The Australian Research Data Commons (ARDC) invites you to participate in a short survey about your
interaction with the ARDC and use of our national research infrastructure and services. The survey will take
approximately 5 minutes and is anonymous. It’s open to anyone who uses our digital research infrastructure
services including Reasearch Link Australia.
We will use the information you provide to improve the national research infrastructure and services we
deliver and to report on user satisfaction to the Australian Government’s National Collaborative Research
Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) program.
Please take a few minutes to provide your input. The survey closes COB Friday 29 May 2026.
Complete the 5 min survey now by clicking on the link below.
Secretion Of Alpha-synuclein: A Diagnostic Marker For Parkinsons Disease And A Clue To Its (patho)physiology
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$634,051.00
Summary
We have found that a protein, alpha-synuclein is low in people with Parkinson's Disease. We wish to see if this can be used as a diagnostic test for the condition. Alpha-Synuclein is thought to be important in causing Parkinson's Disease. We suspect that by finding out why less of this protein enters the blood stream in Parkinson's Disease, we may discover clues as to how alpha-synuclein causes problems in this condition.
Intraocular Transplantation And Regeneration Of Retinofugal Pathways In Rodents
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$370,937.00
Summary
In the adult human brain and spinal cord there is little or no intrinsic capacity for replacement of lost or dying neurons, and there is minimal spontaneous repair of nerve fibre pathways. Thus traumatic injuries, stroke, or loss of neurons due to chronic degenerative disease result in functional impairments that are usually severe and long-lasting. The personal, social and economic costs associated with these neurological problems are enormous. New ways must be found of protecting and-or replen ....In the adult human brain and spinal cord there is little or no intrinsic capacity for replacement of lost or dying neurons, and there is minimal spontaneous repair of nerve fibre pathways. Thus traumatic injuries, stroke, or loss of neurons due to chronic degenerative disease result in functional impairments that are usually severe and long-lasting. The personal, social and economic costs associated with these neurological problems are enormous. New ways must be found of protecting and-or replenishing nerve cells in damaged CNS gray matter, and new methods are also required to help reconstruct fibre tracts after injury. Using the visual system as an experimental model, the aims of the proposed work are to develop novel transplantation and surgical strategies to: (i) Incorporate new cells into retinae that have been selectively depleted of endogenous neurons (ii) Promote the effective regeneration of large numbers of adult retinal axons through prosthetic peripheral nerve bridging grafts and into host CNS distal to the injury. The results obtained from the first series of studies will not only be of direct relevance to the future treatment of human retinal degenerative disorders, but will also increase our overall understanding of how best to ensure the differentiation and stable integration of different types of transplanted cells within the compromised host CNS. The second series of experiments should lead to an entirely new approach to nerve pathway reconstruction, relevant to both brain and spinal cord injuries. The ultimate aim of this experimental work is to improve the management and treatment of human CNS injury and disease, leading to better functional recovery and rehabilitation.Read moreRead less
Creating Stem Cell Niches To Repair The Nigrostriatal System
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$837,033.00
Summary
It has been difficult to treat Parkinson's with stem cells because transplants make to few new cells and form tumors. In other organs, specialized locations called niches regulate the division and maturation of stem cells. By making a niche in the brains of animals with experimental parkinsonism we induced the brain to make new nerve cells and repair the parkinsonism. This is important because it shows how to use cell based therapies to treat neurodegenerative disorders. .
Identifying Genetic Pathways Underlying The Development Of Distinct Neuronal Subtypes Among Midbrain Dopamine Neurons.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$462,709.00
Summary
There is an urgent need in the field of Parkinson's disease (PD) research to develop new strategies aimed at halting progression of the disease (neuroprotection) and alleviaing the symptoms (restorative therapy). This project employs a novel and innovative design to identify genes expressed specifically by the cell type most effected in PD and therefore provide new genetic targets for neuroprotective and resorative therapy.
Investigating The Involvement Of Human Derived Astrocytes And Motor Neurons In The Pathology Of Motor Neuron Disease.
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$287,321.00
Summary
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease, which results in the death of nerves that innervate muscle, known as motor neurons. Recent studies using mouse ALS models showed that certain cells that normally support motor neurons may be directly contributing to their death in ALS. We propose to derive ALS-diseased human cells and investigate how these cells may react in ‘normal’ tissue. These studies are clinically relevant in understanding ALS pathological processes.
Regulation And Substrate Identification Of Parkinsons Disease Causative Leucine-rich Repeat Kinase 2 (LRRK2)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$699,456.00
Summary
Parkinson's disease afflicts 100,000 Australians. Mutations in the recently identified enzyme Leucine-rich Repeat Kinase-2 are a common cause of Parkinson's disease. This project will use biochemical methods to understand how this brain enzyme causes disease by investigating its enzymology, modes of regulation, and target substrates that it modifies by addition of phosphate groups. Characterization of this enzyme will facilitate design of inhibitors to slow the course of Parkinson's disease.