Dr Elena Eremeeva
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Biography
Dr Elena Eremeeva is a nucleic acid biochemist specialising in synthetic nucleic acids, aptamer technologies, and biosensing applications. Her research focuses on developing high-performance aptamer-based solutions for precision diagnostics, therapeutic monitoring, and food and environmental safety.
During her time at KU Leuven (Belgium), Dr Eremeeva developed Xeno Nucleic Acid (XNA) aptamers with enhanced stability and selectivity for biomedical applications. She also pioneered the first fully modified genetic systems, coined DZA and RZA, capable of precise genetic information transfer (DNA → RZA → proteins).
At QUT, she leads the Aptamer Discovery and Application Platform (ADAP), a multidisciplinary initiative advancing next-generation biosensors. With extensive international research experience, Dr Eremeeva has held positions in Belgium (KU Leuven), Switzerland (University of Bern), and Australia (QUT). She has secured over AU$ 400,000 in competitive research funding.
Her work integrates molecular diagnostics, synthetic biology, and biotechnology, bridging fundamental research with real-world applications.
Research Interests
- Aptamer discovery and directed evolution
- Xeno Nucleic Acids (XNA) and synthetic genetics
- Aptamer-based biosensors for health, food, and environmental monitoring
- Molecular diagnostics for precision medicine
- Biopolymer engineering for biotechnology and synthetic biology
Current Projects
- SMART-SELEX: A semi-automated platform for high-throughput aptamer selection
- Aptamer-based sensors for food safety: Developing rapid detection tools for mycotoxins and allergens
- Aptamer-based sensors for persistent organic pollutants (POPs) detection, essential for environmental monitoring and safety
- Portable point-of-care (POC) aptasensors for real-time and continuous health monitoring, including drugs with narrow therapeutic index (NTI) and disease biomarkers
- CRISPR-Cas9 activation via aptamer-mediated small molecule recognition
Funding
Dr Eremeeva has successfully secured ~AU$ 400,000 in competitive research funding, including AU$ 320,000 in Fellowships, AU$ 70,000 in Research Project funds as a Chief Investigator, and ~AU$ 10,000 in conference, career development, and travel awards.- 2025 – Future Leaders Seed Grant (QUT CAB) – SMART Aptamer Sensors for Food Safety (AU$ 10,000)
- 2024 – ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology SEED Funding – Advanced Aptamer Discovery (AU$ 25,000)
- 2020 – FWO Research Grant (Belgium) – Selection of Nucleic Acid Aptamers with Four Non-Canonical Bases for Biomedical Applications (AU$ 17,000)
- 2018 – FWO Grant for Long Stay Abroad – Research Stay at the University of Bern, Department of Chemical Biology, under Prof. Norbert Polacek (AU$ 18,000)
- 2018 – FWO Postdoctoral Fellowship (Belgium) – New Genetic Systems with Four Synthetic Nucleobases: Towards Advanced Therapy and Synthetic Biology (AU$ 320,000)
Key Funded Projects
Publications and Recognition
As of February 2025, Dr Eremeeva has published 14 high-impact journal articles, including in Nucleic Acids Research, Angewandte Chemie, and ChemBioChem. She is the sole first author on 7 publications and an equal first co-author on 3 others. Her contributions as joint senior author include a Breakthrough Paper (Top 1%) in Nucleic Acids Research and a Very Important Paper (VIP) in ChemBioChem. She has also received multiple Best Talk awards at international conferences.Supervision and Mentoring
Dr Eremeeva is currently supervising PhD student Micaela Belen Sequeira on developing aptamer-based biosensors for disease biomarkers. She previously co-supervised PhD student Hui Yang at KU Leuven, whose research on synthetic genetic systems led to high-impact publications, including a Breakthrough Paper.Work Experience
- Dec 2021 – Present: Research Fellow, ARC Centre of Excellence in Synthetic Biology, Queensland University of Technology (QUT), Australia
- Jun 2021 – Present: Aptamer Scientific Advisor (Consultant & Contractor), Brisbane, Australia
- Sep 2020 – Dec 2021: Visiting Researcher, Alexandrov’s group, QUT, Australia
- Sep 2018 – Dec 2021: FWO Postdoctoral Fellow, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Feb 2019 – Jul 2019: Visiting Researcher, Polacek’s group, University of Bern, Switzerland
- May 2017 – Sep 2018: Postdoctoral Researcher, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Nov 2011 – May 2017: PhD Researcher, KU Leuven, Belgium
- Oct 2008 – Sep 2011: Research Assistant, Institute of Chemical Biology and Fundamental Medicine, Russia
- Sep 2008 – Sep 2011: Chemical Engineer, BIOSSET Ltd., Russia
Personal details
Positions
- Research Fellow
Faculty of Science,
School of Biology & Environmental Science
Qualifications
- Doctor of Biomedical Sciences (PhD)
Publications
QUT ePrints
For more publications by Elena, explore their research in QUT ePrints (our digital repository).