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Napier 21 August 2 PM Dr Peter Freestone Alexandra Retirement Village 145 Battery Rd, Napier Dr Peter Freestone will present his research on using light to activate brain cells (optogenetics) to study the brain in ways not previously possible. He currently leads a group applying advanced optogenetic techniques to study the brain networks affected by Parkinson’s disease, in particular, the subthalamic nucleus. This is an important brain region that helps maintain normal movement yet becomes hyperactive in Parkinson’s disease. To RSVP please contact Shona Bayliss on 06 835 3018. Tauranga 29 August 2PM Jena Macapagal Bob Owens Retirement Village 112 Carmichael Rd, Bethlehem, Tauranga Jena Macapagal is currently in the second year of her PhD at the University of Auckland in the Human Neurodegeneration Lab, where her research focuses on Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), an aggressive form of brain cancer. She is investigating pericytes, which are brain cells that maintain a barrier between the blood vessels in the brain and the rest of the body. To RSVP please contact Jan Corbett on 07 579 2519. Auckland 3 September 2PM CatherineWebb Logan Campbell Retirement Village 187 Campbell Rd, Greenlane, Auckland Catherine Webb is in the first year of her PhD in the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland. Catherine will be discussing her latest research into the importance of insulin in healthy versus Alzheimer’s disease brains, which may guide future research into therapies for this common form of dementia. To RSVP please contact Taryn Eagle or Lucy Caldwell on 09 636 3883. Nelson 11 September 2PM Dr Zaid Aqrawe Ernest Rutherford Retirement Village 49 Covent Dr, Stoke, Nelson Dr Zaid Aqrawe completed his PhD at the University of Auckland, on improving bioelectronic devices such as pacemakers and deep brain stimulators. He is currently an O’Brien Clinical Fellow, funded by the Neurological Foundation, working on a collaboration between the University of Auckland and the University of Freiburg, Germany. He will be discussing how these devices can provide a pathway to treat conditions that medications cannot, with a specific focus on their use in spinal cord injury. To RSVP please contact Debbie Edwards on 03 538 0882. Wellington 15 October 2PM Dr Melanie McConnell Shona Macfarlane Retirement Village 66 Mabbey Rd, Avalon, Lower Hutt Dr Melanie McConnell is a leading researcher in neuro-oncology and a senior lecturer in genetics at Victoria University Wellington. Her research is focused on how cancer cells survive stress and how this can be applied towards more effective cancer therapies. Melanie will be presenting some of her recent research which looks specifically at the therapy-resistant brain cancer glioblastoma, and how to use the cells’ energy source to manipulate the survival of cancer cells. To RSVP please contact Jacqui Clarke on 04 567 8725. A Pathway to Hope: Ryman Event Series Headlines 5