Leanna Surrao

Leanna Surrao is a PhD student in Doctor Jack Richards’ laboratory at the Burnet Institute in Melbourne. Her background is in Veterinary Bioscience and she is in her final year of candidature. Her project involves developing a more sensitive diagnostic tool for malaria in order to detect asymptomatic individuals in the context of elimination. Her primary focus is on a technology called loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and she has traveled to Vietnam and Papua New Guinea to train local staff and implement this technique.