Research Topics

My research program investigates the molecular & cellular pathways affected in neurodegeneration, using novel visualisation techniques, advanced molecular tools, and innovative approaches.

Some of the main research streams are:

• Mechanisms of neurodegeneration
• Glial interaction in the Central Nervous System
• Aggregation mechanisms in diseases such as MND
• Phase separation and condensation
• Drug delivery in the CNS

As part of the MND Research Centre at Macquarie University, a major focus in the lab is to better understand how the hallmark protein TDP-43 aggregates in disease and what drives it mislocalisation out of the nucleus into the cytoplasm. We have developed one of the first in-vivo models that allows the characterisation of TDP-43 aggregation in the zebrafish spinal cord. It is basically a live-stream into the nervous system. We utilise our platform to answer some fundamental questions that can’t currently be answered in other models.

For example, two key questions in the MND field are how disease aggregates mislocalise within a neuron and how they distribute through the CNS. My lab has developed several novel techniques (incl. laser ablation and live imaging protocols) to accurately monitor the degeneration process of motor neurons in the spinal cord and its impact on surrounding cells. These techniques provide the foundation for my ongoing research program: studying the mislocalisation of disease aggregates (intracellularly) and their fate after neuron degeneration (spread of disease).

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We use a range of techniques and approaches to answer important research questions.
Some examples are:

Proteomics