Profiles

David Howells

Professor David Howells

David Howells

Professor in Neurosciences and Brain Plasticity

Medical Sciences Precinct , Hobart CBD Campuses

+61 3 6226 4850 (phone)

David.Howells@utas.edu.au

When the brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, the result, a condition called ischaemia, is often catastrophic. Ischaemia is thought to be a particularly important catalyst for both stroke and dementia, which are individually the two greatest medical threats to our ageing society. We have no drugs that effectively treat dementia, and only one drug to acutely treat stroke. Even this only works for a tiny percentage of stroke victims. In Australia, 50,000 people suffer a stroke every year, and the statistics are slightly higher for dementia. These are huge, huge numbers – tens of millions per year worldwide.

Eight-five per cent of strokes occur because blood supply to the brain is interrupted. New research suggests that blood supply to the brain is an important factor in the onset of dementia as well. Rather than the sudden ischaemias that result in stroke, long-term, subtler ischaemias can lead to dementia. For survivors of these diseases, the consequences are extremely expensive for society to manage, and devastating for victims and their families to deal with. Finding ways to treat these diseases is incredibly relevant to our future.

Professor David Howells is trying to understand how the brain responds when it becomes ischaemic and, ultimately, to find a drug that effectively treats these symptoms.

‘We know broadly what causes ischaemia, and the world has been very good at learning how to reduce those causes,’ says Professor Howells. ‘Over 50 years, the incidence of stroke, and the number of associated deaths, has plummeted.

‘What we are about is, if you have one, how do we make it better?’ he says. ‘Unless we understand the biology – that is, exactly what’s going on in the brain and the intricacies of those processes – we can’t fix it. Once we do understand, we can better identify drugs that can fix those problems.

‘We are still trying to understand how blood supply to the brain of people suffering dementia makes a difference.’

'Our research into stroke and dementia are both equally important parts of what we do.'

The one drug that is currently available to treat stroke victims is designed to reopen the blood vessels to the brain, so the effects of ischaemia are relieved. The drug doesn’t change any damage that’s already been done and is only administered once the patient gets to hospital.

‘The earlier the intervention, the smaller the impact will be,’ says Professor Howells. ‘If we can find something much safer that could be given in the ambulance, more people will get treated. Dementia accumulates over time, so the earlier we can intervene, the greater the chance we have of providing the most benefit.’

Professor Howells’s research involves developing models that allow his team to explore new possibilities safely without putting people at risk. Firstly, his team are developing models that use human brain cells. Secondly, it is vital to learn from past mistakes and understand why approaches that work in animals have failed to work in humans.

‘One of our major successes has been pointing out some of the shortcomings of animal research and providing some solutions, so in future our research will be better.’

Professor Howells knows that medical scientists have to be in for the long haul. ‘Tomorrow, we could stumble across the bit that puts all of the pieces of the puzzle together, or it could take much longer. But, what we do know, is that with every experiment we get a little bit closer.

‘We’re testing drug candidates now. Whether these will be the drugs that really work is difficult to say. My job is to build foundations and we’re slowly building this pyramid up so we can get to the point where we can treat these diseases. I might be lucky enough to put the last block on the top, but this is a global team effort.’

Professor Howells considers himself fortunate to have some incredibly bright and talented scientists on his team. Mentoring the next generation is a critical part of what he does.

‘And I love research. If that means I can do some good in the world, I’m a very lucky man. I can’t imagine being in a more privileged position than spending every day of my life learning.’

Professor Howells joined the University of Tasmania in 2015 as Professor in Neurosciences and Brain Plasticity for the School of Medicine. Prof Howells is one of the world's authorities on preclinical stroke research. His work is innovative and highly competitive allowing him to publish in the highest ranking journals and is highly supported by competitive National and International funding. His work is well regarded by his peers, leading to invitations to speak at prestigious scientific meetings and allowing him to contribute significantly to the direction of his field and to establish influential International collaborations.

Prof Howells aims to provide a research strategy that will improve preclinical translational success. This can be achieved by adopting a systematic approach to translational research. His research is designed to:

Understand more about why it has proven to be so difficult to develop drugs for stroke
Identify the best molecular targets for future intervention
Employ novel techniques to identify the best available candidate drugs for these targets
Exploit the world's first multinational stroke research consortium to test the best candidates with the rigor required to justify progression to clinical trial

Biography

Professor Howells began his career at the University of London where he investigated the biochemical and genetic basis of dopamine and serotonin deficits in children. David relocated to Australia in 1988 to take up a Postdoctoral position at the Murdoch Institute in Melbourne where he progressed his work to become a senior scientist in the Enzymology/Metabolism laboratory. In 1992, David was made Head of the Neurogeneration Research Laboratory at the University of Melbourne.

Prior to joining the University of Tasmania, Prof Howells was a Senior Principal Research Fellow at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience, Melbourne (2010-). Through the course of his career David has established major international collaborations which pioneered the use of systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the difficulties basic science faces in translational medicine and developed the world's first multinational stroke research consortium to test candidate drugs with the rigor required to justify clinical trial. David has led research projects that discovered a new population of dopamine neurons in humans; demonstrated a BDNF deficit in Parkinson's disease that also causes Parkinsonism in rats; discovered that macrophages/microglia promote and guide axonal regeneration; improved the modelling and assessment of stroke and spinal cord injury; and established a collaborative stroke biomarker discovery program.

Career summary

Qualifications

PhD, University of London, UK. 1988 Thesis: Analysis of pterins in children with neurological disease.
BSc (Hons), North East Surrey College of Technology, UK. 1984 Thesis: Effects of noradrenalin on the deiodination of thyroxine to tri-iodothyronine by brown adipose tissue of the rat.

Memberships

Professional practice

American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair
Australian Association of Neurologists
Australian Neuroscience Society
International Trauma Society
Society for Neuroscience, USA
Stroke Society of Australasia

Administrative expertise

Through his role as Associate Director, Member of the Executive and Head of the Stroke Division of The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health David held administrative responsibility for a team of 80 basic and clinical scientists.

