Sushma Anand

Dr. Sushma Anand

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Senior Research Fellow, Centre for Eye Research Australia

Biography

I am a senior research fellow at the Centre for Eye Research Australia (CERA), working with Dr. Thomas Edwards in the Retinal Gene Therapy Unit. My research spans extracellular vesicles/exosomes, retinal neurodegenerative diseases, mitochondrial dysfunction, and translational gene therapy approaches. My doctoral work was focused on the biology of cancer exosomes. I developed expertise in exosomes biology, which I now apply to retinal gene therapy and neurodegenerative eye diseases. Following my PhD, I undertook postdoctoral research at Monash University, where I gained experience in structural immunology and protein biology. Since joining CERA in 2020, I have been developing an independent research program applying my exosome expertise to retinal gene therapy, focusing on non-viral delivery strategies for therapeutic molecules. My goal is to generate high-quality preclinical evidence to address critical knowledge gaps in retinal therapeutics, ultimately contributing to novel interventions for blinding diseases. I have authored 19 peer-reviewed journal articles, including 8 as first author and one as senior author, with ~2,938 citations. I have also secured competitive funding as Chief Investigator, including philanthropic and institutional grants. I actively contribute to mentorship and leadership. I have supervised honours students, PhD students, and research assistants, including students with disabilities, fostering inclusive training environments.

Affiliations

No affiliation has been shared yet.

Honors and Awards

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La Trobe University Postgraduate Research Scholarship.

La Trobe University

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La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science International Travel Fellowship

La Trobe University

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La Trobe University Bruce Stone Award for Travel.

La Trobe University

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La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science Write-up Award.

La Trobe University

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Received sponsorship to attend BioMelbourne Network’s Connecting Women Lunch, Monash University, Aus

Monash University

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Received Young Investigator Program (YSP) travel award

FAOBMB and MSBMB

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Best poster presentation award by the UoM MDHS ECAN (AUD 500)

University of Melbourne

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Received The CASS Foundation travel award-(AUD 4500).

The CASS Foundation

Experience

No experience has been shared yet.