Fernanda Cardoso

Dr Fernanda Cardoso is a Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience, University of Queensland. She holds dual Brazilian-Australian citizenship and specializes in venom peptide-based biodiscovery and therapeutics development for neurological disorders such as chronic pain, motor neuron disease (MND), and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Her interdisciplinary expertise spans neuropharmacology, medicinal chemistry, and drug discovery.

Education:

• Bachelor's, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG)
• MSc in Molecular Pharmacology, UFMG
• PhD in Biochemistry and Immunology, UFMG

Research Interests:

• Mechanisms and therapies for chronic pain/visceral pain/IBS
• Neurodegeneration pathophysiology and drug development
• Venom pharmacology of spiders, cone snails, and snakes
• Structure-function relationships of venom peptides
• Voltage-gated ion channel modulation

Grants & Projects:

• Current: Peptide Inhibitors Targeting Sodium Channels (2023-2026)
• Past: Multifunctional analgesic inhibitors (2020-2023), IBS pain therapies (2018-2019)

Supervision: Recently advised 14 students on projects including ALS therapies, venom peptide characterization, and ion channel modulation. Current openings focus on venom bioactives and neurological disorder treatments.

Achievements: Pioneered venom-based ion channel modulator discovery, identified neuroprotective venom peptides, and developed a schistosomiasis vaccine candidate. Her work bridges basic research with clinical applications for global health challenges.