About
Dr Laura Rantanen is a Research Officer in the Cellular and Molecular Neurodegeneration group at QIMR Berghofer. She earned her PhD in early 2024 from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), under the supervision of Professor Anthony White. Her PhD research focused on identifying the potential biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease by investigating patient-derived olfactory (nasal) stem cells at gene, protein, lipid and inflammatory levels. This groundbreaking multi-omics work has led to a significant USD 1.2 million competitive research grant, where Dr Rantanen plays a key role as a leading post-doctoral researcher. Her current work focuses on using patient-derived olfactory and induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to model neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases, while also investigating the potential impact of bushfire smoke on brain health.