University of Tasmania, Australia

Associate Professor

BA cum laude, PhD

Teaching Responsibilities

A/Prof Chuah's teaching responsibility is primarily in neuroscience which she teaches to 3rd year medical  and science students. She coordinates two  neuroscience units that prepare science students for Honours studies.  She also teaches Histology to science students.

Units Taught

• CAM304 - Fundamentals of Clinical Science 3
• CHG201 - Functional Histology
• CHP311 - Neuroscience A
• CHP312 - Neuroscience B

Publications

• Hale, D. M., Ray, S., Leung, J. Y., Holloway, A. F., Chung, R. S., West, A. K. & Chuah, M. I. (2011). Olfactory ensheathing cells moderate nuclear factor kappaB translocation in astrocytes. Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience, 46, 213-221.
• Leung,  Y. K. J., Pankhurst,  M., Dunlop, S. A., Ray, S., Dittmann, J., Eaton, E. D., Palumaa, P., Sillard, R., Chuah, M. I., West, A. K., & Chung, R. S. (2010). Metallothionein induces a regenerative reactive astrocyte phenotype via JAK/STAT and RhoA signalling pathways. Experimental Neurology, 221(1), 98-106.
• Harris, J. A., West, A. K. & Chuah, M. I. (2009). Olfactory ensheathing cells: nitric oxide production and innate immunity. Glia, 57(16), 1848-1857.
• Leung, J. Y. K., Chapman, J. A., Harris, J. A., Hale, D., Chung, R. S., West, A. K. & Chuah, M. I. (2008). Olfactory ensheathing cells are attacted to, and can endocytose, bacteria. Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences, 65(17), 2732-2739.
• Chung, R. S., Penkowa, M., Dittmann, J., King, C. E., Bartlett, C., Asmussen, J. W., Hidalgo, J., Carrasco, J., Leung, Y. K., Walker, A. K., Fung, S. J., Dunlop, S. A., Fitzgerald, M., Beazley, L. D., Chuah, M. I., Vickers, J. C., & West, A. K. (2008). Redefining the role of metallothionein within the injured brain: Extracellular metallothioneins play an important role in the astrocyte-neuron response to injury. Journal of Biological Chemistry, 283(22), 15349-15358.
• King, A. E., Dickson, T. C., Blizzard, C. A., Foster, S. S., Chung, R. S., West, A. K., Chuah, M. I. & Vickers, J. C. (2007). Excitotoxicity mediated by non-NMDA receptors causes distal axonopathy in long-term cultured spinal motor neurons. European Journal of Neuroscience, 26(8), 2151-2159.

Web Access Research Portal (WARP)

Additional Information

Research Interests

Assoc Prof Chuah is a member of the 'NeuroRepair Group' at the University of Tasmania. She is interested in the cell biology of the olfactory system, with particular emphasis on the role of olfactory ensheathing cells and their use in neural transplantation. She is also studying neuroplasticity of the primary olfactory pathway. Another major research interest is investigating the use of metallothioneins in promoting repair of the injured nervous system and improving functional outcomes in neurodegenerative conditions, such as motor neuron disease.