2003 Grant Recipients

On 31st July 2003, the Brain Foundation awarded the following research grants.

Research into Brain Tumour

Brain Foundation grants for Brain Tumour research have been made possible by the Phyllis Chard Brain Tumour Bequest. The Foundation is grateful for this bequest from the late Phyllis Chard, whose brother Harry Jones died of a brain tumour.

• Chief Investigator: Dr Bryce Vissel, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
  Research: Identifying new molecular targets for treating brain tumour
• Chief Investigator: Dr Jiri Neuzil, Griffith University, Qld
  Research: Vitamin E analogues selectively suppress brain cancer
• Chief Investigator: Dr Regula Briellmann, Brain Research Institute, Victoria
  Co-Investigator: Professor Graeme Jackson
  Research: Dysembryoplastic neuroepithelial tumour: Seizure focus localisation using functional MRI with continuous EEG recording

Research into Schizophrenia

• Chief Investigator: Dr Richard Loiacono, Monash University, Victoria
  Research: Nicotinic receptors in schizophrenia

Research into Degenerative Muscle Disease

• Toy Bequest:
  Chief Investigator:  Dr Sandra Cooper, Children’s Hospital at Westmead
  Co-Investigator: Professor Kathryn North, Children’s Hospital at Westmead
  Research: The role of dysferlin in degenerative muscle disease (muscular dystrophy)

Research into Vertigo

• Toy Bequest:
  Chief Investigator: Dr Swee T. Aw, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, NSW
  Research: Diagnosis and treatment of atypical benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Research into Brain Function and Brain Mapping

• Toy Bequest:
  Chief Investigator: A/Professor James Colebatch, Prince of Wales Hospital
  Co-Investigators: Professor Simon Gandevia, Acting Scientific Director, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Research: A Study of Cortical Activation by Sensory Stimulation using Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)
  
• Golden Bowl Grant:
  Chief Investigator:  A/Professor John Watson, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital
  Co-Investigators: Dr Gary Egan, Howard Florey Institute; A/Professor Jillian Kril, University of Sydney
  Research: In vivo mapping of anatomically distinct functional regions of the human cerebral cortex using high-resolution magnetic resonance imaging

Research into Blindness

• Toy  Bequest:
  Chief Investigator: Professor Minas Coroneo, Prince of Wales Hospital
  Co-Investigators: A/Professor John Morley, UNSW; Dr Vivek Chowdhury
  Research: Cortical neuroprosthesis to restore visual perception to blind patients (blindness – bionic eye)

Research into Migraine

• Toy Bequest:
  Chief Investigators: Dr Geoff Lambert, Prince Henry Hospital and Dr Sandrino Zagami, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Research: Craniovascular nociception and its mediation by nitric oxide and the neuropeptide calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP)

Research into Stroke and Migraine

• Coulson Estate Bequest:
  Chief Investigator:  Professor Lyn Griffiths, Genomics Research Centre, Griffith University, Qld
  Co-Investigators: Dr Rodney Lea, Institute for Molecular Systematics, Victoria University of Wellington, NZ; A/Professor John MacMillan, Royal Children’s Hospital Health Service, Qld
  Research: Migraine and Stroke: Are there common risk genes?

Research into Stroke

• North West Golden Bowl Grant:
  Chief Investigator:  Dr Mark Parsons, John Hunter Hospital, Newcastle
  Co-Investigator: Dr Christopher Levi, Dept of Neurology, John Hunter Hospital
  Research: Acute stroke: imaging the ischaemic penumbra with perfusion CT
  
• Suelyn Grey Memorial Grant:
  Chief Investigator:  A/Professor Marcus Stoodley, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Co-Investigators: Professor Michael Morgan, Dept of Neurosurgery, RNSH; Dr James Tu, Senior Lecturer, PoWMRI; Dr Robert Smee, Radiation Oncology, PoW Hospital
  Research: Endothelial molecular changes after radiation of arteriovenous malformations
  
• Young Estate Bequest:
  Chief Investigator: A/Professor Neville Knuckey, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital, WA
  Co-Investigator: Dr Bruno Meloni, Dept of Neurosurgery, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital
  Research: Does increased activity of the sodium/calcium exchanger (NCX) ion channel protect the brain from stroke?
  

Research into Parkinson’s Disease

• Hennessy, Keller, Smith, Vacher Bequests:
  Chief Investigator: Dr Matthew Piggott, Australian National University
  Co-Investigator: Dr Jonathan Brotchie, Toronto Western Research Institute, Canada
  Research: Analogues of MDMA ("Ecstasy") as potential therapeutic agents for the treatment of Parkinson's disease
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr Dominic Rowe, Royal North Shore Hospital
  Co-Investigator: Dr David Brazier, Dept of Radiology, RNSH
  Dr Ron Shnier, National Director Diagnostic Imaging, Mayne Health
  Research: Three tesla inversion recovery magnetic resonance imaging in the diagnosis of Parkinson's disease
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr Nicholas Cordato, University of Sydney
  Research: The distribution of cortical and subcortical atrophy in progressive supranuclear palsy and Parkinson's disease
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr Jasmine Henderson, University of Sydney
  Co-Investigator: Dr Michael Kassiou, Dept of PET and Nuclear Medicine, RPAH
  Research: Trishomocubanes - potential neuroprotective drug therapies for Parkinson's disease
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr Andrew Gundlach, Howard Florey Institute, Victoria
  Co-Investigator: Dr Jasmine Henderson, University of Sydney
  Research: Role of the insulin-like peptide-3 (INSL3)/LGR8 receptor system in function/survival of key thalamic nuclei damaged in Parkinson's disease and progressive supranuclear palsy
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr John Kwok, Garvan Institute of Medical Research / St Vincent’s Hospital
  Co-Investigator: Professor Peter Schofield, Garvan Institute of Medical Research
  Research: Role of tau in late-onset Parkinson's disease
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr Wayne Reid, Prince of Wales Medical Research Institute
  Co-Investigators: Professor Glenda Halliday, PoWMRI; Dr Mariese Hely, Dept of Neurology, Westmead Hospital; Professor John Morris, Dept of Neurology, Westmead Hospital
  Research: Neuropsychological changes in Parkinson’s disease, a longitudinal study
  
• Chief Investigator: Professor Anne Cunningham, Sydney Children’s Hospital
  Research: New Therapies for Neurological Injuries and Diseases Based on Neural Stem Cells
  
• Chief Investigator: Dr George Mellick, Princess Alexandra Hospital / University of Queensland
  Co-Investigators: Professor David Le Couteur, Centre for Education and Research on Ageing, Concord Hospital; Dr Peter Silburn, Princess Alexandria Hospital, Qld; Professor Beth Newman, Qld University of Technology; Dr Michael Dunne, Qld University of Technology
  Research: Cigarette-smoking, genetic risk factors and the aetiology of Parkinson's Disease: an examination of gene-environment interactions