DrTimothy Couttas

Dr Timothy Couttas is a research fellow at the Brain and Mind Centre, specialising in lipid biochemistry, mental health and neurodegenerative diseases. Dr Couttas received his Bachelor of Science, with first class honours, at UNSW Sydney (2008). Dr Couttas went on to complete his PhD at UNSW (2012) in Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, where he developed hexapeptide ligand enrichment, coupled with mass spectrometry that employed selective immonium ion scanning for the identification of novel methylated lysine residues. His findings helped build the first methyllysine integrated network in Saccharomyces cerevisiae at the NSW Systems Biology Initiative, UNSW Sydney. In 2013 Dr Couttas joined the Prince of Wales Clinical School, as a Research Associate, investigating lipid imbalance in Alzheimer's disease, where he employed sophisticated mass spectrometry techniques to identify loss of the neuroprotective lipid Sphingosine 1-phospahte (S1P), as well as the destabilisation of myelin-enriched sphingolipids at the prodromal stages of Alzheimer’s disease. In 2015 he was awarded a prestigious NHMRC-ARC Dementia Research Development Fellowship to continue investigating the molecular mechanisms involved in demyelination, ageing and Alzheimer’s disease, resulting in the discovery of reduced de novo ceramide synthesis as an early pathogenic event. Dr Couttas’ work has been published in top biomedical journals including Nature Communications, Neurobiology of Aging, and Journal of Alzheimer’s disease, as well as attracting international recognition at various conferences including the International Bioscience of Lipids, Keystone and International Society of Neurochemistry. Presently, Dr Couttas is investigating lipidomic and metabolomic response following the use of antipsychotics, as well as the impacts of cannabinoids on patients suffering from Schizophrenia and acute psychotic symptoms.