Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Websites
Certification
Languages
Timeline
Publications
Awards
Hobbies
Generic
Laychiluh Mekonnen

Laychiluh Mekonnen

Adelaide

Summary

I am a highly motivated pharmacologist with solid history of driving research initiatives and delivering impactful scientific work. I am focused on team collaborations and possess adaptability in dynamic research environments. My expertise extends in in vitro, ex vivo, and in vivo drug development research for the treatment of cancer. I have conducted and analyzed over 40 in vivo tumour xenograft models and designed/executed multiple pharmacokinetic studies in rodents. I am a proven expertise in western blotting, cell culture, and flow cytometry and utilizing these techniques to elucidate drug mechanisms and optimize treatment strategies. I possess a strong track record in PK-PD correlation studies and thrive in collaborative environments. I am passionate about drug discovery and development, cancer cell biology, and in vivo efficacy studies, with a focus on combination therapies for cancer treatment. My work has led to the identification of two promising drug candidates; one is a first in class CDK4 inhibitor while the other is the most potent dual CDK4/6 inhibitor. The later one has been approved by the TGA for phase Ia/b clinical trial for the treatment of glioblastoma and other advanced solid tumours. I have been delivering my professional roles through HDR student training and supervision and managing drug discovery and development laboratory. I have authored/coauthored 30 articles/proceedings in peer-reviewed journals and presented my research findings in international and national conferences.

Overview

12
12
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification

Work History

Research Fellow

Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia
08.2023 - Current


  • Managed drug discovery and development laboratory
  • Prepared laboratory reagents and drug formulations
  • Conducted inventories for laboratory consumables, prepared purchase orders and store consumables
  • Prepared chemical risk assessments and procedure manuals
  • Supervised HDR students
  • Enhanced research quality by implementing rigorous methodologies and data analysis techniques
  • Mentored junior researchers, providing guidance on study design, data analysis, and manuscript preparation
  • Ensured the highest standards of scientific integrity were upheld throughout all stages of the research process
  • Maintained accurate records of experimental procedures, observations, and findings for transparent reporting of results in publications
  • Authored professional scientific papers for publishing in peer-reviewed journals
  • Prepared annual animal ethics reports
  • Written animal ethics documents and ensured compliance with institutional review board requirements
  • Improved laboratory safety by regularly reviewing procedures, updating guidelines, and training staff on best practices
  • written and submitted multiple grant applications

Senior Lecturer

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University
01.2023 - 08.2023
  • Delivered courses and lecture sessions on pharmacology for masters and undergraduate pharmacy students
  • Created instructional and lecture plans for classes in compliance with course objectives
  • Documented student assignments, attendance, and test scores in online reporting systems
  • Supervised students and offered insight and guidance during research and presentation of seminars
  • Evaluated success of teaching methods via regular collection of feedback from both peers and students.
  • Enhanced student comprehension by incorporating real-life examples and case studies into lectures.
  • Mentored junior faculty members, contributing to their professional growth and development.
  • Developed working document for the establishment of Centre for Ethnobiomedicine

Research Associate

Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia
06.2020 - 12.2022
  • Compiled and organized research data to produce reports and graphs
  • Supported project leads in preparing regulatory documentation and presentations highlighting findings
  • Honed communication and interpersonal skills by working daily with more than 12 scientists on cell biology, drug pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics and animal efficacy projects
  • Designed and implemented new studies like evaluating the pharmacokinetic-pharmacodynamic relationships and modelling of candidate anticancer drugs in nude mice
  • Gave scientific advises and training to new students

Research Assistant

Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia
03.2020 - 06.2020
  • Supported principal investigators by designing and executing multiples of in vivo efficacy studies and generated data for grant writing and presenting to industrial partners
  • Conducted laboratory experiments and collected and analyzed samples
  • Prepared tables, graphs and written reports summarizing research results
  • Assisted in research and development of new assays and methods
  • Kept equipment and laboratory facility clean and records uptodate

