Tackling Key Epidemiological And Basic Scientific Research Issues In Prion Diseases.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$401,109.00
Summary
Proposed Practitioner Fellowship research will simultaneously include epidemiological and basic scientific projects, emphasising human prion disease. Epidemiological research will involve large-scale studies to clarify genetic factors that influence susceptibility to developing prion disease, as well as clarify whether Alzheimer disease is transmissible, while basic scientific research will include determining the characteristics of the misfolded prion proteins causing neuronal disease.
Advances in positron emission tomography now allow specific pathological features of many brain diseases such as Alzheimer's disease to be measured with a brain scan during life. This Fellowship will assist Professor Rowe and his team in their world leading work on new PET scanning techniques to improve diagnosis and assist the development of treatment for Alzheimer's and other degenerative diseases of the brain.