Rita Soares Serrano

Rita Soares Serrano is a Research Fellow at the School of Biological Sciences, Monash University. Her work focuses on genetic disorders, neurobiology, and CRISPR/Cas9 technologies. She has developed preclinical models for conditions like CDKL5 deficiency disorder and UBA5 deficiency, contributing to understanding mitochondrial abnormalities and muscle dysfunction. Recent research includes a CRISPR insertional mutagenesis toolkit (CRIMP) published in Nature Communications.

Research Interests: Neurodegenerative diseases, genetic model systems, CRISPR applications, muscle biology, and mitochondrial dysfunction. Her work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals related to health and innovation.

Publications & Impact: 4 peer-reviewed articles (2021–2024) with 37 citations. Her 2021 study on metformin’s role in myopathy models gained significant attention (25 citations). Active in conferences like the Australasian Neuromuscular Network Annual Meeting, where she organized events and presented impactful poster work.

Awards: Received the Best Poster Presentation award at the 2018 Annual Victorian Muscle Network Meeting.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates with groups led by Bryson-Richardson and Ramm, focusing on zebrafish models for neuromuscular disorders. Active in interdisciplinary networks spanning Australia, Europe, and North America.