DOCUMENT

Headlines 17 Professor Valery Feigin, Auckland University of Technology $179,994 Stroke The Stroke Riskometer™ is a free app that can assess an individual’s risk of stroke, heart attack, dementia, and diabetes. This project will use data from more than 500,000 New Zealanders to improve the accuracy of the app for New Zealand’s unique population. It will contribute significantly to current knowledge in stroke prevention and interventions for reducing stroke. Associate Professor Louise Bicknell, University of Otago Dunedin $15,000 Neurological disorders This project focuses on a family of proteins whose genes are involved in multiple neurological disorders. Understanding how these proteins work together in the brain will improve understanding of how they influence disease. This small project grant will provide the evidence needed to develop a new area of study into developmental and neurodegenerative disorders. Dr Maize Cao, University of Auckland $15,000 Motor neuron disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a tragic movement disorder, in which motor neurons, the messengers between brain and muscle, die off. Currently, there are multiple theories on how the motor neurons die. This project will investigate what these theories have in common, and identify common features of ALS that could lead to new therapies. Professor Louise Parr-Brownlie, University of Otago Dunedin $15,000 Parkinson’s disease The standard drug treatment for Parkinson’s disease is levodopa, but 90% of patients develop side-effects of involuntary, uncontrollable movements (dyskinesia) from long-term use. This study will investigate changes in the brain in dyskinesia to improve understanding of why it occurs, so that new treatments can be developed to reduce or prevent it. Dr Jui-Lin (Mickey) Fan, University of Auckland $14,940 Stroke Successful stroke treatment involves restoring blood flow to affected brain regions within hours, which is a significant challenge for New Zealanders living in isolated regions. This study will trial a new treatment to control brain blood flow in patients who are at high risk of stroke. Insights gained from this research could lead to a new stroke treatment that can be delivered inside the ambulance. Dr Matthew Munro, Gillies McIndoe Research Institute $13,480 Brain cancer Meningioma is the most common type of brain tumour, yet there are currently no standard drugs to treat it. This project will test other cancer drugs on meningioma cells donated by patients, to see if any of the common cancer drugs could be used to effectively treat meningioma. Brilliant researchers are sharingknowledge and building international networks courtesyof $65,413 worthofNeurological Foundation travel grants. Attending conferences and events across Europe and the United Kingdom: Lincoln University’s Nicole Spriggs, University of Otago’s Associate Professor Louise Bicknell and Dr Bruce Mockett, and University of Auckland’s Associate Professor Scott Graham, Dr Lola Mugisho, Dr Rebecca Johnson, Dr Kelly Zhou, Alice McDouall, Brooke Hawker and Zay Melville. Gaining and sharing knowledge in the United States and Canada: University of Auckland’s Dr Taylor Stevenson, Dr Maize Cao, Dr James Hucklesby, Dr Bruce Harland and Dr Erin Cawston. Attending the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology (ASNO) 2024 conference in Singapore: University of Auckland’s Dr Thomas Park and Dr Jiney Jose. Attending the European Epilepsy Congress in Rome: neurologist Dr Alexander Berry-Noronha. Attending the Optical Imaging in Neurosurgery course in Boston thanks to a Hackett Memorial Trust Conference and Training Course grant: trainee neurosurgeon Dr Sam Cutfield. Congratulations to them all! TRAVEL GRANTS GROW INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIONS