Associate Professor Cornelia Landersdorfer

EXPERTISE

  • Antimicrobial pharmacokinetics / pharmacodynamics
  • Optimisation of dosage regimens

A/Prof Cornelia Landersdorfer leads a translational research program and laboratory that integrates experimental microbiological studies with mathematical modelling to optimise dosing with a focus on antibiotics. Her research involves designing innovative optimised antibiotic combination dosing strategies to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria that can cause life-threatening infections. Cornelia's team also develops novel mechanism-based mathematical models (including ‘omics data) for antibiotic concentrations and effects of and other drugs to optimise patient therapy in clinical practice. She has developed optimised regimens for life-saving drugs across several therapeutic classes and significantly impacted therapy for multiple neglected patient groups at hospitals internationally. Antimicrobial pharmacokinetics/ pharmacodynamics is about saving patients' lives by developing optimised treatments: the right antibiotic at the right dose and the right time.

Cornelia leads the Antimicrobial Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics and Dosage regimen optimisation research group at the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. She obtained a PhD in Pharmaceutical Sciences from the University of Wuerzburg (2006), completed postdoctoral studies in PK/PD modelling at the State University of New York (SUNY), and worked as a Scientist at Ordway Research Institute & the Institute for Clinical Pharmacodynamics (ICPD), NY. In 2011 she joined MIPS. She has since been awarded an NHMRC Career Development Fellowship and the ASCEPT Denis Wade J&J New Investigator Award. In 2018, Cornelia received the prestigious Georgina Sweet Award for Women in Quantitative Biomedical Science. She has led NHMRC Project and Ideas grants and is the Project Director of a large NIH clinical PK modelling contract. She was awarded the Faculty of Pharmacy & Pharmaceutical Sciences Research Impact Award (2020), and the Australian Award for University Teaching (2022).

AMR FOCUS 

  • Developing an integrated approach to precision medicine targeting AMR of bacterial 'superbugs'.
  • New mathematical models for concentrations and effects of antimicrobials to optimise patient therapy in clinical practice.
  • Overcoming multidrug-resistant hypermutable Pseudomonas aeruginosa via antibiotic combinations.
  • Dosing to maximise bacterial killing and prevent resistance in ICU.
  • Optimised antibiotic monotherapy & combination therapy for synergistic bacterial killing and preventing resistance.

IMPACT

  • Dose selection of new antimicrobial compounds.
  • Translation of pre-clinical to clinical studies.
  • Impact on the prescribing information for antibiotics and other drugs.