Alexandra O'Donohue

Dr. Alexandra O'Donohue is a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Bioengineering & Molecular Medicine Laboratory, affiliated with The Children's Hospital at Westmead and the Westmead Institute for Medical Research. In 2024, she joined the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (Faculty of Engineering). Her work focuses on gene therapy for genetic disorders like Osteogenesis Imperfecta and Neurofibromatosis Type 1/2, leveraging CRISPR editing and tissue-specific viral vectors.

• Education: BMedSci (Hons) in Molecular Biology and Genetics (2018), PhD (2023) from the University of Sydney.

Her research spans genetic intervention, CRISPR-based therapies, and viral vector development, with applications in bone disease modulation and cancer prevention. Recent work explores dietary interventions, biofilm infection modeling, and machine learning for cardiac scar mapping.

Scientific awards include:

• Honourable Poster Presentation Winner, ISCGT ANZ Meeting (2023)
• Panos Ioannou Young Investigator Award (2022)
• Oral Presentation Winner, Westmead Research Hub EMCR Symposium (2022)

She chairs the Westmead Research Hub EMCR Committee and contributes to the Australasian Gene and Cell Therapy Society. Current research students include Christal Au-Yeung, Julian Chu, and Hsien Kao.