Biography
Dr Samarasinghe completed her PhD in Medicine in 2014 at Deakin University and joined Prof. David Ashley's laboratory as a postdoctoral research fellow in 2015, where her work involved understanding epigenetic mechanisms regulated in major diseases such as cancers and degenerative disorders and to identify novel targets and therapies. Her work contributed to the initiation of a Victoria based clinical trial on aggressive childhood brain cancers, which used a new combination of chemo and epigenetic drugs as alternative therapy options. In 2018, she joined the School of Medicine as an academic and established her laboratory, Translational Epigenomic Research and Therapeutics.
Her group investigates how the epigenome regulates mechanisms in diseases such as childhood and adult cancers, mental health and degenerative disorders. Using different molecular and genome based technologies together with 3D cell culturing, stem cells and organoid techniques, her lab aims to understand these genetic and epigenetic changes in diseases, with a view of identifying novel targets for diagnosis and therapeutics.
Read more on Rasika's profileResearch interests
Epigenetic mechanisms and therapeutics
Cancer, mental health and degenerative disorders
Nanomedicine
Affiliations
Australian Epigenetic Alliance (from 2020)
Inflammation Research Association (from 2010)
American Association for the Advancement of Science (from 2010)
Golden Key International Honour Society (from 2008)
Teaching interests
Genomics
Medical Biotechnology
Immunology
Nanomedicine
Pharmacology
Units taught
HMM102: Principles of Gene and Genomic Technology, Unit Chair: 2018- current
HMM103: Cell Technology, Unit chair: 2018 - curent
Guest lecturer:
HMM101: Introduction to Medical Biotechnology
HMM202: Molecular Diagnostics
HMM302: Innovation in Medical Biotechnology
HMM301: Priciples of Pharmacology
HBS400: Research Methods
Knowledge areas
Epigenetics, Cancer, Bone and Inflammatory disorders, Mental health, Drug and Cell therapy
Conferences
- Lorne Cancer Conference, Lorne, 2021
- Childhoo cancer symposium, Melbourne, 2019, 2020, 2021.
- 3rd Australian Cancer & Metabolism Meeting, Sydney, 2019
- 14th Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO) Meeting, Osaka, Japan, 2017.
- 10th COGNO Annual Scientific Meeting: Tailoring Therapies for Brain Tumours: Challenges and Opportunities, Melbourne, Australia, 2017.
- 13th Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology Meeting/ 9th COGNO Annual Scientific Meeting, Sydney, Australia, 2016.
- Barwon Health Research Week, Geelong, Australia, 2015.
- Weizmann symposium – Future directions in cancer biology & targeted therapeutics, Melbourne, Australia, 2015.
- 17th International Inflammation Research Association Conference, New York, USA, 2012.
- 3rd Sydney International Nanomedicine Conference, Sydney, Australia, 2012.
- 2nd Sydney International Nanomedicince conference, Sydney, Australia, 2011.
Awards
- Best ECR research contribution, Cancer Metabolism (Sydney, 2019)
- COGNO-Bristol-Myers Squibb Young Investigator Award nominee (Brisbane, 2017)
- Scientist Prize – Most Outstanding Research Presentation - Barwon Health Research Week, Geelong (2015)
- Early Career Researcher - Best Top 5 presentations - Weizmann symposium – Future directions in cancer biology & targeted therapeutics, Melbourne (2015)
- Publication Scholarship - Deakin University (2013)
- Best PhD poster presentation - 17th International Inflammation Research Association Conference, New York, USA (2012)
- Best 3rd/4th year PhD oral presenter - Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Annual Research Conference (2012)
- Best 1st year PhD oral presenter, Institute for Frontier Materials (IFM), Annual Research Conference (2009)
Publications
No publications found
Funded Projects at Deakin
Other Public Sector Funding
Antipsychotic use and osteoporotic fracture risk.
Prof Lana Williams, Prof Julie Pasco, Dr Jason Hodge, Dr Rasika Samarasinghe, Ms Dona Kavindi Madushani Weerasinghe
International Education Resilience Fund
- 2023: $9,000
Supervisions
Jake Erich William Mazur
Thesis entitled: Natural therapeutics coupled with nanotechnology, advancing Glioblastoma Multiforme treatment efficacy.
MAppSc (Medicine) (High cost), School of Medicine
Tulika Basak
Thesis entitled: Targeting iron overload: A potential approach towards glioblastoma therapy
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine
Naznin Akhtar
Thesis entitled: Theranostic Applications of Zinc Ferrite Nanoparticles for Colorectal Cancer
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine
Izel Eraslan
Thesis entitled: Anatomical and Functional Characterisation of Relaxin Family Peptide 3 Receptor
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine
Bakhtiar Affendi Bin Bukari
Thesis entitled: Development of an Aptamer-based Drug Delivery System into the Brain
Master of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine
Jasmine Cleminson
Thesis entitled: Serotonin and Bone Metabolism
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine
Vinoomika Chandrasekaran
Thesis entitled: Bipolar Disorder, Associated Treatments and Bone Health
Doctor of Philosophy (Medicine), School of Medicine