It's so important to me to let people suffering with these diagnoses know that there are people who are truly passionate about working hard to find a treatment and cure.
"I moved to Hobart to pursue my undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Tasmania but had a change of heart in my final year to focus specifically on the workings of the brain and did an extra unit in neuroscience. The unit sparked my interest in this area of study and I went on to complete Honours with the Menzies Institute's Neurodegenerative Disease and Trauma Group with Professor Tracey Dickson. The group has been looking at a type of protein called TDP43 which is suspected to play a role in the development of Motor Neuron Disease. My PhD is studying this protein and looking at the changes and breakdown in the communication of cells that results in changes to movements, thoughts and behaviours in a crucial period before symptoms of the disease appear."
