Researcher biography
Qualifications:
Bachelor of Science (Honours) Major in Zoology
Project title:
Clinical and evolutionary implications of Latin American pit viper venom function
Project description:
The pit vipers (Family: Viperidae; Subfamily: Crotalinae) are widespread across Asia and Latin America. Those in the Americas include a diversity of species, ranging from the well-studied, commonly observed representatives of the Bothrops genus to the less studied Bothrocophias genus. Studying venoms from a broad range of species is important as venoms can help uncover evolutionary relations between species, uncover molecules that could be used to develop medical drugs (venom is a goldmine for drug discovery), and/or highlight medical implications that would arise if an individual was bitten. Thus, in my PhD I aim to look at a large diversity of Latin-American pit viper species and their venom effects on both coagulation and cell-based assays.
Advisors/supervisors:
- AsPr Bryan Fry
- Dr Fernanda Caldas Cardoso
- Dr Christina Zdenek
- Dr Andrew Walker