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12 Headlines First Fellowships Mr James Hucklesby University of Auckland $231,553 Reducing side-effects from stroke treatment James Hucklesby will use his multidisciplinary expertise in neuroscience, cell biology, bioengineering and software development to investigate stroke and other neurological diseases. His recent research showed that plasmin damages the lining of the blood vessels within the brain, whichmay cause further brain damage. Plasmin is an enzymemedication used to dissolve a blood clot during an ischemic stroke. He will use this fellowship to conduct experiments on laboratory-grown cells to investigate whether we can use existingmedications to protect the brain from this plasmin-mediated damage. His research is titled Can the brain microvasculature be protected from the deleterious effects of plasmin during tPA treatment of ischemic stroke? Dr Maize Cao University of Auckland $224,279 All roads lead to RNA Motor neuron disease (MND) is a tragic movement disorder. Finding a treatment that is widely applicable to MND patients is crucial. There are multiple risk factors and variables involved in the disease. However, protein clumps in brain cells and RNA changes are common in most MND cases. This project aims to determine how these two features are linked to the disease to aid the development of broadly-effective therapeutics. Dr Maize Cao is a recent PhD graduate, working with Dr Emma Scotter, head of the Motor Neuron Disease Lab at the University of Auckland. She is also developing a collaboration for New Zealand researchers to access technology at the University of California Irvine (UCI). Her research is titled All roads lead toRNA: TDP-43proteinopathy and transcriptional profile inmotor neuron disease. Conference & Training Course Grants Dr Joanne Lin – AWCBR Treasurer University of Auckland $20,000 Australasian Winter Conference on Brain Research (AWCBR) The AWCBR is the major NZ congress for neuroscience, with a strong Australian presence and other international registrants. The Neurological Foundation has assisted early and emerging career postdoctoral and research fellows to attend AWCBR since its inception. The travel costs of up to 35 students and 12 emerging career postdoctoral and research fellows will be supported by this grant. The main benefits include experience in presentation of their work, gaining feedback, and exposure to progress in the field. Professor Elena Bagley – ACAN Co-Director University of Sydney $14,000 Australasian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN) ACAN is a state-of-the- art, intensive three-week course training the next generation of neuroscientists. Run at The Florey Institute for Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne, students live in and get taught by, and socialise with, the best neuroscientists from around the world. By supporting ACAN, the Neurological Foundation is helping support young New Zealand scientists receive state-of-the- art training in neuroscience. Travel Grants UNIVERSITY OF CANTERBURY Dr Angus Lindsay $4,500 European Society of Muscle Research Conference in Florence, Italy Mr Danyon Stitt $2,995 European Society of Biomechanics conference in Maastricht, Netherlands Miss Eloise Gooch $1,950 International Association of Communication Sciences and Disorders Conference in Auckland, New Zealand UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO Dr Ashik Banstola $4,500 International Basal Ganglia Society (IBAGS) conference in Stockholm, Sweden Dr Indranil Basak $4,500 2023 Lysosomal Diseases Gordon Research Conference in Barcelona, Spain Dr Sarah Perry $3,920 International Dysphagia Research Society Annual Meeting in San Francisco, California Dr Hollian Phillipps $2,513 Annual British Society of Neuroendocrinology (BSN) meeting 2023 in Exeter, UK Inset: Last year’s ACAN students: the next generation of neuroscientists