News and Events
Professor Ralph Martins named WA Australian of the Year 2010
Professor Ralph Martins has been named WA Australian of the Year 2010, nominated for his ground breaking research into Alzheimer's disease.
Professor Ralph Martins and his team were the first to discover the beta amyloid protein coating the brain is the foundation of Alzheimer's disease. Professor Martins and his team have been instrumental in bringing a new technology to Perth to determine if patients have deposits of the toxic beta amyloid protein. The team is now working towards developing an early stage diagnostic blood test.
Professor Ralph Martins and his research team
Centre Launch
In September 2006, the Centre was launched by the Premier of Western Australia, at Hollywood Private Hospital.
Launch of the Centre by The Premier of Western Australia.
Front: Premier The Hon. Alan Carpenter, Prof. Bryant Stokes
Back: Prof. Patrick Garnett, Suzi Cowcher, Dr Terry Bayliss, Prof. Kerry Cox, Mr Graeme Prior, Prof. Ralph Martin, Mr Tim Doncon.
Seminars
Seminar series organised in 2009:
- Professor Paul Fraser – University of Toronto, Canada
Alzheimer’s Disease and the Gamma-Secretase Complex
Presentation: 23 November 2009 - Dr. Niels Andreasen – Karolinska University Hospital
Huddinge, Stockholm, Sweden
Practical use of biomarkers in clinical diagnostic of dementia
Presentation: 10 November 2009 - Professor Mary Jo LaDu – University of Illinois, Chicago
Alzheimer’s Disease – the silent epidemic (I lose my keys – is it Alzheimer’s?)
Presentation: 20 March 2009 - Dr. Craig Atwood – University of Wisconsin, U.S.
The Reproductive-Cell Cycle Theory of Ageing
Presentation: 27 February 2009 - Professor Mary Jo LaDu – University of Illinois, Chicago
Structural and Functional Interactions Among ApoE, ApoE Receptors and Ab42
Presentation: 20 February 2009 - Professor Marco Racchi – University of Pavia, Italy
Search of biological markers in Alzheimer's Disease: at the border between diagnostic procedures and physiopatology studies
Presentation: 13 February 2009
Invited Presentations in 2009 (Director):
- Invited to speak at the Glengarry Probus Club, 19th January 2009.
- Invited to speak at a fundraising film night at Margaret River attended by over 200 people.
- Invited to speak at the Wellmens’ Centre evening “Let’s Talk Health” at the Novatel Langley Hotel Perth, March 23rd 2009.
- WA Parliament House February 2nd 2009.
- WA Parliament House (Treasururer, Troy Buswell, Gary Snook & Jim Chown.) February 19th 2009.
- Minster for Health Dr Kim Hames & others March 30th 2009.
- Claremont Nedlands Lions Club May 13th 2009.
- Association of Independent Retirees Dianella June 3rd 2009
- Education Event Oceanic Imaging, RNL Consultancy to Medical Specialists & GP’s June 24th 2009.
- Presentation to GP’s at Margaret River Hospital Jul 31st.
- Presentation at Voyager Wines attended by people from Margaret River Region. August 1st 2009
- Presentation to Freemasons Burswood August 12 2009.
- Presentation 31st Annual Scientific Meeting (ANTA) Burswood August 27 2009.
- Presentation Remede, Mosman Park October 12 2009.
- Presentation and Chair Pfizer Meeting Medical practitioners October 28 2009
- Presentation University of Third Age Joondalup Region. November 9th 2009.
- Presentation Lumen Christie College, Martin. Wednesday November 11 2009.
- Presentation Gosnells Health Support Group 20/11/2009.
- Presentation Belmont Live Life Club November 26 2009.