Prof Howells reviews for the NHMRC, MRC, Wellcome Trust, Neurological Foundation of New Zealand, Stroke Foundation and National Heart Foundation and is a regular member of the NZ HRC Neuroscience Expert Panel and has served on an NHMRC GRP. Prof Howells regularly reviews for 40 journals and is on the editorial boards of 5 journals. David is the Editor in Chief of Evidence Based Preclinical Medicine which was launched by Wiley in May 2014. In addition, David is a member of 3 international and 3 national discipline societies and have organised major scientific meetings for these bodies.

As an enthusiastic science communicator Prof Howells engages with the broader community through lectures to the general public and interviews to magazines and television. Prof Howells was responsible for the organisation of a Victorian Government sponsored public outreach program for school children.

Teaching

neuroscience, brain plasticity, stroke, good-laboratory practice, systematic review

Research Appointments

Beijing Institute for Brain Disorders, Adjunct Professor, Facuty Member (2013-present)
Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand, College of Experts, Foundation Member (2012-present)
University of Melbourne FMHDS, Principle Research Fellow, Honorary (2012-present)
University of Melbourne & Florey Institute of Neuroscience, Scientific Services Management Committee Chairman (2012-present)
Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Heath, Stroke Division Head, Institute Management (2010-present)
Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Heath, Associate Director, Institute Management (2010-present)
Health Research Council (HRC) of New Zealand, Expert Panel Member (2008-2012)
Newcastle University Centre for Brain and Mental Health, Research Advisory Board, Board Member (2008-present)
NHMRC, Senior Research Fellow-B, Personal Award (2006-present)
University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences (FMDHS), Equity and Staff Development Committee, Member (2006-2009)
University of Melbourne Dept of Medicine (Austin), Ph.D. Co-ordinator, Chairman (2005-2007)
Austin Biomedical Alliance Animal Facility, Technical Advisory Group, Member (2004-2006)
CCRE Clinical Research in Neuroscience Course, Development Committee, Member (2004-2006)
University of Melbourne, Faculty of Medicine Grant Mentoring Scheme, Member (2004-2010)
Austin Health, Animal House Users Committee, Chairman (2002-2004)
National Stroke Research Institute, Management Committee, Member (2001-2010)
Austin Hospital, Animal House Management Committee, Member (2004-2008)
NHMRC, Senior Research Fellow-A, Personal Award (2001-2006)
National Stroke Research Institute, Intellectual Property Committee, Member (2003-2010)

View more on Professor David Howells in WARP

Expertise

Neuroscience
Brain Plasticity
Axonal regeneration
Stroke
Translational research
Parkinson's Disease
Biomarker discovery

Research Themes

Prof Howells's research interests are strongly aligned with the University's key theme of Better Health.

Collaboration

Prof Howells has established major international collaborations which pioneered the use of systematic review and meta-analysis to understand the difficulties basic science faces in translational medicine and developed the world's first multinational stroke research consortium to test candidate drugs with the rigor required to justify clinical trial.

Fields of Research

Central nervous system (320903)
Neurology and neuromuscular diseases (320905)
Cardiology (incl. cardiovascular diseases) (320101)
Systems physiology (320803)
Neurosciences (320999)
Clinical sciences (320299)
Health services and systems (420399)
Medical biotechnology diagnostics (incl. biosensors) (320602)
Cell neurochemistry (310104)
Basic pharmacology (321401)
Cell development, proliferation and death (310102)
Signal transduction (310111)
Structural biology (incl. macromolecular modelling) (310112)
Cellular nervous system (320902)
Other health sciences (429999)
Other biological sciences (319999)
Autonomic nervous system (320901)
Nanomedicine (320604)
Biostatistics (490502)
Toxicology (incl. clinical toxicology) (321407)
Orthopaedics (320216)
Inorganic materials (incl. nanomaterials) (340301)
Medical physics (510502)
Sensory systems (320907)
Cancer cell biology (321101)
Cellular interactions (incl. adhesion, matrix, cell wall) (310105)
Proteomics and intermolecular interactions (excl. medical proteomics) (310109)
Radiology and organ imaging (320222)
Cellular immunology (320404)

Research Objectives

Clinical health (200199)
Expanding knowledge in the health sciences (280112)
Expanding knowledge in the biomedical and clinical sciences (280103)
Diagnosis of human diseases and conditions (200101)
Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences (280102)
Treatment of human diseases and conditions (200105)
Efficacy of medications (200102)
Expanding knowledge in the chemical sciences (280105)

Publications

Prof Howells publishes frequently and in quality journals with over 140 peer-reviewed journal articles including recent papers in Nature and Lancet and in high ranking specialist journals such as Annals of Neurology and Stroke. In 2012 and 2013, he published 10 and 11 articles respectively including a Nature paper. In 2014 he published 13 papers including one in Lancet. 32 of his papers have been cited >50 times, and 14 >100 times. Prof Howells's work has been the subject of editorials in Nature, Annals of Neurology, Nature Clinical Practice, the Dow Jones, New Scientist and the UK Daily Telegraph.

Total publications

Journal Article

(61 outputs)

