Congratulations to Neuroscience Research Australia (NeuRA) researchers Professor Glenda Halliday and Dr Emma Devenney who have both been recognised with grants in the latest round of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding.

Dr Devenney has been awarded $1.6 million to advance research into identifying and understanding biomarkers for the detection and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases. Professor Halliday has received $3 million to investigate the changes that take place in the brain before and after being diagnosed with frontotemporal and Lewy body dementias, and Parkinson’s disease.

Meanwhile, two Post Doctoral Fellows and NeuRA researchers Dr Lloyd Chan and Dr Paulo Henrique Silva Pelicioni have both won seed grants from the UNSW Ageing Futures Institute.

Dr Chan’s project, ‘Beyond Step Counts’ aims to develop and validate a real-world mobility measurement method for walking aid users using wrist-worn motion sensors. The research output may apply to a wide range of commercial smartwatches and bands, optimising recovery in geriatric and orthopaedic patients.

Dr Pelicioni’s project, ‘TCC-REHAB’ aims to develop a smartphone application-based tele-rehabilitation system which will create remote but reliable and valid assessments to examine mobility issues, among other measures of balance and gait of older people and people living with Parkinson’s disease.