You’ve seen the headlines before.
Antimicrobial resistance is on the rise.
Almost 140,000 Australians were diagnosed with new cases of cancer in 2018 alone.
These issues are undoubtedly some of the biggest of our time and researchers right here at La Trobe are contributing to the fight, improving treatment options for patients.
This International Day of Women and Girls in Science, we’re spotlighting a young researcher who’s tackling not just one, but both, of these leading threats to human health through her research.
Guneet Bindra is a PhD candidate at the La Trobe Institute of Molecular Science (LIMS). Guneet’s research looks at human defensins and their interactions with lipid, which could provide valuable information on the specificity of defensins, with hopes to develop these naturally found peptides into anticancer and antimicrobial therapeutics.
“Whilst there is significant effort made towards improving the incidence rate [of cancer and antimicrobial resistance], there is still a dire need for improving treatment options that have less side effects than traditional treatments.”
Guneet Bindra, La Trobe PhD candidate
Guneet explains the science in her 2019 Pitch it Clever entry video below. You can vote for Guneet’s research on the Pitch it Clever website. Pitch it Clever is an annual competition from Universities Australia challenging early career researchers to create a video communicating their research and why it matters.
Guneet studied a Bachelor of Biomedicine, followed by Honours majoring in Medical Science. Now a PhD candidate, Guneet spends her days in the Hulett Lab at LIMS.
Guneet’s also the brains behind ‘The Small Scientist’ Instagram and Twitter accounts, where she shares behind-the-scenes photos and updates from the lab.
If you’re interested in study options in research after you’ve completed your degree you can find out more here.