PhD Student
Walker lab
Queensland Brain Institute
"I am a PhD student in Associate Prof. Tara Walker's Lab. I’m particularly interested in regenerative/preventative medicine and am looking to find ways to not necessarily live longer, but have a higher quality of life for longer."
"In science, it is easy to become dogmatic, yet the coolest discoveries are made either by accident or when trying ideas that go completely against the grain. This requires not just critical thinking, but also being able to think outside of the box, almost in an abstract manner. This, to me, is the essence of creativity."
The core of a dead neurosphere (cluster of neural stem cells) with differentiated cell types, including neurons and astrocytes migrating out.
A neuron lying on a bed of astrocytes
The core of a neurosphere with differentiating cells including astrocytes migrating out
We know that exercise has a myriad of health benefits, including improvements in cognition. We believe the activation ofstem cells plays a role in this. As such, we are investigating exercise-related molecules (exerkines), for example factors that are secreted during bouts of physical activity and testing which ones can stimulate these neural stem cells. Neurospheres are clusters of stem cells that have been exposed to exercise related proteins. We want to look at the influence of the proteins on if these stem cells will turn into different cell types, for example will they have a preference towards a neuronal cell lineage or astrocytic?
"We know that exercise has a myriad of health benefits, including improvements in cognition. We believe the activation of stem cells plays a role in this, and as such, we are investigating exerciserelated molecules (exerkines), for example factors that are secreted duringbouts of physical activity and testing which ones can stimulate these neural stem cells.
.png)
