Dr Hana Starobova

Higher degree by research (PhD) student & Research Fellow

Institute for Molecular Bioscience

334 62366

h.starobova@imb.uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Hana Starobova is an early career research fellow at the Sensory Neuropharmacology Group at the University of Queensland (UQ). Her research focuses on the understanding of cancer therapy-induced side effects and the development of mechanism-based prevention strategies.

Hana's long-term goal is to become a leading scientist conducting transformative science with translational potential and to create a research program bringing together researchers, industry, clinicians, and physiotherapists, who will work together towards innovative mechanism-based treatment strategies to improve the outcomes and the long-term impacts for cancer patients. This multidisciplinary collaborative research program will focus on preventing or treating cancer therapy induced-side effects in cancer patients with the long-term view to improve treatment outcomes and quality-of-life.

Hana was the first to discover that the Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3) activation and release of interleukin one beta drives the development of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy and the inhibition of those pathways effectively prevents the development of this debilitating side effect (JEM, 2021). Hana is an internationally recognised expert, and she has extensive experience in pharmacology, innate immunology, transcriptomics, peripheral pain mechanisms, rodent behavioural studies, target identification, development of new in vivo models and in vitro techniques and high throughput imaging. Moreover, her expertise includes the isolation and state of the art imaging of neuronal tissues. The quality of her research is evidenced by her track record, that is extraordinary for an early career researcher (PhD award July 2020), with a total of 18 publications (all Q1 journals) in the last 5 years which have attracted more than 1000 citations.

Hana has also been trained within the Homeward Bound Projects program (HB4, 2019-2020) to gain exceptional skills in leadership, supervision of younger generations, and the management of projects influencing policy and decision-making.

Publications

Journal Articles (18)

Conference Papers (2)

Thesis (1)

Journal Articles

Starobova, Hana, Alshammari, Ammar, Winkler, Ingrid G. and Vetter, Irina (2022). The role of the neuronal microenvironment in sensory function and pain pathophysiology. Journal of Neurochemistry. doi: 10.1111/jnc.15724

Tay, Nicolette, Laakso, E-Liisa, Schweitzer, Daniel, Endersby, Raelene, Vetter, Irina and Starobova, Hana (2022). Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in children and adolescent cancer patients. Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences, 9 1015746, 1015746. doi: 10.3389/fmolb.2022.1015746

Eagles, David A., Saez, Natalie J., Krishnarjuna, Bankala, Bradford, Julia J., Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Starobova, Hana, Mueller, Alexander, Reichelt, Melissa E., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Norton, Raymond S., Thomas, Walter G., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Robinson, Samuel D. (2022). A peptide toxin in ant venom mimics vertebrate EGF-like hormones to cause long-lasting hypersensitivity in mammals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (7) e2112630119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2112630119

Finol-Urdaneta, Rocio K., Ziegman, Rebekah, Dekan, Zoltan, McArthur, Jeffrey R., Heitmann, Stewart, Luna-Ramirez, Karen, Tae, Han-Shen, Mueller, Alexander, Starobova, Hana, Chin, Yanni K.-Y., Wingerd, Joshua S., Undheim, Eivind A. B., Cristofori-Armstrong, Ben, Hill, Adam P., Herzig, Volker, King, Glenn F., Vetter, Irina, Rash, Lachlan D., Adams, David J. and Alewood, Paul F. (2022). Multitarget nociceptor sensitization by a promiscuous peptide from the venom of the King Baboon spider. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 119 (5) e2110932119. doi: 10.1073/pnas.2110932119

Starobova, Hana, Monteleone, Mercedes, Adolphe, Christelle, Batoon, Lena, Sandrock, Cheyenne J., Tay, Bryan, Deuis, Jennifer R., Smith, Alexandra V., Mueller, Alexander, Nadar, Evelyn Israel, Lawrence, Grace Pamo, Mayor, Amanda, Tolson, Elissa, Levesque, Jean-Pierre, Pettit, Allison R., Wainwright, Brandon J., Schroder, Kate and Vetter, Irina (2021). Vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy is driven by canonical NLRP3 activation and IL-1β release. Journal of Experimental Medicine, 218 (5) e20201452. doi: 10.1084/jem.20201452

Hasan, Md. Mahadhi, Starobova, Hana, Mueller, Alexander, Vetter, Irina and Lewis, Richard J. (2021). Subcutaneous ω-conotoxins alleviate mechanical pain in rodent models of acute peripheral neuropathy. Marine Drugs, 19 (2) 106, 1-15. doi: 10.3390/md19020106

Peigneur, Steve, da Costa Oliveira, Cristina, de Sousa Fonseca, Flávia Cristina, McMahon, Kirsten L., Mueller, Alexander, Cheneval, Olivier, Cristina Nogueira Freitas, Ana, Starobova, Hana, Dimitri Gama Duarte, Igor, Craik, David J., Vetter, Irina, de Lima, Maria Elena, Schroeder, Christina I. and Tytgat, Jan (2021). Small cyclic sodium channel inhibitors. Biochemical Pharmacology, 183 114291, 114291. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2020.114291

