on the understanding of cancer therapy-induced adverse and late effects with a special interest in children, and established innovative transcriptomic and microscopy pipelines, in vitro assays, adult and juvenile models of adverse and late effects following mono- and combination chemotherapy and radiotherapy, assays for the assessment of adverse effects including cognition and neuropathies, as well as cancer models. Knowledge impact arising from her research program has been disseminated in 18 peer-reviewed publications, having together attracted >1,100 citations (h-index 15, i10-index 18, Google Scholar, May 2024).
Availability
- Dr Hana Starobova is:
- Available for supervision
Fields of research
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland
Research interests
-
Development of mechanism based treatments of cancer therapy-induced adverse effects
-
Adhesion Molecules and Immunology
-
Adult and Juvenile In vivo preclinical models
-
Impact of age on cancer therapy-induced adverse effects
Research impacts
Dr Starobova`s work on the adverse effects of cancer therapy has led to several industry collaborations and industry-sponsored research programs, including a collaboration with Swedish Pharma Company Cantargia. Additionally, Dr Starobova is a consulting member of the Cancer Prevention Initiative Scientific Council, Washington DC. Dr Starobova`s research also attracted philanthropic funding from private donors, evidencing the relevance and importance of her research to patients.
Dr Starobova has won more than 15 awards and honours during her research career, including the following prestigious national and international awards: Women in Technology, Young Achiever Award winner (2019) for contribution to science, Best Abstract award in the allied health category, ANZCHOG (2023), International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) Award - the 17th World Congress on Pain, Boston, USA (2018), State Pharmacists’ Association Medal for the highest-ranked master’s student of pharmacy at all universities in Germany (2015). Dr Starobova is also an alumna (2019) and a member of the Homeward Bound project community.
Funding
Current funding
Past funding
Supervision
Availability
- Dr Hana Starobova is:
- Available for supervision
Looking for a supervisor? Read our advice on how to choose a supervisor.
Available projects
-
Modulating Potassium Channels for Immune Cell Activation
Project available from January 2024
Macrophages are innate immune cells that are crucial for initiating immune response. Macrophage activation is implicated in driving many painful pathological stages, including neuropathy and inflammatory pain. Potassium channels, such as Kv1.3, regulate cell potassium homeostasis, and any dysregulation in intracellular potassium can lead to macrophage activation and resultant cytokine and chemokine release, driving pathogenesis of pain. This project will investigate the effects of specific potassium channel-targeting toxins on macrophage activation using electrophysiology techniques, live cell fluorescent microscopy, and in vivo rodent behavioural studies.
Supervisors: Prof Irina Vetter, Dr Hana Starobova
Animal handling and behavioural assessments in rodents are vital for this project.
-
A systematic review of predictors and outcome measures in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy
Masters Project:
Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) is a debilitating side effect without effective treatment options. Up to 90% of paediatric and adult patients treated with chemotherapy develop severe CIPN. This condition not only increases morbidity but also significantly diminishes long term the quality of life for the affected patients. CIPN is very difficult to diagnose in patients, impacting the future understanding of this condition and the development of effective treatment strategies. A vast range of studies addressing CIPN predictors/markers and outcome measures have been published, however, many of these studies contradict each other or are based on poor methodologies. Therefore, in this project, we will aim to perform a systematic review of clinical studies to bring a better understanding of the predictors/markers and outcome measures of CIPN.
Systematic Review, no laboratory work involved.
Supervisors: Dr Hana Starobova, Prof Irina Vetter
Supervision history
Current supervision
-
Doctor Philosophy
Chemotherapy-induced motor neuropathy: towards improved understanding of motor neuron dysfunction during chemotherapy
Principal Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
-
Doctor Philosophy
Delineating the role of E-selectin in vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ingrid Winkler, Professor Irina Vetter
-
Doctor Philosophy
Neuro-immune mechanisms of peripheral neuropathy:a novel target offering new prevention and treatment strategies
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
-
Doctor Philosophy
Reducing the long-term side effects of chemotherapy in cancer survivors
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Dr Ingrid Winkler, Professor Irina Vetter
-
Doctor Philosophy
Developing Models of Cancer Therapy-Induced Late Effects
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Professor Irina Vetter
Completed supervision
-
2024
Doctor Philosophy
Immune cell regulation by the microenvironment
Associate Advisor
Other advisors: Honorary Professor Kristen Radford, Dr Ingrid Winkler
Media
Enquiries
For media enquiries about Dr Hana Starobova's areas of expertise, story ideas and help finding experts, contact our Media team: