Thais Sobanski

Dr Thais Sobanski is an early-career researcher investigating the links between cellular metabolism, DNA repair, epigenetic modifications, and neurodegeneration. She completed her Master’s degree in cancer research at the Molecular Oncology Research Center, Barretos Cancer Hospital, the highest ranked cancer institute in Latin America (SCImago)—where she examined DNA hypermethylation profiles of tumour suppressor genes in colorectal cancer.In 2024, she was awarded her PhD from Queensland University of Technology (QUT), where her research focused on the nuclear translocation of metabolic proteins and their interactions with DNA repair kinases. Dr Sobanski transitioned her research focus to motor neuron diseases (MND) in 2024, motivated by her interest in how metabolism and emerging epigenetic modifications, such as protein lactylation, influence genomic stability in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). She was awarded the MND Research Australia David Deguara Early Career Research Fellowship to investigate the interplay between DNA repair, cell metabolism, and novel epigenetic pathways in ALS. As a recent PhD graduate, she has authored seven peer-reviewed publications, accumulated more than 170 citations, and achieved an h-index of 5 with a field-weighted citation impact (FWCI) of 1.75, securing over $400K in competitive funding.Currently Dr Sobanski collaborates closely with Associate Professor Shyuan Ngo at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN), where her work contributes to advancing understanding of the molecular and metabolic mechanisms driving motor neuron disease.