Starobova, Hana, Nadar, Evelyn Israel and Vetter, Irina (2020). The NLRP3 inflammasome: role and therapeutic potential in pain treatment. Frontiers in Physiology, 11 1016, 1016. doi: 10.3389/fphys.2020.01016

Mueller, Alexander, Dekan, Zoltan, Kaas, Quentin, Agwa, Akello J., Starobova, Hana, Alewood, Paul F., Schroeder, Christina I., Mobli, Mehdi, Deuis, Jennifer R. and Vetter, Irina (2020). Mapping the molecular surface of the analgesic NaV1.7-selective peptide Pn3a reveals residues essential for membrane and channel interactions. ACS Pharmacology and Translational Science. doi: 10.1021/acsptsci.0c00002

Mueller, Alexander, Starobova, Hana, Morgan, Michael, Dekan, Zoltan, Cheneval, Olivier, Schroeder, Christina I., Alewood, Paul F., Deuis, Jennifer R. and Vetter, Irina (2019). Antiallodynic effects of the selective NaV1.7 inhibitor Pn3a in a mouse model of acute postsurgical pain: evidence for analgesic synergy with opioids and baclofen. Pain, 160 (8), 1766-1780. doi: 10.1097/j.pain.0000000000001567

Starobova, H., Mueller, A., Allavena, R., Lohman, R. J., Sweet, M. J. and Vetter, I. (2019). Minocycline prevents the development of mechanical allodynia in mouse models of vincristine-induced peripheral neuropathy. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 13 (JUN) 653, 653. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2019.00653

Starobova, Hana, Mueller, Alexander, Deuis, Jennifer R., Carter, David A. and Vetter, Irina (2019). Inflammatory and neuropathic gene expression signatures of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy induced by vincristine, cisplatin and oxaliplatin in C57BL/6J mice. The Journal of Pain, 21 (1-2), 182-194. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2019.06.008

Starobova, H., S. W. A., Himaya, Lewis, R. J. and Vetter, I. (2018). Transcriptomics in pain research: insights from new and old technologies. Molecular Omics, 14 (6), 389-404. doi: 10.1039/c8mo00181b

Robinson, Samuel D., Mueller, Alexander, Clayton, Daniel, Starobova, Hana, Hamilton, Brett R., Payne, Richard J., Vetter, Irina, King, Glenn F. and Undheim, Eivind A. B. (2018). A comprehensive portrait of the venom of the giant red bull ant, Myrmecia gulosa, reveals a hyperdiverse hymenopteran toxin gene family. Science Advances, 4 (9) eaau4640, eaau4640. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.aau4640

Starobova, Hana and Vetter, Irina (2017). Pathophysiology of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 10 174. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2017.00174

Vetter, Irina, Deuis, Jennifer, Mueller, Alexander, Israel, Mathilde R., Hana Starobova, Zhang, Alan, Rash, Lachlan D. and Mobli, Mehdi (2016). NaV1.7 as a pain target – from gene to pharmacology. Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 172, 73-100. doi: 10.1016/j.pharmthera.2016.11.015

Mueller, Alexander, Starobova, Hana, Inserra, Marco C., Jin, Ai-Hua, Deuis, Jennifer R., Dutertre, Sebastien, Lewis, Richard J., Alewood, Paul F., Daly, Norelle L. and Vetter, Irina (2015). α-conotoxin MrIC is a biased agonist at α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. Biochemical Pharmacology, 94 (2), 155-163. doi: 10.1016/j.bcp.2015.01.011

Conference Papers

Hasan, Mahadhi, Abraham, Nikita, Cardoso, Fernanda C., Ragnarsson, Lotten, Starobova, Hana, Mueller, Alexander, Vetter, Irina and Lewis, Richard J. (2021). Subcutaneous analgesic actions and mode of action of binding of ω-conotoxins at Cav2.2. Venom to Drugs, Daydream Island, QLD Australia, 15 - 19 March 2021.

Hasan, Mahadhi, Mueller, Alexander, Starobova, Hana, Vetter, Irina, Cardoso, Fernanda C. and Lewis, Richard J. (2019). New insights in ω-conotoxin analgesic efficacy in postsurgical pain and oxaliplatin/cisplatin induced peripheral neuropathy. Brisbane Pain Research Symposium: Multidisciplinary Perspectives & Therapeutics 2019, Brisbane, QLD Australia, 29 November 2019.

Thesis

Starobova, Hana (2020). Novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of vincristine induced peripheral neuropathy. PhD Thesis, Institute for Molecular Bioscience, The University of Queensland. doi: 10.14264/uql.2020.972