UWA Research

A significant milestone in MND/ALS research.

Researchers from the Harry Perkins Institute of Medical Research played a key role in the Strategic ALS Australia (SALSA) study, which has established the world's first unified national MND/ALS database and biobank. This landmark resource will support researchers to better understand the disease and accelerate future discoveries.

Motor Neurone Disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in many countries, is a progressive neurological disease that affects the nerve cells controlling voluntary movement. There is currently no cure, making research to better understand the disease and develop new treatments critically important.

Over almost 10 years, the WA SALSA team—including Emeritus Professor Nigel Laing AO, Professor Merrilee Needham, Dr Dev Nathani, Genetic Counsellor Mandi MacShane and Laboratory Scientist Elyshia McNamara—recruited almost 19% of the national SALSA cohort, an outstanding contribution from WA.

The team's work included recruiting participants, collecting clinical data and biological samples and building a resource that can be accessed by researchers for ethically approved MND research. Perkins researchers are also helping assure the continuation of this Western Australian MND biobank into the future.

Research resources like the SALSA database and biobank are helping scientists better understand the disease and supporting the development of future diagnostics, treatments and, ultimately, improved outcomes for those living with this condition and their loved ones.

Please join us this Thursday 13th August, 2pm at the Jennifer Arnold Lecture Theatre to hear a PhD proposal seminar:

Jón T. Magnússon – “Kelp forest associated biodiversity and human-driven change"

If you are late or unable to stay for the whole seminar, you are still more than welcome. Please be courteous to our speakers and try to minimise disruption during talks. If you are unable to make the talk in person, please let us ([email protected]) know, and we will send you a Teams link. Please note that requests for Teams access need to be sent in a timely manner, those sent too close to the seminar start time may not be fulfilled.

As a reminder, PhD students are required to attend the SBS Seminars to qualify for confirmation of candidature. These talks are a great way to learn more about the breadth of fantastic research happening across the school, and it would be amazing to see you all there!

See you at the seminar!

UWA ResearchUWA Science

We're proud to celebrate three Forrest researchers recognised in the Australian Institute of Policy and Science (AIPS)'s '2026 Young Tall Poppy Science Awards' for WA.

These awards honour outstanding early-career scientists who are not only advancing research but also inspiring the wider community through science communication.

Congratulations to Dr Fiona Panther, Dr Marcus Korb and Dr Kit Prendergast on this well-deserved achievement! We also extend our congratulations to all the outstanding scientists recognised in the 2026 Young Tall Poppy Science Awards. See the full list of winners here: https://aips.org.au/2026-young-tall-poppy-science-award-winners

Learn more about the award-winning research of Dr Fiona Panther (https://forrestresearch.org.au/profiles/dr-fiona-panther/), Dr Marcus Korb (https://forrestresearch.org.au/profiles/dr-marcus-korb/ ) and Dr Kit Prendergast (https://forrestresearch.org.au/profiles/dr-kit-prendergast/ ) on their individual Forrest Research Foundation profiles.

Congratulations to researchers from The University of Western Australia have been named Young Tall Poppies for their work in diverse fields including astrophysics, chemistry, advanced imaging, nutrition and how artificial intelligence influences human behaviour.

Read: https://tinyurl.com/5n8z7vh9

Young Tall Poppy awardees:
🌟 Dr Fiona Panther - WA winner
🌟 Kai Chen - WA winner
🌟 Dr Amelia Harray - WA winner
🌟 Tammy Lee - finalist, Industry Award (National)
🌟 Dr Marcus Korb - WA winner
🌟 Dr Mehwish Nasim - WA winner
UWA School of Biological Sciences

📢UWA RESEARCH AWARDS - extended - now closing Monday 17 August!

UWA staff can enter Portal (Pheme) to learn more/apply https://bit.ly/3vdtcck

Recognising UWA researchers/staff & celebrating their work to deliver improved outcomes to WA & the broader community.

👏 Congratulations to UWA affiliated finalists in the Australian Museum Eureka Awards:

🌟 Fun-IVCM The University of Melbourne; The University of Western Australia; and Lions Eye Institute
🌟 SeadragonSearch

Learn more: https://tinyurl.com/nh9axkk9

🎉 Help give a massive congratulations to Professor Gina Ravenscroft on receiving $2.5 million as part of the National Health and Medical Research Council - NHMRC 2026 Investigator Grant to help tackle big challenges in rare disease research.

For thousands of people, particularly families with children and babies, living with a rare genetic disease means years of unanswered questions, uncertainty and limited treatment options. In Australia, 1 in 12 people suffer from a “rare disease” (a disease affecting fewer than 1 in 2,000 people), and >80% of rare diseases are genetic. Every day in Australia, approximately 300 miscarriages occur and for 10-20% of affected women this will not be their first or last loss.

This funding will support Gina and her team's existing efforts that aim to find the genetic causes of neuromuscular diseases, including disorders that present from birth to late adult life, and tackle the genetics of recurrent miscarriages – a big area of unmet need.

As Professor Ravenscroft said, "Giving patients and families answers regarding the cause of their disease is an incredibly rewarding aspect of our work." This funding brings that goal one step closer for families across Western Australia and beyond.

Congratulations, Prof Ravenscroft, on this well-deserved funding and the hope it brings to families across WA and beyond.

Read more via the link in the comments.

👏Globally influential researchers in Aboriginal mental health, astrophysics, autism and marine science are among 17 researchers affiliated with The University of Western Australia to be named finalists in the 2026 Premier’s Science Awards. The awards are announced on 21 September - best of luck to all the finalists!

SEE THE LIST: https://tinyurl.com/ycykyy2y

WA Government The Kids Research Institute Australia The UWA Oceans Institute UWA School of Biological Sciences UWA School of Indigenous Studies ICRAR Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science UWA School of Molecular Sciences UWA Engineering and STEM