Neurosciences - Scientific Review
The Australian Neuromuscular Research Institute and the Centre for Neuromuscular and Neurological Disorders will host a Scientific Review of their research.
This free event will he held at the ANRI, 4th floor, A Block, QEII Medical Centre
on Wednesday 21 October 2009 from 8.30 - 12 pm
for more details contact Leah at reception on 9346 2818 or download the brochureby clicking the link below:
$1 million dollars towards research
Professors Wilton and Fletcher have been awarded $1 million, National Institutes of Health funding to continue
work into treating Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy.
British expert Professorr Kay Davies has described the work as "the most important work into a treatment for DMD in
the world", when she recently visited Perth.
Paul Harris Medal
Professor Wilton (pictured wearing his medal with Mr John Hollingshead) was given the great honour of receiving the Paul Harris Fellowship in appreciation of “tangible and significant assistance for the furtherance of better understanding and friendly relations among peoples of the world” by the Rotary Foundation of Rotary International.
Rotary has been a continued supporter of the research at the ANRI providing much needed funding for core support, salaries, research equipment and clinical support for many years.
ANRI hosts overseas students
The ANRI is pleased to be able to assist in the training of overseas scientists and clinicians by offering them placements within the Institute.
Dr Arada Rojana-Udomsart, (left) a Neurologist from Thailand is here to study Parkinson’s disease under the guidance of Professor Frank Mastaglia.
Dr Nihal Kucuk, (right) a neurologist from Turkey, will be at the Institute for three months studying movement disorders at the Neuromuscular Clinic.
Dr Joyce Joseph, (middle) Clinician, is from Malaysia and is studying cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis.
Perth’s first dedicated Clinical Neurosciences Research Facility
Thanks to a kind and generous donation by the Sarich family, the ANRI and the Centre-of-Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, can look forward to a new home in 2011.
A four-level facility will be built for clinical neuroscience research, forming part of the new $360 million medical research precinct planned for the QEII Medical Centre Site.
Mr Sarich said “He was delighted to be able to contribute to the new facility which will enable more Western Australians to benefit from breakthroughs in treatments into conditions including head injuries, brain tumours, epilepsy and spinal problems. It will also work to address the heavy burden of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease that affects our community today”.
It is also very gratifying to report that our association with the Centre-of-Excellence for Alzheimer's Disease Research and Care, and its Director Professor Ralph Martins has continued to grow, with sharing of facilities and joint research projects and PhD students, and has now been formalised through a Memorandum-of-Understanding between the two Institutions. Our two organisations are also actively cooperating in the planning and design of the new Clinical Neuroscience Research Institute at the Queen Elizabeth II Medical Centre which, when completed in 2011/12, will provide a new home for both the CNND/ANRI and the Alzheimer’s Disease Centre-of-Excellence.
Another step toward a treatment for McArdle’s disease
McArdle's disease is an inherited muscle disease resulting in exercise intolerance, premature fatigue, muscle pain and weakness. It is caused by the absence of the muscle form of an enzyme called phosphorylase.
A unique model of McArdle's disease has been found in sheep in Western Australia and Professor Howell and his colleagues have been investigating treatments in these sheep which might then be tested in humans.
In an exciting advance, they have found a compound which when given in a simple syrup resulted in the expression of other forms of phosphorylase which were active within some of the diseased muscle fibres. They are now planning to test a longer acting form of the compound, and if this is equally successful an application may be made for clinical trials to be conducted in England where one of Professor Howell’s colleagues operates a clinical centre for the treatment of McArdle's disease in humans.
Clinical Trials underway- a promising treatment for DMD
Exon Skipping trials.
Antisense compounds, developed by Professor Steve Wilton's Molecular Genetic Therapies Group, to address human dystrophin mutations have been licensed to AVI Biopharma for clinical development. Phase 1 of the clinical trial undertaken in the UK using a compound for the treatment of Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DMD) developed by an international team of investigators that included Professor Steve Wilton has yielded promising results.
The study involved injecting the compound into a muscle in the foot of a DMD affected boy and a quantity of a salt solution into the corresponding muscle on the other foot. Three to four weeks later, each injected muscle was examined for evidence of dystrophin production. Results showed the compound injected foot muscles produced dystrophin in all participants, and that the amount produced correlated with the injected dose. All participants tolerated the compound well, and there were no significant adverse reactions related to its administration. Biopsies from muscles injected with the higher dose of test drug showed an unequivocal, widespread and robust response in terms of number of dystrophin positive muscle fibers. A systemic (intravenous) delivery and a study to develop exon skipping for other diseases will now be investigated.
