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8 Headlines $2.4m awarded to WORLD CLASS BRAIN RESEARCH We are once again thrilled to share with you the latest potentially life-changing research projects to receive Neurological Foundation funding in our bi-annual grant round. New studies into motor neuron disease, Huntington’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis are just some of the important research projects we are proud to support. In total $2.4m was awarded, a significant investment in New Zealand’s world-class neurological research community that will also help to support the development of outstanding medical professionals with an interest in neurology. Project Grants Dr Erin Cawston, University of Auckland A tale of two tau assays – is old better than new? $53,479 A cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of two plasma total tau assays in samples from the New Zealand Dementia Prevention Research Clinics over the Alzheimer’s disease continuum. Aotearoa New Zealand’s population is aging. The Dementia Prevention Research Clinics (DPRCs) are a longitudinal study that aims to improve understanding of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and dementia in Aotearoa, to develop interventions that delay or prevent the progression of less- severe memory problems to dementia. A key objective is to identify a “biomarker signature” that predicts progression from mild cognitive impairment to AD and is detectable in preclinical stages of disease. The DPRCs are investigating blood biomarkers to aid in the prediction, diagnosis, and progression of AD, through international collaboration and the use of cutting-edge technologies. Professor Bronwen Connor, University of Auckland Investigating the role of Rhes and Hap1 in Huntington's disease using cell reprogramming $305,598 Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterised by the expression of mutant huntingtin protein (mHtt) and the selective degeneration of medium- sized spiny neurons (MSNs) in the striatum. It is unclear what is unique about the striatum that causes its selective vulnerability in HD. We will investigate whether two proteins found in the striatum, Hap1 and Rhes, are altered in HD causing mHtt to become toxic and selectively kill MSNs. This will be achieved for the first time using live HD patient- derived MSNs. This project will enhance our understanding of HD and the long-standing mystery surrounding selective MSN death in HD. Dr Melanie McConnell, Victoria University of Wellington Funded by Merrill Holdsworth Immune phenotypes of a new glioblastoma pre-clinical model $185,233 Glioblastoma, or grade IV primary brain cancer, is a devastating diagnosis. There are few options for therapy, but immunotherapy, the activation of the patient's own immune system to eliminate the tumour, is a very appealing option. However, immunotherapy has not yet been successful in glioblastoma, because we haven't been able to study in detail how the cancer cells interact with the immune cells. We have developed a new model of glioblastoma that integrates key biological components of glioblastoma cells with a fully functional immune system. We will characterise this model to see how well it can work.