The Florey

What does hope look like for the future of dementia research? According to Professor Scott Ayton, Research Lead of our Dementia Mission, after many decades, the tide is finally starting to turn. "We are starting to see progress that is reshaping how we diagnose, treat, and understand this cruel disease." In his new op-ed, Professor Ayton writes of the hope that improved diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and the advent of current and future dementia treatments brings. Read it here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gbvus7Zq

Season's greetings from all of us at The Florey. 🎄 The Florey will be closed for the holiday period and will return on 6th January 2025. We're finishing off another year of impact, innovation and exciting discoveries, and would like to thank you for making the important work that we do possible. We wish you and your loved ones a joyous holiday season.

When John was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and Annemarie became his full-time caregiver, they had to let many dreams go. Through her story, Annemarie sees the dire need for more research into how we treat and diagnose dementia sooner. “Imagine if we could have more time before this horror disease strikes the way it does.” Learn ways you can support dementia research through our summer appeal ➡️ florey.edu.au/more-time

Congratulations to Dr Azin Amin and Dr Nirma Perera for receiving 2025 funding from MND Australia. ➡️ Dr Amin from our Motor Neurone Disease Group will be developing an innovative therapy using peptides, designed to enter the brain, target motor neurons and restore autophagy. ➡️ Dr Perera will examine how a type of glial cells called “astrocytes” handle waste in autophagy, helping astrocytes provide better support to nerve cells, live healthier and thereby longer. We also congratulate Dr Sophia Luikinga, soon continuing her work at The University of Queensland, who will assess lipids unique to people living with MND that can then be communicated with specialists to be a biomarker for the disease. We are extremely proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing their research lead to more breakthroughs in the field of MND research. Read about our ongoing research into MND: https://lnkd.in/gZzp9ViM

"The motivation is especially important, and even more because of my grandma." Patricia Wongsodirdjo is a PhD candidate working in The Florey's Dementia Mission. But her interest in drug development started in high school, when Patricia's family became caretakers of her great aunt, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. Since then, Patricia has dedicated her research towards finding new ways for treatments to target Alzheimer's disease. 🔗 Read her full story: https://lnkd.in/gAC5nkjf ➡️ Make a donation to support dementia research: florey.edu.au/more-time #TheFlorey #MoreTimeWithThem #neuroscience #dementia #Alzheimersdisease Music: "Scott Buckley - Childhood" under a Creative Commons (BY 3.0) license.

We congratulate Professor Akhter Hossain, Professor Robin McAllen and Dr Niamh Moriarty, recipients of the 2024 National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Ideas Grants, and Professor Ross Bathgate, recipient of the Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant. The Australian Government's support of critical medical research is what allows us to continue shaping the future of treating brain and mental health conditions. This funding will support a number of Florey research projects into: 👉 The role of relaxin in regulating inflammation, led by Professor Bathgate. 👉 A peptide to treat constipation, led by Professor Hossain. 👉 Grafts that could revolutionise Parkinson's disease treatment, led by Dr Moriarty. 👉 A small area of the brain that regulates the body's responses to infection, by Professor McAllen. Learn more about our winning projects: https://lnkd.in/e7BS8fPq

We've officially kicked off our matched giving campaign! Dementia is one of Australia's biggest healthcare challenges. Our summer fundraising campaign is dedicated to preserving the life and stories behind every dementia diagnosis. Thanks to the generosity of a donor, every donation we receive for the next 24 hours will be matched towards dementia research. Today only, have your donation matched to make twice the difference. Every contribution makes a difference. Your gift can help accelerate the development of life-changing treatments and therapies through dementia research. If we don't achieve a breakthrough, nearly 1.1 million Australians will be affected by 2058. Help us drive groundbreaking research and double your impact now! ➡️ https://lnkd.in/enFipAFa

What are some ways we can improve our memory retention? 💡 Professor Lucy Palmer, Head of The Florey's Neural Networks Group, authored a study that suggests using the brain’s ability to use multiple senses at once can help in memory retention. For example, focusing on a password and turning to other senses, “such as creating a visual image of the password or singing it out loud". Professor Palmer and her team currently investigate how sensory processing can help improve our understanding of conditions where sensory processing is impaired – such as schizophrenia or autism. 🔗 Read more: https://lnkd.in/gKUT-6Ck

It's here! Say hello to The Brain Matters Podcast. 🎙️ Our new podcast brings together brain researchers, doctors and people with first-hand experience to have honest conversations about the past, present and future of brain health. In our first episode, we discuss the reality of life with dementia and the promising future of diagnosis and treatments. Featuring: 💬 Annemarie, whose husband, John, was diagnosed at the age of 61 💬 Dr Rebecca Nisbet from The Florey 💬 Associate Professor Nawaf Yassi from The Royal Melbourne Hospital Brought to you by The Florey, hosted by Dr Shane Huntington OAM. Available now wherever you get your podcasts! Listen here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/gFvYnvAe

The first episode of Brain Matters, The Florey's new podcast, is launching tomorrow! Stay tuned on Spotify, Apple, and wherever you get your podcasts. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/gFvYnvAe #TheFlorey #neuroscience #brainhealth