Neurodegeneration and Immunology Research Priority
When the brain is affected by a disease or disorder, it can change a person’s life drastically.
The Florey’s researchers in the Neurodegeneration and Immunology Research Priority are renowned experts in a diverse range of brain conditions, united by their commitment to further our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases to improve care and develop new treatments.
Conditions and diseases we study
Research impact
Understanding progressive MS
Florey researchers have shown that inflammation could be connected to the death of neurons in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).
“If we could understand the underlying genetic drivers of MS, we might be able to develop new treatments,” said Associate Professor Justin Rubio, who’s been working on the problem for 25 years.
The team studied brain tissue generously donated by the family members of people who had suffered from MS, and investigated areas of brain inflammation and contrasted those with unaffected brain areas.
The ‘invisibility cloak’ protecting neural grafts
Florey researchers have engineered a neural graft that flies under the immune system’s radar and evades rejection.
Neural grafts are a realistic future treatment for many neurological disorders and for Parkinson’s disease patients this is coming close to reality, with at least 3 major clinical trials in progress.
The technology is the next generation in neurological treatment but could have applications for a range of other kinds of transplants.
Research groups
Find out more about the research groups studying neurodegeneration and immunology at The Florey.
- Motor Neurone Disease Group
- Multiple Sclerosis and Myelin Repair Group
- Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology Group
- Myelin in Health and Disease Group
- Neurogenetics Group
- Neurotherapeutics Group
- Peptide and Oligonucleotide Therapeutics Group
- Personalised Therapeutics Group
- Stem Cells and Neural Repair Group
