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Headlines 13 Dr Jiney Jose, University of Auckland Development of high-grade glioma targeted therapy to address tumour heterogeneity and recurrence $253,257 High-grade glioma affects, on average, 36 New Zealanders every year with a dismal five-year survival of 6%, which has only improved marginally in decades. Tumour heterogeneity and the presence of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) limit the efficacy of most chemotherapy agents. This team are designing drug-dye conjugates that can cross the BBB, target multiple pathways affected, and specifically accumulate in tumours. They have already shown one such drug-dye conjugate to cross the BBB and specifically accumulate in brain tumours in an orthotopic glioblastoma model in mice. This strategy delivers desired drug concentration at the tumour site to elicit antitumour activity without the undesired side effects. Assoc Prof Bronwyn Kivell, Victoria University of Wellington Identifying how kappa opioids promote remyelination and recovery in multiple sclerosis $236,500 Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurodegenerative disease with no cure that affects 2.8 million people worldwide, including around 4000 New Zealanders, causing significant long-term disability. Currently, no drugs are available that enable the repair of damaged myelin or promote functional recovery in MS. A recent breakthrough identified that activation of the kappa opioid receptor promoted recovery and repair in MS models of disease. However, it is not known how this occurs. This study aims to find out how kappa opioids enable repair and recovery. This research holds immense potential for developing new drugs to treat MS patients and reduce disability. Prof Ping Liu, University of Otago Therapeutic potential of agmatine for maternal immune activation offspring $291,046 Prenatal exposure to viral infection increases offspring’s risk of developing neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia and autism. The COVID-19 pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has resulted in over 200 million infections worldwide, including pregnant women. Thus, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on offspring will be a critical health issue on a global scale. This project will use the maternal immune activation (MIA) model in rats to assess prenatal and postnatal agmatine treatment on offspring following prenatal exposure of their mothers to a viral mimic. This information may enhance the development of prevention and/or therapeutic strategies for MIA offspring. Prof John Reynolds, University of Otago Novel targeted therapies for Parkinson’s disease using smart drug delivery technology $273,632 This project will investigate a new treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD), designed to improve the stability of PD treatment over time. The missing neurochemical, dopamine, will be replaced by medications enclosed in biological packages and targeted to specific brain areas using ultrasound, to more closely emulate the short, fast changes in dopamine levels that our brains experience in health. This will be compared to conventional dopamine replacement methods to determine if this system will provide effective treatment, while minimising side effects. The aim is to demonstrate the therapeutic value of providing targeted drug therapy to the brain to provide lasting treatment for people living with PD. Dr Margaret Ryan, University of Otago Forgetting to remember: Identifying the early molecular and cellular changes underpinning development of pre-clinical Alzheimer’s disease $233,997 Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating, degenerative disorder affecting the very core of an individual’s personality. It silently develops up to twenty years before any symptoms are detected, during which the brain activates multiple compensatory mechanisms, but which ultimately lead to degeneration. Understanding of these mechanisms at the cellular level is limited and so here, using very recent technological advances in genomics, the teamwill examine these brain mechanisms at this early disease stage. This study will provide an in-depth molecular understanding of the early processes involved and aims to identify critical molecular "stop-signs" to disease development and identify new treatment candidates for this currently untreatable disease. Small Project Grants Dr Scott Graham, University of Auckland Development of highly sensitive and specific cell-based assays for the detection of autoantibodies in neurology patient samples $14,960 Dr Brigid Ryan, University of Auckland Improving health services for people with young onset dementia in Aotearoa: patient, caregiver, and clinician perspectives $14,851 Proudly supported by Dr Tom and Mrs Ann Morris