To progress our understanding of neurodegenerative conditions, the research team led by Prof Simon Lewis has won a number of grants and awards from a range of sources including the National Health and Medical Research Centre (NHMRC) of Australia, the Australian Research Council, the Michael J Fox Foundation, as well as the University of Sydney itself, which funds promising projects under its Sydney Research Excellence Initiative 2020 (SREI 2020).

These research projects cover many different areas including trying to develop diagnostic blood tests, better understanding and management of specific symptoms such as gait disturbance, memory problems, hallucinations and sleep problems, as well trying to predict who will develop neurodegenerative diseases to allow treatment at the earliest possible stage.

This latter project specifically focuses on sleep and circadian disruption and its significance in the development of brain disorders. This project has led to the creation of an internationally renowned team of experts who are using novel approaches to study enriched cohorts of individuals who have been identified as having specific risk factors associated with the development of Dementia and Parkinson’s disease.

Capitalising on the clinical practice of Prof Simon Lewis within a research centre has enabled the team to recruit volunteers to undergo extensive testing at regular intervals. Through this approach the team will be able to evaluate the ability of biological markers to predict the emergence of brain disease.

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