Dr. Stefka Mincheva-Tasheva is a postdoctoral researcher in the Genome Editing Laboratory at The University of Adelaide. Her research focuses on uncovering the molecular mechanisms that govern nervous system development and contribute to neurological disease, with the aim of translating these insights into innovative therapeutic strategies.
 
Dr. Tasheva received her Ph.D. in Health Sciences from the University of Lleida (UdL), Spain, in 2011. Her doctoral research investigated the signalling pathways regulating motor neuron survival during spinal cord development and in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). During her first postdoctoral appointment at UdL, she contributed to defining the molecular basis of Friedreich ataxia and identified Calcitriol as a promising therapeutic target, demonstrating its potential to restore cellular function in this progressive neurodegenerative disorder. She then undertook a short-term postdoctoral position at The University of Queensland, where she investigated the role of cellular tight junctions in the pathophysiology of Type II Diabetes.
 
At The University of Adelaide, Dr. Tasheva’s research centres on animal disease modelling and therapeutic innovation for PCDH19-clustering epilepsy (PCDH19-CE). Over the past eight years, she has advanced understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving PCDH19-CE neuropathology and elucidated the role of PCDH19 in central nervous system development and dysfunction. Her current work focuses on developing novel gene therapy strategies with strong potential for clinical translation. In parallel, she is pioneering a non-invasive method for delivering therapeutic agents to the brain, aiming to overcome one of the key challenges in neurotherapeutics.
 
Dr Tasheva has served as CI/co-CI on research projects securing nearly $2M in highly competitive national and international funding, driving impactful, collaborative research.