Society of Western Australian Neuroscience
The 25th SWAN was held at the NCWA on Friday 19 September.
Attended by 70 Neuroscientists, this event was once again to great success.
The Rt Hon. The Lord Mayor, Lisa Scaffidi, attended the meeting and presented the prizes.
Two of which were the Institutes PhD Students, David Putrino and Amanda Meade. Congratulations to them both.
PPMD 17-19 July
Professor Steve Wilton and Mrs Abbie Fall will be attending PPMD meeting in Philadelphia.Bio2008 17-20 June
Professor Wilton and Associate Professor Fletcher attended Bio2008 in San Diego on 17-20 June, chairing a session on New Therapeutic Modalities.
First Class Honors
Congratulations to Catherine Coleman receiving First Class HonorsDistinction Awarded
Congratulations to Dr Graham McClorey who recently attained a distinction for his PhD thesis. This prestigious award is made to only a small amount of the theses passed by the University.
Myology 2008 27-30 May
Professor Steve Wilton gave a Plenary lecture in the auditorium at Myology 2008,
"Splice intervention therapies for muscle diseases", Chairperson, Professor Kevin Flanigan.
Parkinson's Association WA funding
Mr Liam Johhson (PhD Student) has received a grant from the Parkinson's Association of WA to undertake a project into the benefits of Pilates for those suffering from Parkinson's Diease.Neuro 2008
The Neuro2008 is a FREE information session for Carers, Health Professionals and people with a neurologicial condition.
This year the Neuro2008 will be held on 22 August on 4th Floor, A Block, QEII Medical Centre, Verdun Street, Nedlands.
Programme
0830 – 0900 hrs Morning coffee and welcome
0900 – 0930 hrs Professor Ralph Martins - Alzheimer’s Disease
0930 – 1000 hrs Clinical Professor Graeme Hankey - Stroke
1000 – 1030 hrs Dr Bill Carroll - MS treatments
1030 – 1100 hrs MORNING TEA – PROVIDED
1100 – 1130 hrs Dr Julian Rodrigues - Parkinson’s disease
1130 – 1200 hrs Dr Isabella Taylor - Refractory Epilepsy Clinic
1200-1230 hrs Dr Peter Silbert - Changes to state-wide neurological services for the community
1230 – 1330 hrs LUNCH – PROVIDED
1330 – 1400 hrs Professor Sarah Dunlop - The ‘Move Again Program’ for spinal injury (MAP)
400 – 1430 hrs Dr Christopher Lind - When can deep brain stimulation help?
430 – 1500 hrs A/Professor Gary Thickbroom - New approaches to improving brain plasticity
500 – 1520 hrs Mrs Sue Walters - What the ANRI clinics can offer the community
1520 Closing remarks
18th Combined Biological Sciences Meeting
The ANRI is once again proud to sponsor the 18th Combined Biological Sciences Meeting to be held at the University Club, Crawley on Friday 29th August 2008.
This full-day scientific meeting will embrace all basic and applied biological sciences. Further, it provides suppliers of scientific equipment and services a unique opportunity to promote their goods and services to a broad spectrum of young scientists working in Western Australia.
For more details on sponsorship options and registration details see http://www.cbsm.uwa.edu.au
World Muscle Society Meeting
Professor Wilton has been invited to give a plenary lecture a the World Muscle Society Meeting to be held in Newcastle England 29 Sept – 2 October 20082007 Annual Report
Once again it is a great pleasure to present the Annual Report on the activities of the Australian Neuromuscular Research Institute and the Centre for Neuromuscular & Neurological Disorders. A year which marked the 25th anniversary of the Institute.
The report provides a summary of our progress and of the major achievements of our students and staff over the past twelve months, as well as details of awards, scientific achievements, publications, and collaborations with national and international colleagues.
Click Here to Download the Annual Report in PDF Format
Media Statement
New genetic 'bandaid' from UWA could alleviate Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Symptoms
After years of dedicated work involving thousands of experiments, researchers from The University of Western Australia have developed ‘genetic bandaids’ that could alleviate symptoms in many patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), the most common and severe childhood form of the muscle-wasting disease.
