Dr Anna Gemmell's current research focuses on the development of bio-renewable plastics for applications in the design of medical personal protective equipment.
I am a Postdoctoral Research Fellow within the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology at The University of Queensland (UQ) where I am currently working on the development of bio-renewable polymers for advancing the chemical and material properties of medical protective equipment. I obtained my PhD in Biomedical Engineering from UQ in 2020 within the Centre for Advanced Imaging and Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology under the supervision of Professor Kristofer Thurecht. During my PhD, I designed and investigated the in vivo application of next-generation polymer nanomedicines for the treatment of cancer using an advanced molecular imaging approach in pre-clinical small animal models. My work was recognised in 2019 by the Royal Australian Chemical Institute Polymer Division through the award of the Treloar Prize for outstanding oral presentation.
Following my PhD, I worked as a Research Administration Officer for 12 months in the Research Office at UQ where I gained knowledge and experience in the application development and management of competitive research grant funding within the tertiary education sector before commencing my current research role.
Alongside my research, I have a passion for encouraging and enabling the next generation of STEM researchers from all walks of life which I have fostered through my engagement in undergraduate teaching opportunities and involvement and leadership of numerous student-led committees. As an early-career female academic, I have an active interest in advocating for positive change in the research environment for gender and cultural equity and diversity and for improving mental health and well-being.
Key Publications
*Fuchs, A. V., *Gemmell, A. C., & Thurecht, K. J. (2015). Utilising polymers to understand diseases: advanced molecular imaging agents. Polymer Chemistry, 6(6), 868-880. doi:10.1039/C4PY01311E
*joint first authors.
Zhao, Y., Fletcher, N. L., Liu, T., Gemmell, A. C., Houston, Z. H., Blakey, I., & Thurecht, K. J. (2018). In vivo therapeutic evaluation of polymeric nanomedicines: effect of different targeting peptides on therapeutic efficacy against breast cancer. Nanotheranostics, 2(4), 360-370. doi:10.7150/ntno.27142
Zhao, Y., Fletcher, N. L., Gemmell, A., Houston, Z. H., Howard, C. B., Blakey, I., Liu, T., Thurecht, K. J. (2020). Investigation of the Therapeutic Potential of a Synergistic Delivery System through Dual Controlled Release of Camptothecin–Doxorubicin. Advanced Therapeutics, 3(6), 1900202. doi:https://doi.org/10.1002/adtp.201900202