The NeuroRepair Group is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between five School of Medicine Investigators:  three academic members of the School,  Prof James Vickers (Discipline of Pathology), Dr Inn Chuah (Discipline of Anatomy and Physiology), and A/Prof Adrian West (Discipline of Biochemistry); and two research members, Dr Tracey Dickson and Dr Roger Chung.

The objective of the group is to understand the molecular and cellular processes by which neurons grow, and to identify new therapeutic approaches aimed at encouraging the repair of neurons following traumatic injury (eg spinal cord lesions) or during the onset of disease such as Alzheimer's Disease.
 
At present, the Group consists of the five investigators above and a number of PhD and honours students and research staff. We also have strong links to Dr Derek Choi-Lundberg and Dr Lisa Foa who are academic members of the Discipline of Anatomy and Physiology and A/Prof Dominic Geraghty, School of Human Life Sciences.
 
Our research profile includes the following projects:
 
·        The ability of olfactory ensheathing cells to promote repair in the damaged spinal cord
·        Development of a family of therapeutic agents based on the naturally occurring human protein, metallothionein
·        Responses of neurons to damage in both tissue culture and in vivo models of physical trauma
·        Neuronal alterations underlying pathology of neurodegenerative disease

See some of our recent publications to get a feel for the type of work we are doing. 

We currently have funding from the National Health and Medical Research Council and the International Foundation for Research in Paraplegia. We also receive funding support from a number of local organisations, including the Masonic Centenary Medical Research Foundation, the Motor Neurone Disease Association of Tasmania, the Royal Hobart Hospital Research Foundation, the Rotary Club of Deloraine and the Australian Rotary Health Research Foundation.