Research projects funded are from the University of Tasmania's College of Health and Medicine's Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre and the Tasmanian School of Medicine.

Professor Ruth Musgrove from the Menzies Institute forms part of the research team for one successful project, aiming to understand how Parkinson's disease spreads in the brain. The project will use new techniques to gain insight into how it progresses.

Professor Musgrove said the grant funding would enable significant research to be undertaken.

"We've received $530,000 over three years, including salary for members of the team and covering the costs of research," she said.

"It is going to enable us to perform all of the experiments we've outlined in the grant, and we will have the resources to be able to achieve everything we've set out to do."

IN OTHER NEWS:

The project aims to understand what triggers Parkinson's disease, as well as understand how the disease progresses when it changes from one part of the brain to the other.

"The disease presents differently with different symptoms in each diagnosis," Professor Musgrove said.

"As it progresses from one region of the brain where it starts to another, it leads to an increase in the number of and severity of symptoms. By looking at how the disease moves between the two regions, we're hoping to get a better understanding of the process in order to help slow down the disease progression."

Parkinson's disease has a strong prevalence in Tasmania.

"Because we have such a large ageing population it's particularly prominent," Professor Musgrove said.

"We have around 12,000 cases diagnosed in Tasmania - approximately one per cent of the population aged over 60 have the disease."

Professor Musgrove said that some cases have environmental factors that contribute to the disease, but the majority have no known cause.

One of the key areas of research being undertaken is to look into a type of non-neuronal cell called glia, and its potential connection to how the disease spreads.

"We think they may be involved, and one of our biggest aims at the end of the three years is that if those cells are involved, we can target those cells with something therapeutic," Professor Musgrove said.

Support our Empty Stocking Appeal:

The potential therapeutic target is particularly important, given there are no effective treatments or a cure for Parkinson's disease.

"You're just masking something that is deteriorating with time. If we can target progression, you can halt it at that stage - it might not improve, but the earlier you find it the better," Professor Musgrove said.

"It would be an amazing outcome, to be able to give people with Parkinson's disease the hope that their condition may not deteriorate quite as fast, and be able to extend their quality of life.

"It means we can then focus on working towards restoring the functions that people lose."

UTAS College of Health and Medicine executive dean Professor Denise Fassett said the grants funded represented the College's research strengths.

"Congratulations to this year's recipients who have been successful in securing one of these highly competitive grants," she said.

The other successful projects are:

Epigenetic Biomarker Discovery for Cardiovascular Disease Risk Stratification of Women following preeclampsia.

Dr Melton and collaborators will investigate the link between why women who experience preeclampsia during pregnancy have a greater risk of developing cardiovascular disease later in life.

The future in our hands: Screening for preclinical Alzheimer's disease by analysing hand movements.

The project aims to develop a new type of computer screening test that can detect the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease pathology 10-20 years before it has caused any memory symptoms. The test will only take a few minutes and can be completed by people using their home computer or smartphone. This could potentially transform dementia prevention and management worldwide as it will identify 'high risk' individuals for drug trials and preventive interventions at a stage when the brain is still functioning well.

Harnessing the dual roles of pericytes to improve stroke outcomes.

Pericytes are cells that are in the walls of capillaries - the smallest blood vessels. Pericytes control blood flow and help promote recovery after injury. In stroke, pericytes squeeze the capillary shut, limiting the amount of energy getting to the brain. This proposal will use innovative techniques to understand how pericytes limit blood flow and also how we can utilise pericytes to improve brain recovery after stroke. This will allow us to identify new potential treatment options for stroke.

Uncovering oxytocin and vasopressin release and functions with novel optical tools.

The project aims to investigate the roles of specific neurochemicals in the brain during normal behaviour and periods of stress. This will be done with novel technologies developed by a collaborator at the University of Peking and within the research group at the University of Tasmania to visualise the functions of these neurochemicals.

What do you think? Send us a letter to the editor: