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DOCTORAL SCHOLARSHIPS Mikayla Chetty, supervised by Dr Amy Smith, Dr Rebecca Johnson and Professor Michael Dragunow, University of Auckland Alzheimer’s disease $166,174 In Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the blood-brain barrier (BBB) becomes dysfunctional, and the brain becomes inflamed. Mikayla will develop a model in the lab using human cells, to look at how the brain’s immune cells (microglia) are involved in brain inflammation and BBB dysfunction, to guide future treatments for AD. Benjamin Watkin, supervised by Professor Michael Dragunow, Dr Justin Rustenhoven, Dr Thomas Park and Dr Jena Macapagal Foliaki, University of Auckland Glioblastoma $166,174 This research focuses on the aggressive brain cancer glioblastoma, and how it spreads. Benjamin will analyse patient samples and use advanced lab models to uncover how glioblastoma invades healthy brain tissue. This understanding could lead to new treatment options which are especially needed in New Zealand, where glioblastoma is a leading cause of cancer-related deaths. Jean Yu Lim, supervised by Dr Amy Smith, Professor Michael Dragunow and Dr Hilary Sheppard, University of Auckland Dementia $166,174 Dementia is a disorder of ageing, but we don’t fully understand the difference between normal and diseased aging. By exploring the mechanisms behind premature cell aging, we may be able to safeguard the brain from neurodegeneration. This project will use human brain cells and tissue to understand more about the abnormal ageing of microglia in dementia. SUMMER STUDENTSHIPS Each worth $8500 Stanley Cardon Supervised by Dr Helen Murray, University of Auckland Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy Stanley’s project is looking at brain inflammation in Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which is linked to repeated head trauma such as knocks to the head in sport. Stanley is a Biomedical Science Honours student at the University of Auckland, with experience playing representative-level cricket and rugby. Jordan Doran Supervised by Associate Professor Louise Bicknell, University of Otago Neurodevelopmental disorders Jordan’s project is looking at how mutations in the CRNKL1 gene can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD), such as ADHD, dyslexia and autism. Jordan is a Bachelor of Science student at the University of Otago, who has a personal interest in NDD. Daniel Lavin Supervised by Dr Simon OCarroll, University of Auckland Spinal cord injury Daniel’s project, based at the Centre for Brain Research, is looking at how a gene called Bach2 is involved in inflammation after spinal cord injury. Currently a medical student at the University of Auckland, he also has a Bachelor of Science with Honours from the University of Otago. Amy Pollard Supervised by Professor Ping Liu, University of Otago Paediatric neurological disorders Amy is in her final year of a Bachelor of Science, majoring in neuroscience. She will investigate treatments for babies exposed to viral infections in the womb, which can increase the risk of neuropsychiatric conditions in children. TRAVEL AND TRAINING GRANTS Travel grants totalling $28,003 have been awarded to help our brain researchers present at international conferences and bring back cutting-edge knowledge to their teams. This includes a $5000 grant from the Hackett Memorial Trust. Congratulations to the eight researchers who received travel grants, who will be traveling to Denmark, the USA, Australia, and the Netherlands. The full list is published on our website. Headlines 15