Dr Anna Guller | UNSW Research

Fields of Research (FoR)

Biomedical engineering, Pathology (excl. oral pathology), Human biophysics

Biography

Anna is a multidisciplinary, clinically-oriented, scientist. Her research is on the border between experimental pathology and biomedical engineering. Anna’s studies are focused at modelling of the diseases in vitro and in vivo, and morphological validation of new treatment and diagnostic approaches, with a special attention to clinically relevant biomedical engineering solutions. Anna has published more than 45 papers in peer-review journals, including top journals like Nature Communications, Nanoscale, Nanoresearch, ACS Biomaterials Science & Engineering, etc. Her research contributed to several new clinical applications (in thousands of patients in total), including laser treatment of chronic degenerative cartilage diseases, improved diagnostics of human post-burn skin scars and optimization of severe burns management, surgical correction of scarring alopecia, and a tissue engineering reconstruction of urethra in a patient. Anna’s most recent work is concentrated at experimental tissue engineering such as creation of 3D engineered organ-specific microenvironments and tumor models applicable both in vitro and in vivo – for basic cancer and cell biology research, testing of drugs, contrast agents and nanoparticles and for development of new smart biomaterials for medicine. The most recent Anna's project is focused on the analysis of the biological effects and biomedical applications of pulsed magnetic fields.

My Grants

I received funding (grants) for AUD 2,777,000 in total since 2005 from the following funds: ISTC, RFBR, RSF, INTAS, CRDF, FABLS, the Government of Russian Federation and the Government of Moscow, and the most recent Australian grants, including 2 successful Macquarie University RIBG grants in a row for ~AUD200,000 in total (for bioreactor-based tissue engineering), which I wrote and run, two Sydney Vital Research seeding grants (AUD 25,000; for the harnessing of macrophages to control colorectal cancer progression and AUD 50,000; for tha analysis effects of very strong pulsed magnetic fields on brain tissue reconstructed in vitro) and ECR collaborative grant from the Department of biomedical sciences, Macquarie University (AUD 10,000; for combined in vitro and in silico (CFD) modelling of the peri-implant fibrosis for better outcomes of breast reconstruction). I am also a PI for another recent successful grant application, funded by Tour de Cure foundation, and secured AUD 80,000 for the examination of a new treatment scheme for glioblastoma multiforme with the use of in vitro 3D brain tumor models. Recently I was awarded the Macquarie University Research Fellowship for the project focused on the effects of pulsed magnetic fields on brain tissue and neuroinflammation.

My Qualifications

BSc, MSc (Human and Animal Physiology and Biophysics), Postgrad. Cert. (Experimental Pathology; PhD level), PhD (Physics)

My Awards

iMQREs scholarship (2014)

MQRF fellowship (2020)

My Research Activities

My main fields of research activity are the following:

1. Tissue engineering, tumor tissue engineering and regenerative medicine – development and evaluation of the methods of reconstruction of damaged or lost human tissues and organs (skin, cartilage, urethra, bone; wound healing, burns and scarring; osteochondrosis and articular joints diseases) and modelling of 3D in vitro tissue equivalents (skin; and cancer);

2. In vitro and in vivo models of diseases for biomedical research/engineering purposes (inflammation, degeneration and malignant tumors; tissue reaction on implantation);

3. Functional biomaterials and nanotechnologies for medicine: main – naturally-derived biomaterials and hybrid biosynthetic composites; organ-specific biomaterials, immunomodulatory biomaterials, nanomaterials (upconverting nanoparticles, mesoporous silica nanoparticles; ZnO; PLGA, liposomes); implantable drug delivery systems; bioinks;

4. Morphological diagnostics/ verification, including new noninvasive methods and modelling.

5. Effects of physical factors on tissues (light, electromagnetic fields, ionising radiation, etc.).

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