Year	Citation	Altmetrics
2023	Morris GP, Gowing EK, Courtney JM, Coombe HE, King NE, et al., 'Vascular perfusion differs in two distinct PDGFRβ-positive zones within the ischemic core of male mice 2 weeks following photothrombotic stroke', Journal of neuroscience research, (101) Article 278-292. ISSN 1097-4547 (2023) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1002/jnr.25146 [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Morris GP; Courtney JM; Coombe HE; King NE; Sutherland BA Tweet
2022	Courtney J, Morris GP, Cleary EM, Howells DW, Sutherland BA, 'Automated quantification of multiple cell types in fluorescently labeled whole mouse brain sections using QuPath', Bio-protocol, 12, (13) pp. 1-12. ISSN 2331-8325 (2022) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.21769/BioProtoc.4459 [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Courtney J; Morris GP; Cleary EM; Sutherland BA Tweet
2022	King NE, Courtney J-M, Brown LS, Foster CG, Cashion JM, et al., 'Pharmacological PDGFRβ inhibitors imatinib and sunitinib cause human brain pericyte death in vitro', Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 444 pp. 1-9. ISSN 0041-008X (2022) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.taap.2022.116025 [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: King NE; Courtney J-M; Brown LS; Foster CG; Cashion JM; Attrill EH; Premilovac D; Sutherland BA Tweet
2022	Landowski LM, Livesey KL, Bibari O, Russell AM, Taylor MR, et al., 'Optimisation of iron oxide nanoparticles for agglomeration and blockage in aqueous flow systems', Australian Journal of Chemistry, 75, (2) pp. 102-110. ISSN 0004-9425 (2022) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1071/CH21061 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1Web of Science - 1 Co-authors: Landowski LM; Bibari O; Russell AM; Taylor MR; Ho CC; Fuller RO Tweet
2022	Russell AAM, Sutherland BA, Landowski LM, Macleod M, Howells DW, 'What has preclinical systematic review ever done for us?', BMJ Open Science, 6, (1) Article e100219. ISSN 2398-8703 (2022) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1136/bmjos-2021-100219 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1 Co-authors: Russell AAM; Sutherland BA; Landowski LM Tweet
2021	Courtney J-M, Morris GP, Cleary EM, Howells DW, Sutherland BA, 'An automated approach to improve the quantification of pericytes and microglia in whole mouse brain sections', eNeuro, 8, (6) pp. 1-11. ISSN 2373-2822 (2021) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0177-21.2021 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 4Web of Science - 4 Co-authors: Courtney J-M; Morris GP; Cleary EM; Sutherland BA Tweet
2021	Dagonnier M, Donnan GA, Davis SM, Dewey HM, Howells DW, 'Acute stroke biomarkers: Are we there yet?', Frontiers in Neurology, 12 pp. 1-16. ISSN 1664-2295 (2021) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2021.619721 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 29Web of Science - 25 Tweet
2021	Foster CG, Landowski LM, Sutherland BA, Howells DW, 'Differences in fatigue-like behavior in the lipopolysaccharide and poly I:C inflammatory animal models', Physiology and Behavior, 232 pp. 1-10. ISSN 0031-9384 (2021) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113347 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 4 Co-authors: Foster CG; Landowski LM; Sutherland BA Tweet
2021	Lo EH, Albers GW, Dichgans M, Donnan G, Esposito E, et al., 'Circadian biology and stroke', Stroke, 52, (6) pp. 2180-2190. ISSN 0039-2499 (2021) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.120.031742 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 10Web of Science - 14 Tweet
2021	Zwetsloot PP, Antonic-Baker A, Gremmels H, Wever K, Sena C, et al., 'Combined meta-analysis of preclinical cell therapy studies shows overlapping effect modifiers for multiple diseases', BMJ Open Science, 5, (1) pp. 1-15. ISSN 2398-8703 (2021) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1136/bmjos-2020-100061 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 1 Tweet
2020	Landowski LM, Niego B, Sutherland BA, Hagemeyer CE, Howells DW, 'Applications of Nanotechnology in the Diagnosis and Therapy of Stroke', Seminars in Thrombosis and Hemostasis, 46, (5) pp. 592-605. ISSN 0094-6176 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1055/s-0039-3399568 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 13Web of Science - 12 Co-authors: Landowski LM; Sutherland BA Tweet
2020	Liu Y, Michalska AE, Dottori M, Eaton ED, Courtney J-M, et al., 'Differential susceptibility of human neural progenitors and neurons to ischaemic injury', Brain Research Bulletin, 156 pp. 25-32. ISSN 0361-9230 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.brainresbull.2019.12.005 [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Eaton ED; Courtney J-M Tweet
2020	Nguyen VA, Crewther SG, Howells DW, Wijeratne T, Ma H, et al., 'Acute routine leukocyte and neutrophil counts are predictive of poststroke recovery at 3 and 12 months poststroke: an exploratory study', Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair, 34, (9) pp. 844-855. ISSN 1545-9683 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1177/1545968320948607 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 7Web of Science - 8 Tweet
2020	Nguyen VA, Riddell N, Crewther SG, Faou P, Rajapaksha H, et al., 'Longitudinal stroke recovery associated with dysregulation of complement system - A proteomics pathway analysis', Frontiers in Neurology, 11 pp. 1-12. ISSN 1664-2295 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2020.00692 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 4Web of Science - 4 Tweet
2020	Premilovac D, Blackwood SJ, Ramsay C, Keske MA, Howells DW, et al., 'Transcranial contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the rat brain reveals substantial hyperperfusion acutely post-stroke', Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism pp. 1-15. ISSN 0271-678X (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1177/0271678X20905493 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 5Web of Science - 5 Co-authors: Premilovac D; Sutherland BA Tweet
2020	du Sert NP, Hurst V, Ahluwalia A, Alam S, Avey MT, et al., 'The ARRIVE guidelines 2.0: Updated guidelines for reporting animal research', PLoS Biology, 18, (7) Article e3000410. ISSN 1544-9173 (2020) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000411 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 654Web of Science - 638 Tweet
2019	Beard DJ, Hadley G, Thurley N, Howells DW, Sutherland BA, et al., 'The effect of rapamycin treatment on cerebral ischemia: A systematic review and meta-analysis of animal model studies', International journal of stroke, 14, (2) pp. 137-145. ISSN 1747-4930 (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1177/1747493018816503 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 18Web of Science - 17 Co-authors: Sutherland BA Tweet
2019	Brown LS, Foster CG, Courtney JM, King NE, Howells DW, et al., 'Pericytes and Neurovascular Function in the Healthy and Diseased Brain', Frontiers in cellular neuroscience pp. 1-9. ISSN 1662-5102 (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2019.00282 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 155Web of Science - 148 Co-authors: Brown LS; Foster CG; Courtney JM; King NE; Sutherland BA Tweet
2019	Goodin P, Lamp G, Vidyasagar R, Connelly A, Rose S, et al., 'Correlated resting-state functional MRI activity of frontostriatal, thalamic, temporal, and cerebellar brain regions differentiates stroke survivors with high compared to low depressive symptom scores', Neural Plasticity, 2019 pp. 1-12. ISSN 2090-5904 (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1155/2019/2357107 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 3 Tweet
2019	Watzlawick R, Antonic A, Sena ES, Kopp MA, Rind J, et al., 'Outcome heterogeneity and bias in acute experimental spinal cord injury: A meta-analysis', Neurology, 93, (1) pp. E40-E51. ISSN 0028-3878 (2019) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000007718 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 17Web of Science - 18 Tweet
