Rate My Professor Thao Nguyen

Dr Thao Nguyen is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Dentistry, College of Health at Adelaide University. She earned her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of South Australia in 2015 and a Bachelor of Medical and Pharmaceutical Biotechnology from the same university in 2003. Her research specializations encompass biochemistry and cell biology, cancer cell biology, cancer genetics, cancer therapy, cardiovascular medicine and haematology, cell biology, haematological tumours, haematology, cancer biology and clinical oncology, and translational health outcomes. Specifically, she focuses on stem cell biology, myeloid leukaemias, and the bone marrow microenvironment, aiming to target cancer relapse-driving stem cell populations and develop novel therapeutic approaches to prevent cancer relapse. As an NHMRC Early Career Research Fellow, she is affiliated with the Molecular Therapeutics Laboratory, Centre for Cancer Biology, University of South Australia and SA Pathology.

Nguyen's career includes Post-Doctoral Researcher positions in the Mesenchymal Stem Cell Laboratory at the University of Adelaide (2016-2017), Research Officer roles at the University of Adelaide (2004-2008 and 2008-2010), Research Officer at Numico Research Australia (2003-2004), Research Officer at Queensland Institute of Medical Research (2003), and Technical Officer at the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science (2002). She has served as a guest lecturer at the University of South Australia since 2016. She received the NHMRC Early Career Fellowship for her project 'Understanding the biological mechanisms involved in treatment free remission of chronic myeloid leukaemia' from 2018 to 2022. Key publications include 'Combating Acute Myeloid Leukemia via Sphingosine Kinase 1 Inhibitor-Nanomedicine Combination Therapy with Cytarabine or Venetoclax' (Pharmaceutics, 2024), 'Targeting Acute Myeloid Leukemia Using Sphingosine Kinase 1 Inhibitor-Loaded Liposomes' (Molecular Pharmaceutics, 2023), 'Ceramide-induced integrated stress response overcomes Bcl-2 inhibitor resistance in acute myeloid leukemia' (Blood, 2022), 'Loss of EfnB1 in the osteogenic lineage compromises their capacity to support hematopoietic stem/progenitor cell maintenance' (Experimental Hematology, 2019), and 'EphA5 and EphA7 forward signaling enhances human hematopoietic stem and progenitor cell maintenance, migration, and adhesion via Rac1 activation' (Experimental Hematology, 2017). Her work has appeared in high-impact journals, contributing significantly to advancements in haematological cancer research and stem cell therapeutics. She is eligible to supervise Masters and PhD students as co-supervisor.