Genetic scientists from Harvard present latest discoveries

Genetic scientists from Harvard present latest discoveries

Two visiting genetic scientists from Harvard will reveal the latest research into genetics in nervous system disorders next month.

Renowned genetic scientists and Harvard University collaborators, Professor James Gusella and Professor Marcy MacDonald, will be visiting the Centre for Brain Research (CBR) at the University of Auckland as Freemasons Travelling Scholars.

They will host a public lecture on nervous system disorders at the Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences onTuesday 22 March.

The public lecture will outline the role that an individual’s genetic makeup plays in the development of nervous system disorders and how certain gene mutations can allow us to predict developmental degenerative disorders.

Dr James Gusella is a Bullard Professor of Neurogenetics in the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School and Director of the Harvard Medical School Center for Neurofibromatosis and Allied Disorders.

His research – which spans three decades - is centred on the identification of the genes involved in a variety of nervous system disorders and understanding the manner in which these diseases develop.

Dr Marcy MacDonald is a Professor of Neurology at the Harvard Medical School and Geneticist (Neurology Service) at the Massachusetts General Hospital.

Professor MacDonald’s lab focuses on gene mutations and the inherited component of neurodegenerative diseases. Her two main research interests are Huntington’s disease and Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis (NCLs).

Professors MacDonald and Gusella were invited by members of the University of Auckland’s Neurogenetics Group; a neuroscience team led by Professor Russell Snell in collaboration with the Centre for Brain Research.

The Neurogenetics Group seeks to develop model systems to investigate how neurological disorders progress at a molecular level, and ultimately screen and test potential therapies. The group’s research into Huntington's disease and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism sparked the interest of Professors MacDonald and Gusella which ultimately led to an ongoing collaboration.

A keen interest in Autism Spectrum Disorders led Professor Snell, Rutherford Fellow Dr Jessie Jacobsen and several other members of the CBR to fund Minds for Minds, a research network set up to find the causes of autism in order to help with diagnosis and contribute to the development of treatment options.

Minds for Minds has become a platform for those working on autism in New Zealand to meet, share ideas, resources and build effective collaborations.

The Centre for Brain Research and Minds for Minds acknowledge the contribution of Freemasons New Zealand and The Freemasons NZ Charity for facilitating and supporting the continuous exchange of inter-faculty academic and scientific excellence.

Public Lecture, Tuesday 22 March 2016 from 6-7pm at the Auckland Medical Research Auditorium Room: 505-011, University of Auckland, Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, 85 Park Road, Grafton, Auckland. There will be plenty of free parking on the day.
RSVP is essential at www.eventbrite.co.nz/

ENDS

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