Stefka Tasheva
School of Biomedicine
Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Eligible to supervise Masters and PhD (as Co-Supervisor) - email supervisor to discuss availability.
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.
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Appointments
Date Position Institution name 2017 - ongoing NHMRC Grant-Funded Researcher University of Adelaide, Adelaide 2015 - 2016 Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Queensland, Brisbane 2011 - 2014 Postdoctoral Research Fellow University of Lleida, Lleida -
Language Competencies
Language Competency Bulgarian Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review English Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review Russian Can read, write, understand spoken and peer review Spanish; Castilian Can read, write, speak, understand spoken and peer review -
Education
Date Institution name Country Title 2006 - 2011 University of Lleida Spain PhD in Health Sciences -
Research Interests
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Journals
Year Citation 2024 de Nys, R., Gardner, A. E., van Eyk, C., Tasheva, S., Thomas, P. Q., Bhattacharjee, R., . . . Gecz, J. (2024). Proteomic analysis of the developing mammalian brain links PCDH19 to the Wnt/β-catenin signalling pathway. Molecular Psychiatry, 29(7), 2199-2210.
Scopus4 WoS4 Europe PMC32024 Mincheva-Tasheva, S., Pfitzner, C., Kumar, R., Kurtsdotter, I., Scherer, M., Ritchie, T., . . . Thomas, P. Q. (2024). Mapping combinatorial expression of non-clustered protocadherins in the developing brain identifies novel PCDH19-mediated cell adhesion properties. Open Biology, 14(4), 230383-1-230383-13.
Europe PMC12021 Tasheva, S., Nieto Guil, A. F., Homan, C. C., Gecz, J., & Thomas, P. Q. (2021). Disrupted excitatory synaptic contacts and altered neuronal network activity underpins the neurological phenotype in PCDH19-clustering epilepsy (PCDH19-CE). Molecular Neurobiology, 58(5), 2005-2018.
Scopus20 WoS19 Europe PMC172021 Britti, E., Delaspre, F., Sanz-Alcázar, A., Medina-Carbonero, M., Llovera, M., Purroy, R., . . . Ros, J. (2021). Calcitriol increases frataxin levels and restores mitochondrial function in cell models of Friedreich Ataxia. Biochemical Journal, 478(1), 1-20.
Scopus17 WoS15 Europe PMC132018 Arumugam, S., Mincheva-Tasheva, S., Periyakaruppiah, A., de la Fuente, S., Soler, R., & Garcera, A. (2018). Regulation of Survival Motor Neuron Protein by the Nuclear Factor-Kappa B Pathway in Mouse Spinal Cord Motoneurons. Molecular Neurobiology, 55(6), 5019-5030.
Scopus14 WoS13 Europe PMC102018 Pederick, D., Richards, K., Piltz, S., Kumar, R., Mincheva-Tasheva, S., Mandelstam, S., . . . Thomas, P. (2018). Abnormal cell sorting underlies the unique X-linked inheritance of PCDH19 epilepsy. Neuron, 97(1), 59-e5.
Scopus98 WoS93 Europe PMC862014 Mincheva-Tasheva, S., Obis, E., Tamarit, J., & Ros, J. (2014). Apoptotic cell death and altered calcium homeostasis caused by frataxin depletion in dorsal root ganglia neurons can be prevented by BH4 domain of Bcl-xL protein. Human Molecular Genetics, 23(7), 1829-1841.
Scopus53 WoS51 Europe PMC502013 Mincheva-Tasheva, S., & Soler, R. M. (2013). NF-κB signaling pathways: Role in nervous system physiology and pathology. Neuroscientist, 19(2), 175-194.
Scopus125 WoS113 Europe PMC882011 Mincheva, S., Garcera, A., Gou-Fabregas, M., Encinas, M., Dolcet, X., & Soler, R. M. (2011). The canonical nuclear factor-κB pathway regulates cell survival in a developmental model of spinal cord motoneurons. Journal of Neuroscience, 31(17), 6493-6503.
