Brain Matters

The Neurological Foundation is taking their researchers on the road to bring awareness to the many different areas and conditions of the brain, and how research is currently being conducted on understanding the brain better.

Dr Ruth Monk is a recent PhD graduate who received a Neurological Foundation Postgraduate Gillespie scholarship to complete their PhD with Professor Bronwen Connor in the Centre for Brain Research at the University of Auckland.

In their PhD, Ruth used the unique cell reprogramming technique of Professor Bronwen Connor’s lab to convert adult human skin cells into brain cells. Ruth’s PhD research focused on using these converted brain cells from individuals with Huntington’s disease to study the mechanisms underlying this genetic neurodegenerative disorder.

Ruth is now working as a post-doctoral research fellow with Professor Maurice Curtis in the Centre for Brain Research on a Parkinson’s drug discovery project. They intend to use their expertise in establishing patient-derived brain cell models to develop a unique model for studying and developing treatments against the first signs of Parkinson’s disease that occur at the entry point to the brain.

Free entry, please register on neurological.org.nz/bm-kerikeri