BBiomedSc (Hons)

Associate Lecturer

Cassandra graduated with a Bachelor of Biomedical Science with first class Honours from the University of Tasmania in 2004. Her honours thesis investigated the localisation and distribution of tachykinins and vanilloid-like receptors in the urinary bladder and spinal cord, and their role in a number of bladder conditions, particularly bladder hyperreflexia. Cassie has recently completed her PhD at the University of Tasmania, investigating the effect of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) on message and protein expression, and function of the inflammatory mediators TRPV1 and TRPV2. Cassandra is a member of the Australian Society of Clinical and Experimental Pharmacologists and Toxicologists (http://www.ascept.org/).

Research Interests

Cassandra’s principle research interest is the protein and molecular expression profiling and functional analysis of the capsaicin-sensitive, proton and heat-activated transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and its homologue, noxious heat-activated TRPV2. She is currently investigating both the message and protein expression, and the function of these two inflammatory receptors in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) of chronic kidney disease (CKD).

Teaching

Cassandra is coordinator for the unit CXA125 Introductory Biochemistry and co-coordinator for CXA171 Cell Biology and Function. She is also part of a multi-member team teaching human bioscience to undergraduate nursing students and teaches into a number of other health units.

Units

• CXA101 - Introduction to Medical Laboratory Sciences
  
• CXA107 - Fundamentals of Bioscience
  
• CXA125 - Introductory Biochemistry
  
• CXA171 - Cell Biology and Function
  
• CXA211 - Immunology (MLS)
  
• CXA321 - Immunology
  

Selected Publications:

• Saunders CI, Kunde DA, Fassett RG and Geraghty DP., 2008, 'Mononuclear cell transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) expression and susceptibility to N-arachidonoyl-dopamine (NADA)-induced cell death in end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients.', ASCEPT/AHMRC, 16th-21st November, Brisbane.
• Kunde DA, Whtimore BJ, Saunders CIM and Geraghty DP., 2008, 'Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and TRPV2 mRNA and immunoreactivity in monocytes', ASCEPT/AHMRC, 16th-21st November, Brisbane.
• Saunders CI, Crawford A, Kunde DA and Geraghty DP., 2005, 'Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) 1 and 2 channel message and immunoreactivity in human mononuclear cells', ASCEPT/APSA joint meeting, 4th-7th December, Melbourne.
• Saunders CI, Kunde DA, Crawford A and Geraghty D., 2007, 'Expression of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and 2 (TRPV2) in human peripheral blood.', Mol. Immunol, 44, pgs. 1429-1435
• Saunders CI, Kunde DA, Fassett RG and Geraghty DP., 2007, 'Transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channel message and immunoreactivity in peripheral blood mononuclear cells of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) patients', 10th SEAWP/ASCEPT meeting, 3rd-6th December, Adelaide.
• Heng YJ, Saunders CIM, Kunde DA and Geraghty DP., 2006, 'Effect of systemic vanilloids on TRPV1, substance P (SP) and tachykinin (NK1) receptors in the rat lumbosacral spinal cord and urinary bladder. ', ASCEPT/AHMRC, 25th November-1st December, Melbourne.

Current and Supervised Project/s:

• TRPV1: a marker for destruction