Maria Victorova

Maria Victorova is a PhD student at the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at The University of Queensland, where she conducts research in the Cheetham Group focused on next-generation mRNA therapeutics and immunoengineering. Her work centers on improving the stability and delivery of mRNA-based medicines through chemical and structural modifications designed to enhance intracellular translation and therapeutic efficacy.

Her doctoral research explores the development of circularized and chemically modified mRNA platforms for applications in cancer immunotherapy, including the engineering of chimeric antigen receptors targeting tumor-associated antigens such as EphA2 and ROR1. She is also investigating metal-organic nanoparticles as scalable and cost-effective alternatives to lipid nanoparticles for nucleic acid delivery.

Maria’s broader scientific interests span mRNA pharmaceuticals, nanomedicine, and immune-cell engineering, with particular emphasis on applications in cancer and metabolic diseases. In parallel with her PhD studies, she serves as an affiliate PhD student with the National Biologics Facility and has experience teaching biochemistry as a tutor and demonstrator at The University of Queensland.

Before her current research, Maria contributed to projects in neurobiology, antifungal drug discovery, peptide therapeutics, and natural killer (NK) cell immunotherapies, building a multidisciplinary foundation across molecular biology, immunology, and translational medicine.