Understanding the biochemical basis of motor neurone disease
- Research Opportunity
- PhD students, Honours students, Master of Biomedical Science
- Number of Honour Places Available
- 2
- Number of Master Places Available
- 2
| Primary Supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| A/Prof Peter Crouch | pjcrouch@unimelb.edu.au |
| Co-supervisor | Number | Webpage | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr James Hilton |
Summary The focus of our research is to elucidate the biochemical basis of human disease. We study degenerative conditions of the central nervous system as well as a diverse range of cancers, and our overarching aim is to generate the information needed to help develop and test new therapeutic options and to improve patient outcomes through enhanced disease detection and characterisation. Recent significant achievements include bench-to-clinic translation of a new drug for motor neurone disease and a first of its kind method for imaging cancer.
Project Details
Our team has identified an important biochemical change that occurs in tissue afflicted with motor neurone disease, a fatal disorder of the central nervous system for which effective treatments do not yet exist. Moreover, we have demonstrated that therapeutically targeting this change is protective, and our drug is now in the initial stages of clinical testing. However, a better understanding of how this biochemical change relates to the decline of functional motor neurones is still required. We are therefore examining changes to the abundance and functionality of specific proteins which we can relate to what we currently know about the drug's mechanism of action. An increased understanding of these mechanisms will advance our understanding of the causes of motor neurone disease and also the opportunity for additional therapeutic intervention.Research Opportunities
PhD students, Honours students, Master of Biomedical Science
Students who are interested in joining this project will need to consider their elegibility as well as other requirements before contacting the supervisor of this research
Key Contact
For further information about this research, please contact a supervisor.
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