Can Mice Help Us To Understand Complex Brain Disorders?
Seminar/Forum
Davis Auditorium
Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
1g Royal Parade
Despite highly promising preclinical data, the majority of compounds developed to treat brain diseases fail to progress to end stage clinical trials. The reasons behind this failure are multifaceted. The absence of overt biomarkers to monitor response to treatments in real-time and to characterise the translatability of preclinical animal models is a large obstacle. Brain disorders are diagnosed by behavioural criteria and correlates in animal models are approximate and do not reflect methods used in clinical populations.
Emma Burrows, Group leader - Translational Behaviour Laboratory at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health, will discuss recent advances in the use of technology for assessing behavioural changes in mouse models with a focus on direct translation to clinical studies. Emma’s research spans both psychiatric and neurological disorders including Autism Spectrum Disorder, Schizophrenia and Alzheimer’s disease.
No registration is required.
Presenter
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Dr Emma Burrows, Group leader - Translational Behaviour LaboratoryDr Emma Burrows
Group leader - Translational Behaviour Laboratory
Florey Institute of Neuroscience & Mental Health
Dr Emma Burrows leads a laboratory at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health. Her team use innovative technologies to understand how patientassociated gene variants manifest in changes in cognition and behaviour in mice. Her vision is to upscale these technologies for use in early diagnosis and treatment of disorders that impact cognition in humans, from autism spectrum disorder to dementia. Emma champions change in the research sector by implementing widereaching strategies that increase diversity and inclusion. She is a board director of Women in STEMM Australia, cofounding member of Women in Science Parkville Precinct and past chair of The Florey Equity committee. Emma tweets @embws.
