Creating Neural Bridges
Novel medical research projects for personalised cancer, treating skin inflammation, diabetes’ impact on the heart, and
creating neural bridges were the recipients of Marsden Grants worth $2.16 million this week.
“This grant validates our research ideas - we’ve convinced people it’s worth a go”, says Dr Darren Svirskis of the
Marsden Grant awarded for work on creating neural bridges. “This will help reinforce interdisciplinary collaborations
between the School of Pharmacy, the Centre for Brain Research and the School of Chemical Sciences.”
The $300,000 funding will support research costs for two PhD students, Zaid Aqrawe and Saiful Azmi, to work on parallel
arms of the project.
Until now, conducting polymers (CPs) have been used to release bioactive molecules in response to non-biologically
derived electrical triggers, says Dr Svirskis.
“We hypothesise that neurotransmitter loaded CPs can function as neural bridges, modifying neuronal action potential
firing patterns and facilitating neuronal communication,” he says. “We propose to develop a glutamate releasing
conducting polymer responsive to the intrinsic electrical activity of neurons.”
“The researchers will culture neurons together with CPs in vitro, forming neural bridges,” he says. “For the first time,
we will study how action potentials in living neurons alter the properties of stimuli-responsive CPs.”
Using these neural bridges, they will determine if the firing of one neuron can trigger a CP to release a
neurotransmitter and subsequently influence the firing rate of a second neuron. The data from this research will provide
a platform to develop new treatment strategies for conditions of abnormal neuronal signalling, such as autism, epilepsy,
nerve injuries and hereditary sensory impairments.
The methods developed in this research could be used to study and manipulate other electrically active cells such as
those found in the heart and gastro-intestinal tract, says Dr Svirskis.
ends