Anna Guller

Background

About Anna Guller

I am a transdisciplinary, clinically oriented researcher, HDR supervisor and mentor. Currently, I am a Senior Scientist at the Children's Cancer Institute, Australia and a Conjoint Senior Lecturer at UNSW Medicine. I am also a Visiting Research Fellow at GSBME (UNSW) and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at Macquarie University (CNS Lab). I have been trained in human and animal physiology and biophysics (BSc & MSc, space/electro physiology), experimental and clinical pathology (PhD-level training + 20 years of experience) and physics/nanotechnology (PhD+8 years of experience). As a result, I am fluent in Biology and Medicine (Native) and Physics (Advanced), effectively bridging the gaps between different fields. I authored >60 peer-reviewed papers which attracted citations: & hl=en In the clinical space, my work has contributed to several new applications that helped thousands of patients, including - laser treatment of chronic degenerative cartilage diseases- improved diagnostics of human post-burn skin scars and optimisation of severe burns management- surgical correction of scarring alopecia and - tissue engineering reconstruction of the urethra - from animal study up to the first application in patients. My research has contributed to the understanding of fibrosis, cancer, and the extracellular matrix, and to the development of biomedical nanotechnologies and experimental tissue engineering. In particular, I revealed the role of surface modification of upconversion nanoparticles (a promising nanotheranostic agent) in balancing the particles' functionality and safety. I developed an original platform for macroscopic tissue reconstruction in vitro (the organ-specific 3D engineered tissue models based on solid decellularised matrices). These models serve as biologically accurate testbeds for basic and applied cancer and cell biology research, helping to reduce the use of lab animals and the cost of research. I also identified several new effects of pulsed and static magnetic fields on glial cells and innate immune cells for future applications in brain treatment. My areas of interest include morphogenesis and cancer, fibrosis, inflammation, interactions between physical factors and living matter, advanced microscopy, and computational methods in biology, including multi-omics. I am open to collaboration. I believe that the best research is done in a collaborative environment, and I am eager to work with like-minded professionals to further our understanding in these areas.