Seminar series organised in 2008:
- Dr Cassie Richardson – Centre Research Fellow
Risk Factors for the Association between Diabetes Mellitus and Developing Alzheimer’s disease
Presentation: 28 November 2008
- Dr Michael Fenech – CSIRO, Adelaide
A Nutrigenomics approach to prevention of Neurological disease
Presentation: 21 November 2008
- Dr Inna Sleptosva-Fredrich – Centre Research Fellow
Developing and validating a transgenic zebrafish model for Alzheimer’s disease
Presentation: 14 November 2008 - Dr Milan Fiala – UCLA Orthopaedic
Hospital, Los Angeles, U.S.
Immune Biomarkers of early Alzheimer disease
Presentation: 7 November 2008
- Professor Ian Macreadie – CSIRO,
Melbourne
Can yeast help us to understand Alzheimer’s Disease and find new cures?
Presentation: 31 October 2008
- Dr Jeremiah Peiffer – Centre Research Fellow
Changes in body composition following a home-based versus gym-based resistance training program in health older adults
Presentation: 24 October 2008
- Dr Mira Rimajova – Centre Research
Fellow
Imaging biomarkers in preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease
Presentation: 17 October 2008
- Dr Renate Zilkens – Centre Research Fellow
Alzheimer’s disease and dementia in Western Australia: Population based estimates of utilisation of health care services and outcomes
Presentation: 26 September 2008 - Dr Matthew Sharman – Centre Research Fellow
The effect of APOE genotype on the peripheral clearance of beta amyloid in young and old human APOE e2, e3 and e4 knock in mice
Presentation: 12 September 2008 - Dr Kristyn Bates – Post Doctoral Research Fellow, ECU
Immunological-based therapies for Alzheimer’s disease: the active pursuit of a passive approach
Presentation: 29 August 2008 - Professor C.V. Rao – Director & Distinguished
University Scholar Division of Research Dept. Ob, Gyn & Women's
Health, University of Louisville, U.S.A.
Biological and clinical relevance of CNS actions of luteinizing hormone and human chorionic gonadotropin
Presentation: 15 April 2008 - Dr. Michael Lardelli – Senior
Lecturer, University of Adelaide
What can zebrafish tell us about Alzheimer's disease?
Presentation: 2 April 2008 - Dr Olivier Salvado – Team Leader, Biomedical
Imaging, CSIRO
Characterization of Alzheimer's disease using estimation of cortical thickness from MRI, and deposition of amyloid plaques from PET
Presentation: 10 March 2008 - Associate Professor Craig Atwood – University
of Wisconsin-Madison
What can human embryonic stem cells tell us about Alzheimer's Disease?
Presentation: 18 February 2008 - Associate Professor Mary Jo LaDu – University
of Illinois, Chicago
ApoE, Ab, ApoE Receptors and Neuronal Viability
Presentation: 1 February 2008
During 2007 the Centre organised following seminar series that is open to the research and broader community:
- Professor David Smith – Director of Oxford Project
to Investigate Memory and Ageing (OPTIMA), University of
Oxford
Homocysteine and Alzheimer's disease: the story so far
Presentation: 9 November 2007 - Professor Toshiharu Suzuki – Hokkaido University
Alteration of axonal vesicular transport as an event prior to Ab-generation in Alzheimer's disease
Presentation: 19 September 2007 - Professor David Ames – Foundation Chair of Psychiatry of Old Age at St. George’s
Hospital Kew, Melbourne
The Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle flagship study of Ageing – Rationale & Results to date
Presentation: 7 September 2007 - Ms Jade Cartwright – Senior Speech Pathologist, Royal
Perth Hospital
Communication Skills in Dementia
Presentation: 29 June 2007 - Ms Jennifer Grieve – Executive Manager, Hall & Prior
Aged Care Group
Getting Research Into Practise – Hall & Prior at Clarence Estate in Albany
Presentation: 1 June 2007 - Dr K. Jacob Roy – Founder and Chairman Alzheimer’s & related disorders Society of India and elected board member of Alzheimer’s
Disease International
Way forward – An integrated Dementia care in India
Presentation: 1 June 2007 - Dr Kristyn Bates – Post Doctoral Research Fellow, ECU
What’s good for the heart is good for the brain: exploring the link between cardiovascular
health and risk for Alzheimer’s disease
Presentation: 25 May 2007 - Professor Colin Masters – University of Melbourne