DMD is a relentlessly progressive muscle wasting disorder, for which there is no cure. There are limited treatment options for DMD, an inherited condition that affects about one boy in 3500 and is usually inherited from the mother. DMD is caused by mutations in the dystrophin gene that corrupt the genetic message and lead to incomplete synthesis of the dystrophin protein.
Professor Steve Wilton, head of UWA’s Molecular Genetic Therapy Group, research fellow Dr Sue Fletcher and their team have designed a panel of antisense medicines that act as ‘bandaids’ to cover the lesions in the dystrophin message. The compounds developed by the UWA group allows the cell machinery to skip over the disease-causing defect and restore production of a shorter, but still functional gene product.
This personalized genetic therapy for DMD is being tested in a clinical trial in the UK in an ongoing international collaboration between the UWA group, MDEX Consortium UK, and AVI Biopharma Inc, the Oregon-based company that manufactured the first test compound.
“The trial is only appropriate for a particular group of DMD patients but will address limited preliminary safety issues and provide first time human proof-of-concept for this type of compound” Professor Wilton said.
“The start of these trials has long been anticipated by the DMD community and researchers, and represents a new phase in finding a treatment for this disease. However, a potential treatment is still some years away and clinicians emphasize the need to continue best current clinical treatment for DMD patients in the interim.”
Professor Wilton, Dr Fletcher and parents and patients affected by DMD are happy to talk to the media about the disease and its treatment.
Media Reference:
Professor Steve Wilton 08 9346 3967
Dr Sue Fletcher 08 9346 3583
Simone Hewett / Sally-Ann Jones +61 8 6488 7977
(UWA Public Affairs) 0420 790 097 / 0420 790 098
Scientific Programme Committee
Professor Howell has accepted an invitation to become a member of the Scientific Programme Committee of the XII International Congress on Neuromuscular Disorders.Combined Biological Sciences Meeting
(17th August 2007) The Institute has enjoyed a close link with the Combined Biological Sciences Meeting for many years with two of our staff members on the Organising Committee.
This years Meeting was a huge success with 175 registrant and an extremely high quality talks from both the invited speakers and students alike.
The invited speakers this year were:
Professor John Mattick, University of Queensland
Dr Anne-Maree Pearce, Water & Environment, Tasmania
Dr Ranjeny Thomas, University of Queensland
Dr Alice Vrielink, Biochemistry& Molecular Biology, UWA
Dr Richard Oliver, Murdoch University
Dr Linfa Wang, CSIRO, Victoria
Key Achievements
- The Molecular Genetic Therapy Group developed a new antisense oligonucleotide therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy. As a result this form of treatment is now about to enter clinical trials in Europe, United Kingdom and North America
- The paper “Dystrophin expression in the mdx mouse after localised and systemic administration of a morpholino antisense oligonucleotide”. Fletcher S, Honeyman K, Fall A, Harding PL, Johnsen R, Wilton SD. Volume 8, Issue 2, February 2006, Pages: 207-216 was number 1 of the 10 most cited articles published in The Journal of Gene Medicine.. The data obtained from Thomson ISI Web of Science®.
- The Stroke Research Group obtained a new 3-year NH&MRC project grant for their work on the mechanisms of neuroprotection by magnesium and hypothermia
- Two new research units were established in 2006: The Molecular Research Unit was set up to provide a broad range of gene screening and genotyping services to research groups both within and outside the Institute and The Molecular Neurobiology Research Unit was set up with funding from the Telethon Foundation and initiated a new programme of studies into the molecular mechanisms of infantile spinal muscular atrophy and familial Parkinson's disease
- Professor Masgalia was asked to join the Advisory Committee for the new State Neurosciences Centre
- Miss Nicola Benwell received a distinction for her PhD thesis on “How the brain adapts to fatiguing muscle exercise”
- Our student numbers reached an all-time high during 2006 with 14 PhD students and six Honours students
- Four Honours students received “1st class” Honours
- 2006 saw the 10th anniversary of the stereotactic functional neurosurgery programme, which incorporates deep brain stimulation. The Clinic continues to work in collaboration with the Department of Neurosurgery at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital on this project
- The ABC science programme “Catalyst” did an intensive story regarding deep brain stimulation for treating dystonia and focussed on the life of one of the Institutes Movement Disorders Clinic patients