ProfessorGlenda Halliday

I have a PhD scholarship currently available.

Postgraduate Research Scholarships on genetic forms of Parkinson's disease.

Mission To evaluate how different types of brain cells with different genetic mutations that cause Parkinson’s disease develop over the life of an animal and affect brain function and biology.

Project -analysing transplants human neurons and/or glial cells with genetic mutations that cause Parkinson’s disease initially in cell culture and eventually into immune-deficient mice to see if glial cells are also causal using animal surgeries, behavioural experiments, and tissue histopathology.The student will perform cytology analysis on neurons and astrocytes differentiated from human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) genetically engineered to express mutations in different Parkinson’s disease risk genes. The student will conduct iPSC cell culture and differentiation, establish co-culture cell models and perform immunocytology and immunohistology using state-of the art microscopy methods. The student will also conduct neuropathology analysis with post-mortem rodent brain tissues to examine how the local brain environment affects the fate of differentiated co-grafted iPSCs, as well as subsequent changes in local biochemistry, cellular composition, and induced neuropathology in the grafted brains. As part of the project, the student will be involved in some of the animal work that may include small animal handling, behaviour tests, and tissue collection from the graft model.

For further information on proejct, please contact: Nicolas Dzamko (Nicolas.dzamko@sydney.edu.au) or Glenda Halliday.