Dr. Lesley Cheng is presently the Group Leader of the Neurodegeneration EV Biomarkers and Biology Lab at the La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science (LIMS), La Trobe University. Currently, her major focus is to develop a minimally invasive blood test for the early detection and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. She has developed a stream-lined biomarker platform that uses next-generation sequencing to profile small RNA molecules extracted from extracellular vesicles (EVs) derived from biological fluids or tissues. Her lab uses this platform to identify various small RNA biomarkers for translational and commercial potential including applying this knowledge to understanding the role of EVs in disease pathology.

She was awarded a Bachelor of Medical Science with Honours and a PhD from Monash University. She is Deputy Director of the Research Centre of Extracellular Vesicles, La Trobe University and Principal Scientist at Carrier Biomed, China. She presented at TEDx Melbourne about her breakthrough work and her take on the ‘21st Century Innovator’.