Dara specialises in LC-MS/MS applications for metabolomics analysis.
Dara’s research focuses on the use of mass spectrometry in understanding biochemical processes such as carbohydrate metabolism, nucleotide biosynthesis, and secondary metabolite production. Dara obtained her PhD in the Plant and Food Metabolomics Lab in the School of Agriculture and Food Sciences (now AGFS), UQ, focusing on profiling of volatile compounds in rice using two-dimensional gas chromatography (GCxGC-TOF-MS). Prior to moving to Australia, Dara worked as an Assistant Scientist and Researcher at the International Rice Research Institute, Philippines focusing on the genetic and environmental factors that affect rice yield and eating quality. At present, Dara collaborates with both academia and industry partners in a wide range of metabolomics applications such as medical, bioengineering, agriculture, and food research.
Key Publications
Daygon, V. D., Calingacion, M., Forster, L. C., Voss, J. J. D., Schwartz, B. D., Ovenden, B.,... Fitzgerald, M. A. (2017). Metabolomics and genomics combine to unravel the pathway for the presence of fragrance in rice. Scientific Reports, 7(1), 8767. doi:10.1038/s41598-017-07693-9
Nastasi, J. R., Daygon, V. D., Kontogiorgos, V., & Fitzgerald, M. A. (2023). Qualitative Analysis of Polyphenols in Glycerol Plant Extracts Using Untargeted Metabolomics. Metabolites, 13(4). doi:10.3390/metabo13040566
Wood, J. C., Gonzalez-Garcia, R. A., Daygon, D., Talbo, G., Plan, M. R., Marcellin, E., & Virdis, B. (2023). Characterisation of acetogen formatotrophic potential using Eubacterium limosum. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, 107(14), 4507-4518. doi:10.1007/s00253-023-12600-6