2018	Antonic A, Dottori M, Macleod MR, Donnan GA, Howells DW, 'NXY-059, a failed stroke neuroprotectant, offers no protection to stem cell-derived human neurons', Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases, 27, (8) pp. 2158-2165. ISSN 1052-3057 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2018.03.015 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 17Web of Science - 16 Tweet
2018	Dagonnier M, Wilson WJ, Favaloro JM, Rewell SSJ, Lockett LJ, et al., 'Hyperacute changes in blood mRNA expression profiles of rats after middle cerebral artery occlusion: Towards a stroke time signature', PLOS One, 13, (11) Article 0206321. ISSN 1932-6203 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0206321 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 4Web of Science - 4 Tweet
2018	Liu Y, Antonic A, Yang X, Korte N, Lim K, et al., 'Derivation of phenotypically diverse neural culture from hESC by combining adherent and dissociation methods', Journal of Neuroscience Methods, 308 pp. 286-293. ISSN 0165-0270 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2018.07.005 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 2Web of Science - 1 Tweet
2018	Liu Y, Eaton ED, Wills TE, McCann SK, Antonic A, et al., 'Human ischaemic cascade studies using SH-SY5Y cells: a systematic review and meta-analysis', Translational Stroke Research, 9, (6) pp. 564-574. ISSN 1868-4483 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1007/s12975-018-0620-4 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 26Web of Science - 24 Co-authors: Eaton ED Tweet
2018	Makkawi M, Howells D, Wright MD, Jackson DE, 'A complementary role for tetraspanin superfamily member TSSC6 and ADP purinergic P2Y₁₂ receptor in platelets', Thrombosis Research, 161 pp. 12-21. ISSN 0049-3848 (2018) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.thromres.2017.11.009 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 2 Tweet
2017	Bahor Z, Liao J, Macleod MR, Bannach-Brown A, McCann SK, et al., 'Risk of bias reporting in the recent animal focal cerebral ischaemia literature', Clinical Science, 131, (20) pp. 2525-2532. ISSN 0143-5221 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1042/CS20160722 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 17Web of Science - 15 Co-authors: Ottavi TP Tweet
2017	Borschmann KN, Rewell SS, Iuliano S, Ghasem-Zadeh A, Davey RA, et al., 'Reduced bone formation markers, and altered trabecular and cortical bone mineral densities of non-paretic femurs observed in rats with ischemic stroke: A randomized controlled pilot study', PLoS ONE, 12, (3) Article e0172889. ISSN 1932-6203 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0172889 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 4Web of Science - 3 Tweet
2017	Dagonnier M, Cooke IR, Faou P, Sidon TK, Dewey HM, et al., 'Discovery and longitudinal evaluation of candidate biomarkers for ischaemic stroke by mass spectrometry-based proteomics', Biomarker Insights, 12 pp. 1-11. ISSN 1177-2719 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1177/1177271917749216 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 8 Tweet
2017	Rewell SSJ, Churilov L, Sidon TK, Aleksoska E, Cox SF, et al., 'Evolution of ischemic damage and behavioural deficit over 6 months after MCAo in the rat: selecting the optimal outcomes and statistical power for multi-centre preclinical trials', PLoS ONE, 12, (2) Article 0171688. ISSN 1932-6203 (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0171688 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 37Web of Science - 38 Tweet
2017	Rewell SSJ, Jeffreys AL, Sastra SA, Cox SF, Fernandez JA, et al., 'Hypothermia revisited: Impact of ischaemic duration and between experiment variability', Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 37, (10) pp. 3380-3390. ISSN 0271-678X (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1177/0271678X16688704 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 7Web of Science - 7 Tweet
2017	Simonato M, Iyengar S, Brooks-Kayal A, Collins S, Depaulis A, et al., 'Identification and characterization of outcome measures reported in animal models of epilepsy: Protocol for a systematic review of the literature-A TASK2 report of the AES/ILAE Translational Task Force of the ILAE', Epilepsia, 58 pp. 68-77. ISSN 0013-9580 (2017) [Contribution to Refereed Journal] DOI: 10.1111/epi.13908 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 5Web of Science - 6 Tweet
2017	Zwetsloot PP, Van Der Naald M, Sena ES, Howells DW, IntHout J, et al., 'Standardized mean differences cause funnel plot distortion in publication bias assessments', eLife, 6 Article e24260. ISSN 2050-084X (2017) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.7554/eLife.24260 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 101Web of Science - 98 Tweet
2016	Cramond F, Irvine C, Liao J, Howells DW, Sena E, et al., 'Protocol for a retrospective, controlled cohort study of the impact of a change in Nature journals' editorial policy for life sciences research on the completeness of reporting study design and execution', Scientometrics, 108, (1) pp. 315-328. ISSN 0138-9130 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1007/s11192-016-1964-8 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 9Web of Science - 8 Tweet
2016	Nguyen VA, Carey LM, Giummarra L, Faou P, Cooke I, et al., 'A pathway proteomic profile of ischemic stroke survivors reveals innate immune dysfunction in association with mild symptoms of depression - a pilot study', Frontiers in Neurology, 7 Article 85. ISSN 1664-2295 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2016.00085 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 24Web of Science - 23 Tweet
2016	Watzlawick R, Rind J, Sena ES, Brommer B, Zhang T, et al., 'Olfactory ensheathing cell transplantation in experimental spinal cord injury: effect size and reporting bias of 62 experimental treatments: a systematic review and meta-analysis', PLoS Biology, 14, (5) Article e1002468. ISSN 1544-9173 (2016) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002468 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 62Web of Science - 58 Tweet
2015	Carey LM, Crewther S, Salvado O, Linden T, Connelly A, et al., 'STroke imAging pRevention and treatment (START): A longitudinal stroke cohort study: Clinical trials protocol', International journal of stroke : official journal of the International Stroke Society, 10, (4) pp. 636-44. ISSN 1747-4930 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/ijs.12190 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 17Web of Science - 16 Tweet
2015	Kleikers PWM, Hooijmans C, Gob E, Langhauser F, Rewell SSJ, et al., 'A combined pre-clinical meta-analysis and randomized confirmatory trial approach to improve data validity for therapeutic target validation', Scientific Reports, 5 pp. 1-12. ISSN 2045-2322 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1038/srep13428 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 28Web of Science - 28 Tweet
2015	MacLeod MR, McLean AL, Kyriakopoulou A, Serghiou S, de Wilde A, et al., 'Risk of Bias in Reports of In Vivo Research: A Focus for Improvement', Public Library of Science Biology, 13, (11) Article e1002273. ISSN 1544-9173 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002273 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 191Web of Science - 196 Tweet
2015	McCann SK, Irvine C, Mead GE, Sena ES, Currie GL, et al., 'Efficacy of antidepressants in animal models of ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis', Stroke: A Journal of Cerebral Circulation, 45, (10) pp. 3055-63. ISSN 0039-2499 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.114.006304 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 51Web of Science - 46 Tweet
2015	Pascoe MC, Howells DW, Crewther DP, Carey LM, Crewther SG, 'Fish oil supplementation associated with decreased cellular degeneration and increased cellular proliferation 6 weeks after middle cerebral artery occlusion in the rat', Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 11 pp. 153-164. ISSN 1176-6328 (2015) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.2147/NDT.S72925 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 7Web of Science - 6 Tweet
