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  5. Shuning Zheng
Our people

Shuning Zheng

Senior Research Assistant

Working groups

shuning.zheng@burnet.edu.au
Shuning Zheng

Background

Shuning completed her Master's Degree of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Melbourne. Shuning finished an internship program at Burnet in 2017 to redesign a lateral flow assay cassette device, where her interest in the diagnostics field began. Upon completing her studies, she transitioned into a full-time role at Burnet and has since contributed to an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and a lateral flow assay development of active syphilis diagnosis, sepsis diagnosis, COVID-19 diagnosis, and neutralizing antibodies against SARS-COV-2 detection projects. 

Qualifications

  • 2018: Master of Engineering (Biomedical), University of Melbourne, Australia
  • 2015 Bachelor of Engineering (Pharmaceutical), Pharmaceutical University, China

Burnet publications

View 2 more
18 Aug 2023

Serological assays to measure dimeric IgA antibodies in SARS‐CoV‐2 infections

Immunology and Cell Biology

Zihui Wei et al

Open access
01 Dec 2021

A point-of-care lateral flow assay for neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2

EBioMedicine

Thomas S. Fulford et al

Open access
01 Jul 2021

Dimeric IgA is a specific biomarker of recent SARS-CoV-2 infection

medRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory)

Heidi E. Drummer et al

Open access

Current projects

Efficacy assessment of a new point-of-care test for confirmation of active syphilis in men who have sex with men

We're developing a novel rapid point of care test based on lateral flow technology for diagnosis of active syphilis in a single visit.

Open to students

Diagnosis of active syphilis

We're developing point-of-care diagnostics for active syphilis, aiming to transform syphilis management globally and contribute to World Health Organization goals.

Past projects

Novel Point-of-care Testing for Diagnosis of Active Syphilis in Pregnant Women and Infants in Fiji

Novel Point-of-care Testing for Diagnosis of Active Syphilis in Pregnant Women and Infants in Fiji

Congenital syphilis (CS), caused by mother-to-child transmission of spirochete bacterium Treponema Pallidum (TP), is a major global health problem associated with substantial morbidity and mortality in children. Without adequate treatment CS causes significant developmental, neurological and musculoskeletal disability in children, and many infected infants will die within the first year of life. In 2016, estimated global incidence for CS was 473 (385-561) cases per 100,000 live births with a total of 661,000 (538,000-784,000) cases, including 355,000 (290,000-419,000) adverse birth outcomes (143,000 stillbirths; 61,000 neonatal deaths; 41,000 preterm/low- birth weight births; and 109,000 infants with clinical CS). Treatment of syphilis is simple, effective and inexpensive; however, definitive diagnosis of active syphilis requires confirmatory testing which requires laboratory facilities, and not always available in many low-resource settings in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). In 40 of the 81 LMICs which account for more than 95 per cent maternal deaths and more than 90 per cent of deaths in children under five years old, 74 per cent of pregnant women who had at least four antenatal care visits were not tested for syphilis. A combination of treponemal and non-treponemal tests is required for diagnosis of active syphilis but there is no point-of-care test (POCT) that can effectively distinguish between past/treated and active syphilis. There is no POCT for diagnosis of CS available on the market.

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