Disorders

Research Grant - 2024

Research Category: MND / ALS & other Neurodegenerative Diseases

Dr Yijun (Nicholas) Pan was the recipient of Brain Foundation grant funding in 2024

MND / ALS & other Neurodegenerative Diseases

MND / ALS & other Neurodegenerative Diseases
Improving the diagnosis of frontotemporal lobar degeneration using biomarkers
Dr Yijun (Nicholas) Pan
University of Melbourne
Co-Investigators : Dr Alanna Spiteri, Dr Benjamin Goudey, Ms Yihan Wang, Dr Liang Jin

Project Summary:

Frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) is a brain disorder that causes various conditions, including changes in behaviour and language problems (like in frontotemporal dementia), and difficulty with movement (like in progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome). Diagnosing FTLD early is challenging because it needs experienced clinicians and advanced imaging technology. Even though there’s no cure for FTLD yet, finding it early is still important. It allows for treatments that can relieve symptoms and support services that can improve the quality of life for those affected. We urgently need reliable tools, such as ‘biomarkers’, to help with this.

Many studies have reported that changes in metabolism are common in many brain diseases and understanding the pattern of changes can help in diagnosing these conditions. Metabolomics is a method that looks at these changes – a technique our team at The Florey has expertise in. In this study, our team will identify specific changes in the body’s metabolomics profile that are linked to FTLD and explore biomarkers to differentiate between various types of FTLD using metabolomics data and an artificial intelligence analysis approach.

Our interdisciplinary team, involving a biomedical scientist, bioinformatician, and data scientist, has the proven ability to conduct this project. Our past success with similar projects makes us confident that we can achieve our goals and help improve the diagnosis and treatment of FTLD, which ultimately benefits people living with FTLD.

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