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Grant Round 2023A We are thrilled to announce the recipients of $2.3m of research funding in our latest bi-annual grant round. Thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to support eight new projects, four new fellowships, two conferences and 18 travel grants. Once again, we are immensely proud of the world- class neuroscientists and potentially life-changing projects we have been able to fund. We hope you enjoy reading about these important new studies over the following pages. If you’d like to learn more about the successful recipients visit neurological.org.nz/research. 10 Headlines Project Grants Associate Professor Deborah Young University of Auckland $291,428 New therapy investigated for Huntington’s disease Associate Professor Deborah Young has developed a promising new antibody-based therapy with memory-enhancing and neuroprotective properties. This project has received one of the largest grants we have given to a single project, reflecting its significance. Associate Professor Young will investigate the therapy’s potential as a treatment for Huntington's disease, and a way to promote brain resilience. If successful, it could lead to a new class of therapies for various neurodegenerative diseases. Associate Professor Young is the Associate Director of the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. Her project is titled Gaining further insight into the therapeutic potential of a GluN1 antibody treatment. Dr Jennifer Hamilton University of Canterbury $253,097 Targeting the thalamus to improve cognition Many neurological conditions that cause cognitive impairment may involve a region of the brain called the thalamus. The thalamus is a relatively small but complex brain structure that controls abilities such as flexible thinking and learning new information. This study will selectively disrupt two small structures in the thalamus in animal models, with the aim of learning how to optimise thalamic function to improve cognition in various neurological conditions. Dr Hamilton is a Post Doctoral Researcher in the Department of Psychology at the University of Canterbury. Her project is titled Targeting the brain's thalamus to improve cognition. Dr Tanya Cully University of Otago $239,498 Testing a potential new drug for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy There is no cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD), a devastating, fatal disease that causes progressive muscle weakness and declining heart function. This project will test a potential drug treatment to improve skeletal and heart muscle function in a model of DMD. The production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) has been shown to be increased in dystrophic muscle. The researchers will test ROS inhibitors, combined with current standard medication for DMD. Dr Cully is a Lecturer in the Department of Physiology at the University of Otago. The research is titled Inhibition of Nox4 ROS in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. Dr Daniel Conole University of Auckland $141,176 Inching toward new treatments for incurable neurodegenerative diseases Neuroinflammation plays a central role in various incurable neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's. Finding ways to inhibit this inflammation could lead to potential new drug treatments. Dr Daniel Conole will screen a special compound library for potential neuroinflammation inhibitors, using a state-of-the-art high-throughput screening facility at the University of Auckland’s Centre for Brain Research. Uncovering new compounds could reveal promising starting points for future neurodegenerative disease drugs. Dr Conole is a Senior Research Fellow at the Auckland Cancer Society Research Centre. His research is titled Phenotypic screening with covalent fragments to discover new modulators of neuroinflammation.