We use cookies to improve your experience on our site and to show you personalised advertising. To find out more, read our privacy policy and cookie policy

Skip to Content
University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo. University of Wollongong Australia. Logo.
  • Search
  • Give
  • Library
  • Current Students
  • Staff
  • UOW Global
    • Our global presence
    • UOW in Dubai
    • UOW in Hong Kong
    • UOW in Malaysia
  • Menu
  • Study at UOW

    • Courses
    • Apply
    • Scholarships & grants
    • Accommodation
    • High-school students
    • Non-school leavers
    • Postgraduate students
    • International students
    • Moving to Wollongong
    • Study abroad & exchange
    • Global sport programs
    • Campuses
    Study at UOW
  • Engage

    • Future student
    • Alumni
    • Visit UOW
    • Woolyungah Indigenous Centre
    • Volunteer
    • The Stand Magazine
    • Community Members
    • Grants and funding
    • Give to UOW
    • Visit the Library
    • Key contacts
    • Educators & school teachers
    Engage with us
  • About UOW

    • Welcome
    • Our people
    • Services
    • Contacts
    • What's on
    • Global presence
    • Media Centre
    • Faculties & schools
    • Our vision & strategy
    • Our Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Strategy
    • Our reputation & experience
    • Locations, campuses & partners
    See more about UOW
  • Research

    • Our research
    • Researcher support
    • Research impact
    • Partnership & collaboration
    • Graduate Research School
    • Commercial research
    • Global Challenges
    • Media, news & events
    • Find an expert
    • Our people
    See more about research
  • Industry

    • Generator Lab
    • Advantage SME
    • Success stories
    • Industry research engagement
    • Equipment & Labs
    • Funding opportunities
    • Intellectual property
    • Collaboration for business
    • Collaboration for researchers
    • Careers and employability
    See more about Industry
  • Alumni

    • Benefits
    • Outlook Magazine
    • Events & webinars
    • Volunteer
    • Awards
    • Honorary alumni
    • Testamurs & transcripts
    • Update your details
    • Your career journey
    • Contact us & FAQ
    See more about alumni
  • Quick links

    • Contact directory
    • Staff Intranet
    • Campus maps
    • Transport & parking
    • Key dates
    • Events
    • Password management
    • Jobs
    • Accommodation
    • Policy directory
  • Library
You are here More Pages
  • Home
  • About UOW
  • Media Centre
  • 2022
  • UOW academic will lead stem cell research on Friedreich's ataxia

Media Quick Links

  • Contact UOW Media
  • Visiting campus
  • Image library
  • UOW key facts
  • Find an expert
  • News Corp subscription
  • Sign up for the latest news from UOW Media

January 21, 2022


  • Story By
  • Alex Reszelska
  • Photo By
  • Paul Jones
Share
Type
Media Release
Category
Health and Medicine
Tags
Health & MedicineIllawarraWomen in ScienceSDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing

UOW in the News

UOW academic will lead stem cell research on Friedreich's ataxia

Funding to advance therapies for a rare neurodegenerative disease


There may be no more than 300 people living with this disease throughout Australia, but many more are carrying the gene responsible for it. Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a rare inherited disorder that causes degeneration of nerve tissue in the spinal cord and the brain, which then affects movement and, over time, other neuronal functions, such as speech.

Currently, there's no cure for the disorder, which is usually diagnosed between childhood and early adulthood and can significantly shorten a person's life expectancy. And that's where Associate Professor Mirella Dottori's research comes into play.

Professor Dottori, Principal Research Fellow at Molecular Horizons and the School of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences (MIHS) at the University of Wollongong (UOW), and at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute, has just received a US$250,000 grant from Friedreich's Ataxia Research Alliance (FARA)to use stem cell-based models to examine how the human sensory nervous system is developmentally impaired in FRDA.

"There are many things that we don't know about neurodegenerative disorders. But with Friedreich's ataxia, we've been lucky to discover that the cause of FRDA is due to mutations in the FXN gene, resulting in insufficient levels of the mitochondrial protein, Frataxin, in the body," Professor Dottori explained.

"My current project funded by FARA will use stem cells derived from FRDA patients to study the progressive neurodegeneration of proprioceptor sensory neurons, which are responsible for body position and movement."

Friedreich's ataxia is inherited from both parents by what's called autosomal recessive transmission. However, if the defective gene is only passed down from one parent, the person unknowingly becomes a carrier of the disease without any symptoms. So even though the disorder is classified as rare, there are many people who may be affected by it.

The FARA project also complements other research advancements led by Professor Dottori's UOW lab, which aim to understand the human sensory systems and their relation to degenerative diseases. In one of these studies, the researchers examine the use of viruses in delivering protein Frataxin to sensory neurons, which could help to counterbalance the insufficiency of Frataxin that the FRDA patients experience.

ABOUT THE RESEARCH

PI/Investigator: Mirella Dottori, PhD, University of Wollongong, Australia

Grant Title: Investigating Proprioceptor Development and Function in Friedreich’s Ataxia

Funding period: 1 March 2022 – 28 February 2024

More information: https://www.curefa.org/grant-awards#d5c

 

Media Contacts for this article

UOW Media Office

You may also be interested in

Southern Highlands and Goulburn students get a taste for a career in health care
Inaugural conference to examine acute challenges facing rural health system
UOW ‘nature prescription’ randomised trial for chronic disease management receives $1.5 million
Services & Help
  • Current students
  • Library
  • Information technology
  • Accommodation
  • Security & safety
  • Pool, gym & retail
News, Media & Events
  • Media Centre
  • The Stand
  • Alumni Magazine
  • Research news
  • Events
  • Find an expert
Faculties
  • Arts, Social Sciences & Humanities
  • Business & Law
  • Engineering & Information Sciences
  • Science, Medicine & Health
Administration
  • Graduation
  • Environment
  • Policy directory
  • Learning and teaching
  • Financial Services
  • Access to information
  • Jobs
UOW Entities
  • Innovation Campus
  • UOW College Australia
  • UOW College Hong Kong
  • UOW in Dubai
  • UOW Global Enterprises
  • UOW Malaysia KDU
  • UOW Pulse
Connect with us
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Conversation
  • Contact us
  • Feedback
  • Give to UOW

Northfields Ave Wollongong,  NSW 2522  Australia 
Phone: 1300 367 869 
International: +61 2 4221 3218 
Switchboard: +61 2 4221 3555

  • NUW Alliance: Smarter Solutions for NSW
  • University Global Partnership Network (UGPN)
  • Reconciliation Australia
  • AWEI LGBTQ inclusion awards logo

Aboriginal flag Torres Strait Islander flag

On the lands that we study, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands.

Copyright © 2023 University of Wollongong
CRICOS Provider No: 00102E | TEQSA Provider ID: PRV12062 | ABN: 61 060 567 686
Copyright & disclaimer | Privacy & cookie usage | Web Accessibility Statement

Close