2014	Antonic A, Dottori M, Leung J, Sidon K, Batchelor PE, et al., 'Hypothermia protects human neurons', International Journal of Stroke, 9, (5) pp. 544-552. ISSN 1747-4930 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/ijs.12224 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 21Web of Science - 19 Tweet
2014	Ardpradja K, Yeoh SD, O'Keefe G, Rigopoulos A, Howells DW, et al., 'Detection of activated platelets in a mouse model of carotid artery thrombosis with ¹⁸F-labeled single-chain antibodies', Nuclear Medicine and Biology, 41, (3) pp. 229-237. ISSN 0969-8051 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.nucmedbio.2013.12.006 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 17Web of Science - 18 Tweet
2014	Chalmers I, Bracken MB, Djulbegovic B, Garattini S, Grant J, et al., 'How to increase value and reduce waste when research priorities are set', The Lancet, 383, (9912) pp. 156-165. ISSN 0140-6736 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(13)62229-1 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 860Web of Science - 785 Tweet
2014	Dagonnier M, Howells DW, Donnan GA, Dewey HM, 'Recruitment to trials of late thrombolysis: lessons from the EXTEND study', Journal of Clinical Neuroscience, 21, (7) pp. 1215-9. ISSN 0967-5868 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jocn.2013.10.033 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 2Web of Science - 1 Tweet
2014	Egan KJ, Janssen H, Sena ES, Longley L, Speare S, et al., 'Exercise reduces infarct volume and facilitates neurobehavioral recovery: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of exercise in experimental models of focal ischemia', Neurorehabilitation and neural repair, 28, (8) pp. 800-12. ISSN 1545-9683 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1177/1545968314521694 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 35Web of Science - 33 Tweet
2014	Howells DW, Sena ES, Macleod MR, 'Bringing rigour to translational medicine', Nature reviews. Neurology, 10, (1) pp. 37-43. ISSN 1759-4758 (2014) [Contribution to Refereed Journal] DOI: 10.1038/nrneurol.2013.232 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 86Web of Science - 85 Tweet
2014	Pascoe MC, Howells DW, Crewther DP, Constantinou N, Carey LM, et al., 'Fish oil diet associated with acute reperfusion related hemorrhage, and with reduced stroke-related sickness behaviors and motor impairment', Frontiers in Neurology, 5 Article 14. ISSN 1664-2295 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2014.00014 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 7Web of Science - 8 Tweet
2014	Sena ES, Currie GL, McCann SK, Macleod MR, Howells DW, 'Systematic reviews and meta-analysis of preclinical studies: why perform them and how to appraise them critically', Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 34 pp. 737-742. ISSN 0271-678X (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2014.28 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 155Web of Science - 150 Tweet
2014	Vesterinen HM, Sena ES, Egan KJ, Hirst TC, Churolov L, et al., 'Meta-analysis of data from animal studies: a practical guide', Journal of neuroscience methods, 15, (221) pp. 92-102. ISSN 0165-0270 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2013.09.010 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 271Web of Science - 257 Tweet
2014	Watzlawick R, Sena ES, Dirnagl U, Brommer B, Kopp MA, et al., 'Effect and reporting bias of RhoA/ROCK-blockade intervention on locomotor recovery after spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis', JAMA Neurology, 71, (1) pp. 91-9. ISSN 2168-6149 (2014) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2013 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Web of Science - 66 Tweet
2013	Antonic A, Sena ES, Lees JS, Willis TE, Skeers P, et al., 'Stem cell transplantation in traumatic spinal cord injury: a systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies', PLoS biology, 11, (12) ISSN 1544-9173 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001738 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 101Web of Science - 95 Tweet
2013	Batchelor PE, Skeers P, Antonic A, Wills TE, Howells DW, et al., 'Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Therapeutic Hypothermia in Animal Models of Spinal Cord Injury', PL o S One, 8, (8) Article e71317. ISSN 1932-6203 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0071317 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 45Web of Science - 40 Tweet
2013	Collins VE, Donnan GA, Macleod MR, Howells DW, 'Hypertension and experimental stroke therapies', Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow and Metabolism, 33 pp. 1141-1147. ISSN 0271-678X (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1038/jcbfm.2013.88 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 28Web of Science - 28 Tweet
2013	Dirnagl U, Hakim A, Macleod M, Fisher M, Howells DW, et al., 'A concerted appeal for international cooperation in preclinical stroke research', Stroke: A Journal of Cerebral Circulation, 44, (6) pp. 1754-60. ISSN 0039-2499 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.000734 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 88Web of Science - 81 Tweet
2013	Howells DW, Macleod M, 'Evidence-based Translational Medicine', Stroke: A Journal of Cerebral Circulation, 44 pp. 1466-1471. ISSN 0039-2499 (2013) [Contribution to Refereed Journal] DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.113.000469 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 19Web of Science - 18 Tweet
2013	Sena ES, Jeffreys AL, Cox SF, Sastra SA, Churilov L, et al., 'The benefit of hypothermia in experimental ischemic stroke is not affected by pethidine', International Journal of Stroke, 8, (3) pp. 180-5. ISSN 1747-4930 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2012.00834.x [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 10Web of Science - 9 Tweet
2013	Tsilidis KK, Panagiotou OA, Sena ES, Aretouli E, Evangelou E, et al., 'Evaluation of Excess Significance Bias in Animal Studies of Neurological Diseases', Public Library of Science Biology, 11, (7) Article e1001609. ISSN 1544-9173 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1001609 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 190Web of Science - 179 Tweet
2013	Willis TE, Batchelor PE, Kerr NF, Sidon K, Katz M, et al., 'Corticospinal tract sprouting in the injured rat spinal cord stimulated by Schwann cell preconditioning of the motor cortex', Neurological Research: A Journal of Progress in Neurosurgery, Neurology and Neurosciences, 35, (7) pp. 763-772. ISSN 0161-6412 (2013) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1179/1743132813Y.0000000199 [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 3Web of Science - 2 Tweet
2012	Ankolekar S, Rewell S, Howells DW, Bath PMW, 'The influence of stroke risk factors and comorbidities on assessment of stroke therapies in humans and animals', International journal of stroke, 7, (5) pp. 386-397. ISSN 1747-4930 (2012) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2012.00802.x [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 27Web of Science - 28 Tweet
2012	Atonic A, Sena ES, Donnan GA, Howells DW, 'Human In Vitro Models of Ischaemic Stroke: A Test Bed for Translation', Translational Stroke Research, 3, (3) pp. 306-309. ISSN 1868-4483 (2012) [Letter or Note in Journal] DOI: 10.1007/s12975-012-0201-x [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 12Web of Science - 13 Tweet
2012	Howells DW, Sena ES, O'Collins V, Macleod MR, 'Improving the efficiency of the development of drugs for stroke', International Journal of Stroke, 7, (5) pp. 371-377. ISSN 1747-4930 (2012) [Refereed Article] DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-4949.2012.00805.x [eCite] [Details] Citations: Scopus - 37Web of Science - 35 Tweet