Scopus23 WoS25 Europe PMC212011 Garcera, A., Mincheva, S., Gou-Fabregas, M., Caraballo-Miralles, V., Lladó, J., Comella, J. X., & Soler, R. M. (2011). A new model to study spinal muscular atrophy: Neurite degeneration and cell death is counteracted by BCL-XL Overexpression in motoneurons. Neurobiology of Disease, 42(3), 415-426.
Scopus31 WoS33 Europe PMC322009 Gou-Fabregas, M., Garcera, A., Mincheva, S., Perez-Garcia, M. J., Comella, J. X., & Soler, R. M. (2009). Specific vulnerability of mouse spinal cord motoneurons to membrane depolarization. Journal of Neurochemistry, 110(6), 1842-1854.
Scopus24 WoS25 Europe PMC24 -
Preprint
Year Citation 2024 Mincheva-Tasheva, S., Scherer, M., Robertson, L., Piltz, S., Bensalem, J., Pederick, D., & Thomas, P. (2024). Functional analysis of the epilepsy gene Pcdh19 using a novel GFP-reporter mouse model.
DOI2020 Britti, E., Delaspre, F., Medina-Carbonero, M., Sanz, A., Llovera, M., Purroy, R., . . . Ros, J. (2020). Calcitriol increases frataxin levels and restores altered markers in cell models of Friedreich Ataxia.
DOI
(2026) Co-Chief Investigator. Women’s and Children’s Hospital Foundation Bloom Research Program-Rare Diseases. $500,000. Title: “Oligonucleotide therapy for PCDH19 clustering epilepsy and TIMMDC1 Smith-Haan syndrome”.
(2025) Principal Investigator. Lloyd Cox O&G Research Fund – People Support Scheme, RRI. $105,000. Title: “A Novel In Utero Gene Therapy Strategy to Prevent Neuropathology in PCDH19 Clustering Epilepsy”.
(2023-25) Co-Principal Investigator. ONLUS PCDH19 Syndrome Research Grants (Italy) $105,000. Title: “Genetic therapy- a battle against PCDH19-Clustering Epilepsy”.
(2024-25) Channel 7 Children's Research Foundation. $100,000. Title: “Investigating proof-of-concept for genetic therapy of PCDH19-Clustering Epilepsy using preclinical mouse models”.
(2024) Travel award School of Biomedicine, The University of Adelaide. $1200.
(2023) Travel award x 2 School of Biomedicine and Faculty of Health and Medical Science, The University of Adelaide. $3800
(2020-23) Chief Investigator B. NHMRC Ideas. $935,000. Title “Investigating the molecular pathology for PCDH19-Girls Clustering Epilepsy”.
(2019-20) Co-Principal Investigator, $110,000. PCDH19 Alliance Research Grant (USA). Title “Exploring proof of concept for genetic therapy of PCDH19-girls clustering epilepsy using preclinical models”.
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Presentation
Date Topic Presented at Institution Country 2024 - ongoing A Novel GFP-Reporter Mouse Model for Functional Analysis of the Epilepsy Gene Pcdh19 - Australasian Neuroscience Society, Perth - 2023 - ongoing Impaired synaptic connectivity and disrupted cell adhesion interactions in in vitro models of PCDH19-Clustering Epilepsy XXIIIrd International Conference of Genetics and Genomics, Melbourne, 2023 The University of Adelaide - 2023 - ongoing Cell- and region-specific Pcdh19 expression and elimination: insights into PCDH19 function in health and disease; Cell- and region-specific Pdh19 expression and elimination: insights into PCDH19 function in health and disease The Univerity of Adelaide - 2021 - ongoing Investigating the mechanisms by which mosaic expression of Protocadherin 19 leads to Clustering Epilepsy SAHMRI Precision Medicine Theme Seminar Series The University of Adelaide - 2019 - ongoing Development of preclinical models to study PCDH19 Girls Clustering Epilepsy - The University of Adelaide -
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