Hannah O’Farrell
Visiting Fellow – Respiratory

Hannah is a post-doctoral scientist in QUT’s Cough Asthma and Airways Research Group (CAARG) led by Professor Anne Chang. Awarded her PhD in November 2021, she investigated the diagnostic, prognostic and therapeutic potential of extracellular vesicles (EVs) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and lung cancer in adults. Hannah was the first to demonstrate the biomarker potential of plasma EV miRNAs in discriminating patients with lung cancer from healthy smokers, healthy controls and patients with COPD, as well as the comparable toxicity of e-cigarettes to tobacco cigarettes in airway epithelium from patients with COPD.

As an early career researcher with a unique skill set, combining laboratory molecular biology skills and linked clinical work, Hannah applies her technological expertise to paediatric research and cutting edge technologies in the field of extracellular vesicles. She is currently leading two internal gene expression pilot projects, expanding the skills developed during her PhD and investigating EVs biomarker potential in paediatric cough and bronchiectasis, as well as being involved in the management and processing of biological specimens for two international multicentre MRFF supported trials.