and The Mental Health Institute
Towards a Specific Diagnostic and Therapeutic Strategy for Alzheimer’s Disease
Presentation: 30 April 2007 - Dr Christine Toye – Senior Lecturer, ECU
Decisions making relevant to care and support: A foundation study for a program of research
aimed to empower people who have dementia
Presentation: 13 April 2007 - Dr Inna Sleptosva-Fredrich – Centre Postdoctoral Research
Fellow
Developing and validating a transgenic zebrafish model for Alzheimer’s Disease
Presentation: 13 April 2007 - Ms Mandy Vidovich – Centre Research Fellow
A randomised clinical trial of cognitive activity (CA) for older adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
Presentation: 23 February 2007 - Dr Adrian Zentner – Medical Director, National Well Men’s
Clinics and Women Programme
The Role of Testosterone in Female Sexual Health
Presentation: 1 February 2007 - Dr Malcolm Carruthers – Clinical Andrologist and Medical Director of The Men’s
Health centre, Harley St, London
Androgen Deficiency in the Adult Male – Cause, Diagnosis and Treatment
Presentation: 1 February 2007
The following events were organised in 2006:
- Dr Daniel Galvao – Centre Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Physical and Cognitive Exercise in Older Adults: Effects on Physical Function, Body Composition, and Biological Markers for Alzheimer’s Disease
Presentation: 15 December 2006 - Dr Mira Rimajova – Centre Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Multidimensional Approach to enhanced Diagnostics in Alzheimer’s Disease
Presentation: 24 November 2006 - Professor Rob Newton and Professor Ralph Martins
Lifestyle for Prevention and Management of Alzheimer's Disease
Presentation: 23 November 2006. - Dr Renate Zilkens – Centre Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Population based estimates of the utilisation of health care services and health outcomes in people with Alzheimer’s disease living in Western Australia
Presentation: 27 October 2006 - Dr Kevin Barnham - Dept of Pathology, University of Melbourne
Dr Barnham is an internationally recognised leading researcher into drug development for Alzheimer’s disease and the biology of neurodegenerative diseases.
Mechanisms of Abeta Toxicity – Defining Targets for Therapeutic Intervention
Presentation: 9 October 2006 - Associate Professor Laszlo Orban - Principal Investigator, Reproductive Genomics, Temasek Life Sciences Laboratory (An Affiliate of the National University of Singapore and Nanyang Technological University)
Transgenic zebrafish: Current status and potential applicability as a model for Alzheimer's disease.
Presentation: 3 October 2006. - Dr Matthew Sharman – Centre Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Investigating Beta Amyloid Clearance in vivo
Presentation: 29 September 2006.
Link with Major National and International Initiatives in Alzheimer’s Disease
Links with major research initiatives in dementia/Alzheimer’s disease have been formed through the Lead Organisation and are expected to add value to the Centre. Initiatives in 2006 included:
- ECU will be the WA Node of the $10 million, Australian Imaging, Biomarker and Lifestyle (AIBL) Flagship Study of Ageing. The study was established by the CSIRO-led Preventative Health National Research Flagship, and involves Edith Cowan University, the University of Melbourne, Neurosciences Australia and the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria. This three-year study aims to improve understanding of the causes and diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. ECU’s involvement is led by Professor Ralph Martins, and will result in approximately $1 million in research funding over three years.
- The Dementia Collaborative Research Centre – Prevention, Early Intervention and Risk Reduction - established by the Australian Government as part of its Dementia National Health Priority Initiative. This collaborative initiative is led by the Australian National University, and involves Alzheimer’s Australia, University of Canberra, University of Melbourne, University of Queensland and Edith Cowan University. This initiative in Western Australia is again led by Professor Ralph Martins and is expected to begin operations in 2007.