Chapter in Book

(2 outputs)

Year	Citation	Altmetrics
2017	McCann SK, Sena ES, Currie GL, Macleod MR, Howells DW, 'Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Important Tools in Understanding Drug Development for Stroke', Neuroprotective Therapy for Stroke and Ischemic Disease, Springer International Publishing, PA Lapchak and JH Zhang (ed), Switzerland, pp. 73-93. ISBN 978-3-319-45344-6 (2017) [Research Book Chapter] DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-45345-3_2 [eCite] [Details] Tweet
2017	Rewell S, Howells DW, 'The Right Rodent for the Job: Infarct Variability Between Strains and Its Impact on Logistics of Experimental Animal Studies', Neuroprotective Therapy for Stroke and Ischemic Disease, Springer International Publishing, PA Lapchak and JH Zhang (ed), Switzerland, pp. 667-687. ISBN 978-3-319-45344-6 (2017) [Research Book Chapter] DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-45345-3_28 [eCite] [Details] Tweet

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

2017

McCann SK, Sena ES, Currie GL, Macleod MR, Howells DW, 'Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Important Tools in Understanding Drug Development for Stroke', Neuroprotective Therapy for Stroke and Ischemic Disease, Springer International Publishing, PA Lapchak and JH Zhang (ed), Switzerland, pp. 73-93. ISBN 978-3-319-45344-6 (2017) [Research Book Chapter]

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-45345-3_2 [eCite] [Details]

2017

Rewell S, Howells DW, 'The Right Rodent for the Job: Infarct Variability Between Strains and Its Impact on Logistics of Experimental Animal Studies', Neuroprotective Therapy for Stroke and Ischemic Disease, Springer International Publishing, PA Lapchak and JH Zhang (ed), Switzerland, pp. 667-687. ISBN 978-3-319-45344-6 (2017) [Research Book Chapter]

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-45345-3_28 [eCite] [Details]

Conference Publication

(1 outputs)

Year	Citation	Altmetrics
2019	Landowski LM, Foster CG, Sutherland BA, Howells DW, 'Poly I:C and LPS induce blood brain barrier disruption and a fatigue behavioural phenotype in rodents in vivo', Society for Neuroscience Conference 2019, 19 - 23 October, Chicago, IL (2019) [Conference Extract] [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Landowski LM; Foster CG; Sutherland BA

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

2019

Landowski LM, Foster CG, Sutherland BA, Howells DW, 'Poly I:C and LPS induce blood brain barrier disruption and a fatigue behavioural phenotype in rodents in vivo', Society for Neuroscience Conference 2019, 19 - 23 October, Chicago, IL (2019) [Conference Extract]

[eCite] [Details]

Co-authors: Landowski LM; Foster CG; Sutherland BA

Entry

(2 outputs)

Year	Citation	Altmetrics
2020	Russell AM, Ottavi T, Landowski L, Sutherland B, Howells D, et al., 'Untangling the effects of surgery and anaesthesia on a vasoconstrictive model of cerebral ischaemia', PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42020218550 (2020) [Entry] [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Russell AM; Ottavi T; Landowski L; Sutherland B; van Luijk J Tweet
2019	Russell AM, Landowski L, Sutherland B, Howells D, 'Separating surgery from stroke: the effects of surgical severity on photothrombotic animal models of cerebral ischaemia', PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42019115429 (2019) [Entry] [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Russell AM; Landowski L; Sutherland B Tweet

