Dr Hana Starobova

Higher degree by research (PhD) student & Research Officer

Institute for Molecular Bioscience

334 62366

h.starobova@imb.uq.edu.au

Researcher biography

Hana Starobova is postdoctoral researcher at the Sensory Neuropharmacology Group at the University of Queensland. Hana's work focusses on the development of mechanism-based treatments and prevention strategies for chemotherapy induced side effects with the main focus on peripheral neuropathy and gastrointestinal side effects. 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 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 calcium 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 with a total of 13 publications (all Q1 journals) in the last 5 years which have attracted vast attention of media. Hana has received 10 awards, including the 2019 Women in Technology, Young Achiever Award and the University of Queensland Career Development Award. Recently, Hana has participated in Antarctic expedition with the Homeward Bound Project.

Publications

Journal Articles (11)

Conference Papers (2)

Journal Articles

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

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, 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.