An online scientific seminar series focused on motor neurone disease (MND) Research. Hear from national experts and emerging leaders in MND research including the latest clinical trials, drug developments, pre-clinical models, discovery research and collaborative platforms. Learn, connect and share with the Australian MND research community.
For enquiries related to the seminar series, please contact: Dr Sarah Bennett
Axons, the long projections of nerve cells that connect our brain, spinal cord, and muscles, are vulnerable to degeneration in motor neuron disease (MND). However, the mechanisms behind axon degeneration remain poorly understood, due to the unique transcriptomic and proteomic profiles of axons. We are beginning to unravel the complex nature of axon degeneration, which may hold therapeutic potential for treating MND. We are working to understand the mechanisms that drive axon degeneration in MND and have identified a class of molecules that provide some protection to axons in various models of MND, called HDAC inhibitors. This presentation will provide an overview of the outcomes of our preclinical trial on the HDAC6 inhibitor, ACY-738, as well as our current work in understanding the mechanisms that drive axon degeneration in MND.
Dr Andrew Phipps is a lecturer and research fellow at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, and a professional landscape photographer based in Tasmania. Dr Phipps completed his PhD in 2019, during which he developed methods for neuronal isolation to understand how chromatin modifications and DNA methylation change with ageing and how these differ in neurodegenerative diseases. In 2021, he joined Professor Anna King’s laboratory to lead a preclinical drug trial aimed at preventing axon degeneration in MND models. He has since sought to integrate these two areas of expertise to understand the molecular mechanisms driving axon degeneration using NGS and omics approaches, employing novel models of axon degeneration with iPSC-derived neurons.
Dr Anne Hogden, Feb2024