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

2020

Russell AM, Ottavi T, Landowski L, Sutherland B, Howells D, et al., 'Untangling the effects of surgery and anaesthesia on a vasoconstrictive model of cerebral ischaemia', PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42020218550 (2020) [Entry]

[eCite] [Details]

Co-authors: Russell AM; Ottavi T; Landowski L; Sutherland B; van Luijk J

2019

Russell AM, Landowski L, Sutherland B, Howells D, 'Separating surgery from stroke: the effects of surgical severity on photothrombotic animal models of cerebral ischaemia', PROSPERO: International prospective register of systematic reviews, CRD42019115429 (2019) [Entry]

[eCite] [Details]

Co-authors: Russell AM; Landowski L; Sutherland B

Other Public Output

(1 outputs)

Year	Citation	Altmetrics
2020	Landowski LM, Howells DW, Bannach Brown A, O'Malley A, 'Improving the stroke drug 'bottleneck'', ABC On Health Report with Dr Norman Swan, 19 September 2019 (2020) [Media Interview] [eCite] [Details] Co-authors: Landowski LM Tweet

Year

Citation

Altmetrics

2020

Landowski LM, Howells DW, Bannach Brown A, O'Malley A, 'Improving the stroke drug 'bottleneck'', ABC On Health Report with Dr Norman Swan, 19 September 2019 (2020) [Media Interview]

[eCite] [Details]

Co-authors: Landowski LM

Grants & Funding

Prof Howells's work is supported by a CSIRO Flagship biomarker discovery program, NHMRC Fellowship, Program, and NHMRC-EU Collaborative Grants. He has held independent NHMRC funding since 1996.

Funding Summary

Number of grants

Total funding

$4,002,313

Projects

Detecting microvascular injury after stroke using a blood test (2022)$9,820

Description: Pericytes, cells controlling blood flow in the brain, are injured post-stroke. This may increase brain injury and worsen neurological disability. This project will develop a blood test for detecting pericyte injury. This test may be useful for diagnosing blood flow impairments or predicting brain injury and neurological disability post-stroke.
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($9,820)
Scheme: Grant-Incubator
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Morris GP; Sutherland BA; Howells DW; King AE; Castley HJ; Courtney J; Collins J
Year: 2022

Can metformin and exenatide improve brain vascular function in type 2 diabetes to reduce stroke severity? (2022)$68,581

Description: People with type 2 diabetes are four times more likely to have a stroke. As well as this, data shows that diabetic individuals who have a stroke are more likely to have a more severe stroke and are far more likely to die following a stroke. The primary treatment for stroke is to remove the clot that caused the stroke in the first place so that blood flow is restored to the affected area. Commonly prescribed anti-diabetic drugs appear to reduce diabetic stroke severity and improve patient outcomes following a stroke independently of lowering blood glucose levels, but we don't know how or why this is the case. The current project will determine whether common anti-diabetic drugs, metformin and/or glucagon like peptide 1 (GLP-1) receptor agonists such as exenatide, improve the health and function of blood vessels in the diabetic brain to reduce the impact of stroke. If true, this work will demonstrate that metformin and exenatide treatment may not only be useful for lowering blood glucose levels, but also aid in reducing the burden of stroke in those with type 2 diabetes.
Funding: Diabetes Australia Research Program ($68,581)
Scheme: Grant
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Premilovac D; Sutherland BA; Howells DW; Morris GP
Year: 2022

Special delivery to the brain: Using cutting-edge ultrasound to increase drug delivery to reduce brain damage after a stroke (2022)$9,584

Description: This project will investigate whether ultrasound can be used to deliver a drug, idebenone, specifically to the brain to reduce brain damage after a stroke in experimental rodents.
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($9,584)
Scheme: Grant-Incubator
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Premilovac D; Sutherland BA; Howells DW; Castley HJ; Guven N
Year: 2022

Acquisition of a VS200 Research Slide Scanner for the College of Health and Medicine (2022)$100,000

Description: The Olympus VS200 Research Slide Scanner enables the imaging of entire tissue sections in an automated manner. It can acquire images from up to six fluorescent channels along with brightfield, dark field and phase contrast, and has objectives up to 100X. The robotic slide loader allows for batch scanning of up to 210 slides at a time and can accommodate multiple sizes of slides up to 4x5 plates for large tissue sections. Our current VS120 slide scanner is already used at a maximum capacity with researchers having to book weeks in advance to scan slides. The VS200 will add further capacity and offers improved capabilities with greater optical resolution, more fluorescent channels, more batch scanning capacity and the ability to scan larger slides. Pairing this with free open source software like QuPath provides high throughput, efficient and highly accurate quantitative workflows that greatly improve productivity.
Funding: Ian Potter Foundation ($100,000)
Scheme: Grant - Medical Research
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Sutherland BA; Howells DW; Courtney J; King AE; Dickson TC; Premilovac D; Bye N; Flies AS; Young K
Year: 2022

Harnessing the dual roles of pericytes to improve stroke outcomes (2021 - 2024)$862,943

