Core expertise
Nervous system development and repair
Cellular and molecular mechanisms of axonal regeneration
Molecular mechanisms of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease
Maintenance of nervous system structure over time
Biography
Brent is Head of the Nervous System Development and Repair Laboratory in the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute. His group studies fundamental questions in neurobiology, using the nematode C. elegans to discover how the nervous system can be repaired after injury, and to determine what cellular mechanisms are disrupted in neurodegenerative disorders like motor neuron, Alzheimer’s, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) diseases.
The ineffective repair of nervous system injuries can lead to lifelong disabilities. By providing a better understanding of the mechanisms employed by neurons to preserve their axons over a lifetime, Brent’s research may one day lead to more effective therapies.
