Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre

Our approach capitalises on decades of world-leading research into cell death and immunology at WEHI. To date, most research into Parkinson’s has focussed on controlling symptoms, not stopping disease progression which involves the death of brain cells.

Our unique multi-disciplinary approach brings together world-leading researchers in cell death, mitochondrial function and ubiquitin signalling in the same institute. These three areas are central to stopping Parkinson’s.

The Parkinson’s Disease Research Centre currently has nine labs, dedicated support staff and a team of consumer advocates. We work collaboratively with leading movement disorder clinicians in Melbourne and researchers around the world in programs including Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s and the Global Parkinson’s Genetic Program.

Our team members are leading projects alongside other researchers from institutions including NeuRA, The Florey, UC Berkley, Max Planck Insitute and the University of Vienna.

Members of our leadership team have built links to the pharmaceutical industry, by establishing spin-out companies to accelerate the translation of their research into viable drug therapies through clinical trials.

Partnering with organisations that have access to venture capital provides the Centre with the ability to explore future discoveries in conjunction with WEHI’s National Drug Discovery Centre.

The centre is funded by grants from Parkinson’s-specific funding bodies and philanthropic donations. This funding is used to support salaries for staff, from PhD stipends through to lab heads, and allowing the purchase of equipment.

These grants and generous donations are central to our ongoing success.

Your support can help accelerate life-changing medical research for Parkinson’s disease and other debilitating conditions.