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14 Headlines First Fellowship Dr Georgia Lenihan-Geels, Victoria University of Wellington Defining the role of immunometabolism in neurological disease Mentor: Professor Anne La Flamme $212,920 Neurological diseases, including multiple sclerosis (MS) and Alzheimer's disease, are characterized by infiltration of immune cells across the blood–brain barrier that promote inflammation and neurodegeneration. Recent research has shown that immune cell metabolism is tightly linked to immune cell function and can influence the immune response. We aim to determine the metabolic characteristics of activated immune cells in the blood of MS patients to determine their influence on disease pathology and neurological function. The findings of this research will improve our understanding of the interplay between the immune system and metabolism, and how this influences the brain and neurological disease. O’Brien Clinical Fellowship Ms Zay Melville, University of Auckland VIIIth Cranial nerve involvement in peripheral neuropathy Mentors: Dr Rachael Taylor, Associate Professor Richard Roxburgh $96,798 The VIIIth cranial nerve receives sensory input from the hearing and balance organs. However, there is limited research on how the balance system is affected in sensory neuropathies, which commonly have balance symptoms, and how this differs between diseases. Individuals with an inherited sensory neuropathy will undergo assessment of all five balance organs to determine common VIIIth nerve abnormalities and disease- specific clinical features. The results of this study will be used to inform clinical practice, guide rehabilitation, and contribute to future research design, using the outcomemeasures as non- invasive alternatives to track disease progression and prognosis. Conference and Training Course Grants Professor Elena Bagley Australian Course in Advanced Neuroscience $14,000 Dr Teddy Wu Stroke Society of Australasia Annual Scientific Meeting 2022 $8,713 Senior Research Fellowship Dr Angus Lindsay, University of Canterbury Oestrogen and progesterone therapy to prevent stress-induced mortality in Duchenne muscular dystrophy Mentor: Associate Professor Steven Gieseg $223,931 Severe side-effects accompany long-term use of common treatments for patients with a severe neurological disease called Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Evidence in a mouse model of DMD suggests stress pathways inhibited by a common treatment, glucocorticoid therapy, impairs an individual’s ability to regulate blood pressure, increasing the risk of sudden death. A major contributor to this blood pressure response are female sex hormones. This project aims to improve blood pressure regulation using female sex hormone-based therapies in a DMD mouse model. This could revolutionise clinical treatment for DMD patients and reduce the risk of severe side-effects, including sudden death. Travel grants Miss Elizabeth Cooper, The University of Auckland European Association for Neuro- oncology & Cancer Research UK conference/lab visit $4,500 Dr Amy McCaughey-Chapman, The University of Auckland To attend the intensive advanced Neuroscience course at the MBL, Neurobiology: Mechanisms and Advanced Approaches $4,500 Dr Sarah Perry, University of Otago Christchurch Attendance at the Christchurch spirometry training course $580 Dr Duncan Smyth, University College London Presentation of research project findings at the Peripheral Nerve Society Annual Meeting $3,505 Dr Molly Swanson, The University of Auckland Topresent Fellowshipwork at the AustralasianWinter Conference onBrain Research inQueenstown, August 2022 $1,556