معرفی
Dr. Chantal Kopecky is a Lecturer at the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, affiliated with the School of Chemistry and working in the Kilian Lab within the field of Biomaterials and Tissue Engineering. She earned her PhD in Immunology from the Medical University of Vienna, Austria in 2015, specializing in cardiovascular and lipoprotein biology in chronic kidney disease, followed by an MSc in Nutrition Science from the University of Vienna in 2009.
Her research spans multiple disciplines at the intersection of biomaterials, cancer biology, and metabolic disease. Dr. Kopecky's work focuses on cancer mechanobiology, developing 3D tumor microenvironments, and investigating metabolic complications in diabetes and cardiovascular disease. She has extensively utilized advanced techniques like 3D lightsheet fluorescence microscopy to visualize pathologic processes and immune cell involvement in diseases such as atherosclerosis. Her current research in the Kilian Lab centers on biomaterials approaches to cancer therapy, particularly in pancreatic cancer where she previously worked in the Pancreatic Cancer Translational Research Group from 2018-2020.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on nanomedicine applications for cancer treatment, particularly using ceria-based nanoparticles for EGFR-targeted therapies. Her work bridges materials science with biological applications, creating innovative hydrogel platforms to model tumor microenvironments and test novel therapeutics. She has also maintained significant research in cardiovascular disease, particularly examining the renin-angiotensin system in diabetic kidney disease.
- UNSW Sydney School of Medical Sciences Paper of the Month award (2019)
- Travel grant of the Australian Atherosclerosis Society (2018)
- Abstract Prize of the Austrian Diabetes Society (2017)
- Young Investigator Fellowship of the European Society of Atherosclerosis (2016)
- Clinical Science award of the Austrian Society of Transplantation, Transfusion and Genetics (2015)
- Hans-Krister-Stummvoll prize of the Austrian Society of Nephrology (2014)
Dr. Kopecky has secured multiple research grants including as Primary Investigator for the 2020-2021 project on innovative nanomedicines for pancreatic cancer drug delivery, as Secondary Investigator for the 2019-2021 MyoRobot biomechatronics project, and as Applicant and Secondary Investigator for the 2016-2020 study on empagliflozin's effects on the renin-angiotensin system. Her laboratory work in the Kilian Lab focuses on evaluating nanomedicine therapeutics in vitro and in vivo to demonstrate metabolic reprogramming in pancreatic cancer, utilizing state-of-the-art 3D lightsheet fluorescence microscopy to characterize tumor morphology and immune cell profiles.
