DrDao Nguyen

Dr Dao Nguyen is an interdisciplinary early-career biomedical researcher and Associate Research Fellow at Deakin University's Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), School of Medicine. Her research integrates human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) disease modelling, molecular biology, transcriptomics, metabolomics, lipidomics and functional cellular assays to investigate disease mechanisms and identify opportunities for drug repurposing. Her current research focuses on skeletal muscle dysfunction and post-exertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Within the NHMRC-funded CHROMIC program, she leads experimental studies using patient-derived iPSC myogenic progenitors and myotubes to characterise molecular and metabolic alterations and identify potential therapeutic candidates.

Her broader research experience spans drug discovery, bioactive compounds, nanoencapsulation and targeted drug delivery, including in vitro and in vivo investigations of retinal diseases and cancer. Her research has been published in leading peer-reviewed journals, including ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces and Pharmaceuticals, with a recent study accepted in the Journal of Translational Medicine. Her 2025 publication on lutein-based ocular drug delivery attracted extensive national and international media coverage.

Dr Nguyen has secured approximately AUD 162,000 in research and capacity-building funding as a lead investigator, supported by Deakin University, the Australian Government's DFAT Aus4Skills initiative and the European Union's Erasmus+ programme. She has also supervised honours and postgraduate research students and contributed to multidisciplinary research collaborations and grant development.