Research Intern

Aucentra Therapeutics Pty Ltd
10.2019 - 03.2020
  • Developed two in vivo subcutaneous cancer xenograft models using HCT116 colorectal and OV90 ovarian cancer cells in nude mice
  • Investigated the efficacy of seven candidate anticancer compounds against HCT116 and OV90 subcutaneous xenografts in nude mice
  • Prepared and submitted midterm and final reports to Aucentra Pty Ltd
  • Gave final oral presentation and recommended two candidate compounds for further studies

Head of department of pharmacology

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University
09.2024 - 02.2016
  • Prepared 5-year department development strategic plan
  • Improved operations by working with team members, like developing teachers' performance evaluation checklists
  • Planned human and material resources requirements for the department
  • Worked closely with team members to deliver project requirements, develop solutions, and meet deadlines

Program manager

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University
07.2013 - 08.2014
  • Managed and supervised administrative and daily program operations, complying with policies and regulations
  • Established strong relationships with key stakeholders, ensuring support for program initiatives
  • Designed and implemented standard operating procedures in various departments for optimal efficiency
  • Helped team members improve productivity and performance through hands-on coaching to achieve college objectives
  • Monitored program performance, gathered data, and drafted reports to inform senior management
  • Improved cross-departmental cooperation and information communication processes by providing presentations to staff members and administration
  • Established organizational quality systems, which involved training along with corrective and preventative measures
  • Participated in college's academic commission and university's curriculum development team meetings

Education

PhD - Pharmacology

University of South Australia
03.2020

Master of Science - Pharmacology

Addis Ababa University
09.2011

Bachelor of Pharmacy -

Jimma University
06.2009

Skills

  • Cell culture (primary cells, cancer cells, PDX, immune cells)
  • Project management & Grant writing
  • Animal blood and tissue sample collection skills (cardiac puncture, tumour and organ collection, chick bleeding, jugular vein cannulation of rats)
  • Statistical skills (t-test, ANOVA, logistic regression)
  • Proficient in using software for biological studies such as GraphPad, CytExpert, Kaluza, ImageJ, ImageLab, Nanozoomer, CompuSyn
  • Proficient in cell biology techniques (western blot, MTT, resazurin, qPCR, ELISA, flowcytometry, IHC)
  • Skilled in using FreezerPro and Chemwatch
  • Animal (mouse and rat) handling, and dosing (PO, IP, Sc, IV)
  • Proficient in cancer cell xenografting techniques
  • Research design
  • Documentation requirements
  • Ethical considerations

Certification

  • Grant Writing Skills (2014-03 - 2014-03)
  • Leadership and Communication (2017-09 - 2017-09)
  • Critical and Creative Thinking (2016-11 - 2016-11)
  • Project Cycle Management (2014-04 - 2014-04)

Languages

English
Full Professional
Amharic
Native or Bilingual

Timeline

Head of department of pharmacology

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University
09.2024 - 02.2016

Research Fellow

Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia
08.2023 - Current

Senior Lecturer

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University
01.2023 - 08.2023

Research Associate

Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia
06.2020 - 12.2022

Research Assistant

Clinical and Health Sciences, University of South Australia
03.2020 - 06.2020

Research Intern

Aucentra Therapeutics Pty Ltd
10.2019 - 03.2020

Program manager

College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Bahir Dar University
07.2013 - 08.2014

PhD - Pharmacology

University of South Australia

Master of Science - Pharmacology

Addis Ababa University

Bachelor of Pharmacy -

Jimma University

Publications

Detailed publication list can be accessed from

  • Laychiluh Bantie Mekonnen (0000-0001-7108-5345) - My ORCID
  • ResearchGate

Awards

Alumni (2020-04 - Present) University of South Australia, Top of class award (2009-06 - 2009-06) Jimma University, International Postgraduate Research Scholarship (2016-02 - 2019-10) University of South Australia, Associate member (2018-04 - Present) American Association for Cancer Research, Annual CMHS research grant (2012-09 - 2012-09) Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia, Invited to give oral presentation at AACR (2018-04 - 2018-04) American Association for Cancer Research

Hobbies

Reading

Movies (Scientific fictions)

Cooking 

Soccer 

Laychiluh Mekonnen