Description: Pericytes are cells that exclusively reside on capillaries and can actively contract or relax to modulate capillary blood flow. Pericytes also have angiogenic, stem cell and phagocytic properties that are important for brain function. In ischaemic stroke, when brain blood flow is depleted, pericytes contract and then die, leading to capillary constriction even after arterial blood flow has been restored. However, after the acute stroke period, pericytes may have an important role in brain repair. Therefore, limiting pericyte contraction acutely while promoting pericyte activity during recovery may be a novel therapeutic strategy for ischaemic stroke.Aim 1 will determine whether acute pericyte constriction of capillaries is implicated in worsening stroke outcome. We will utilise our available NG2-DsRed and PDGFRβ-Cre transgenic mouse lines to selectively kill (ablate) pericytes during acute period post-stroke while using our novel contrast-enhanced ultrasound paradigm to assess blood flow and stroke outcomes. In addition, we will use primary cell culture methods to analyse the secretome of neurons, astrocytes, microglia and endothelial cells following ischaemia and their effects on pericyte function.Aim 2 will investigate whether pericytes drive the recovery process of the brain following stroke. Through our aforementioned transgenic mouse lines, we will selectively ablate pericytes in the recovery phase to determine its influence on stroke outcome. We will use lineage tracing to track pericytes following stroke to determine whether pericytes migrate away from capillaries and differentiate into other cell types. Lastly, we will implant pericytes into the mouse brain post-stroke to promote recovery of the brain.This research will develop pericytes as a therapeutic target for both the acute and recovery phases of stroke, pioneering future ischaemic stroke treatment and providing novel approaches for other vascular diseases and brain injuries.
Funding: National Health & Medical Research Council ($862,943)
Scheme: Grant-Ideas
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Sutherland BA; Howells DW; Clarkson A; Premilovac D
Period: 2021 - 2024
Grant Reference: 2003351

Toward targeted drug delivery to the brain using ultrasound (2020)$9,543

Description: All drugs given to patients in the setting of stroke are confounded by off-target effects those drugs have on other organs in the body. This pilot project will take advantage of our newly established transcranial ultrasound methods to establish a new way to deliver drugs specifically to the brain regions affected by stroke.
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($9,543)
Scheme: Grant-Incubator
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Premilovac D; Sutherland BA; Howells DW; Castley HJ
Year: 2020

Can idebenone be used to reduce severity of stroke? (2019)$9,962

Description: There are no drugs that improve the outcomes following a stroke. We have recently identified idebenone as a neuroprotective agent during times of energy stress. This pilot project will investigate whether idebenone can be used to reduce the severity of stroke in a pre-clinical animal model.
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($9,962)
Scheme: Grant-Incubator
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Premilovac D; Sutherland BA; Howells DW; Guven N; Castley HJ
Year: 2019

Can anti-diabetic agents improve blood flow and outcome following stroke in type 2 diabetes? (2018)$24,912

Description: People with type 2 diabetes are four times more likely to have a stroke. Interestingly, common anti-diabetic drugs seem to improve patient outcomes following a stroke. This project will determine whether anti-diabetic drugs improve brain blood flow dynamics during and after stroke to reduce stroke severity in an animal model of type 2 diabetes.
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($24,912)
Scheme: Grant-Minor Project
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Premilovac D; Sutherland BA; Burgess JR; Howells DW; Foa LC; Keske MAV
Year: 2018

Understanding the human ischemic cascade: Improving the process of drug development for cerebral ischemia (2017)$25,000

Description: Brain ischemia is a major cause of death and disability. Drug therapies for ischemic injury which have shown promise in rodent models have had poor translation in human patients. We aim to characterise the human cellular response to ischemia and use injury-reducing hypothermia to identify human-relevant therapeutic targets.
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($25,000)
Scheme: Grant-Establishment
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Howells DW; Eaton ED; Dottori M; Dargaville PA
Year: 2017

Blood-brain barrier energy dysfunction: the unifying cause of fatigue (2017)$99,874

Description: Fatigue can be much more than just a sense of tiredness. It is also a debilitating symptom of many diseases and disorders, hampering peoples' ability to perform the simplest of daily activities. The underlying mechanism of fatigue is unknown. We hypothesise that fatigue is ultimately the result of reduced delivery of energy to the brain. We will assess how energy supply is altered in fatigued brain. A special diet (that supplies an alternative energy source for the brain) will be used to circumvent this energy deficit. We hope to establish how fatigue occurs and offer clues to a simple treatment strategy.
Funding: The Mason Foundation ($99,874)
Scheme: Grant-Judith Jane Mason & Harold Stannett Williams
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Howells DW; Sutherland BA; Landowski LM; Eaton ED; Allan S; Morten K
Year: 2017

Paving the way for future stroke drug development: creating a new gold-standard model of stroke (2017 - 2019)$442,570

Description: Stroke is a leading cause of death and chronic disability. Stroke therapeutics developed in animal models fail when translated into human clinical trials, due to flaws inherent in these models. We will break through this translational roadblock by using magnetic microparticles to induce an ischemic stroke that accurately represents human disease
Funding: Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation ($442,570)
Scheme: Grant - Project Grant Funding
Administered By: University of Tasmania
Research Team: Landowski LM; Howells DW; Castley HJ; Sutherland BA; Kirkcaldie MTK
Period: 2017 - 2019

Biomarkers for assessing the effectiveness of hypothermia as a therapy in ischemic stroke patients (2016)$412,712

Description: Grant transfer from the Florey
Funding: National Health & Medical Research Council ($412,712)
Scheme: Grant-European Union Collaborative Research
Administered By: National Health & Medical Research Council
Research Team: Howells DW
Year: 2016
Grant Reference: 1037863

Improving Stroke Outcome: Attenuating Progression and Recurrence (2016)$1,926,812

Funding: National Health & Medical Research Council ($1,926,812)
Scheme: Grant-Program
Administered By: The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Research Team: Donnan G; Davis S; Hankey G; Howells DW; Parsons M
Year: 2016
Grant Reference: 1013612

Research Supervision

Prof Howells has supervised more than 16 PhD students to completion as well as numerous masters and honours students. Prof Howells is a strong believer in the importance of mentoring young scientists and helping to advance their careers.

Current

Completed

Current

Degree	Title	Commenced
PhD	Pericyte Contractility, Microvascular Blood Flow and the Consequences of Stroke	2017

Completed

Degree	Title	Completed
PhD	Pericyte, Vascular and Microglia Changes in Alzheimer's Disease and Neuroinflammation Candidate: Catherine Grace Foster	2022
PhD	Investigating the Therapeutic Efficacy of Non-anticoagulant Fractions (Dp2 and Dp4) of Enoxaparin following Experimental Traumatic Brain Injury Candidate: Mimieveshiofuo Elizabeth Aiyede	2022