We believe that breakthroughs in the prevention and treatment of Parkinson’s disease will be driven by basic scientific research, whereby greater understanding of the mechanisms of neuronal pathology will guide us toward preventative strategies and therapeutic measures. Recently, there has been a shift in our understanding of the cause of a range of devastating neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s. It is now thought that abnormal proteins may spread through the brain via a process of cell-to-cell transmission. Last year Anastasia Salter undertook an Honours project in our lab, and began to look at this process. She had an extremely successful year and was awarded First Class Honours. We are delighted that she has decided to stay on to commence a PhD in our lab at Menzies Institute for Medical Research. Her investigations will continue to look at this process of cell-to-cell spread, and are focussing on α-synuclein the protein that characterises the hallmark pathologies of Parkinson’s disease. Using our innovative laboratory models, she is determining the mechanisms underlying this process and trialling a new therapeutic approach aimed at manipulating the cellular transport machinery to stop the spread of this abnormal protein. These investigations represent the first critical step towards the development of highly targeted clinical interventions to improve outcomes for people suffering from Parkinson’s disease. We look forward to seeing what Ana can achieve in the next three and half years!
Associate Professor Tracey Dickson, Menzies Institute for Medical Research
