Macquarie researchers Dr Bingyang Shi, Dr Amee Baird and Dr Mojtaba Golzan have been awarded more than $1.5 million in National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) – Australian Research Council (ARC) Dementia Fellowships.

Dr Bingyang Shi – New nanoparticle strategies for efficient delivery and controlled release into the brain.

“This Fellowship will allow me to translate my knowledge towards applications in neurobiology and dementia research, and believe that the success of this Fellowship project will significantly contribute towards translational discoveries in dementia research, ultimately benefiting the health and wellbeing of dementia patients in Australia,” says Bingyang.

Dr Amee Baird – Can music mend minds? Investigating the mechanisms underlying the beneficial effects of music on persons with dementia.

“I am really excited about this Fellowship as it gives me the opportunity to combine clinical research and practice. It will enable me to spend four years investigating how music can help people with dementia, which is a topic that has not received much research attention to date and one that I am passionate about,” says Amee.

Dr Mojtaba Golzan – Implications of retinal neurodegeneration in Alzheimer’s disease.

“This is an exciting opportunity for me to further pursue my research focus on using the eye as a window to the brain. It will pave the way to gain an in-depth in-sight into which particular changes in the eyes are associated with Alzheimers disease (AD). Results from this research may be used for early diagnosis and future medicinal studies that target the eye in AD,” says Mojtaba.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research), Professor Sakkie Pretorius says the Fellowships are excellent examples of the leading work in dementia research being undertaken by Macquarie academics.

“The Fellowships demonstrate the deep expertise supporting the University’s future-shaping Research Priority of Healthy People and specifically, our efforts to be part of a national and global effort to better understand dementia,” he says.

The Dementia Research Development Fellowships totalling more than $43 million are jointly funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Australian Research Council.