

ASIA-PACIFIC ASSOCIATION
FOR NEURAL TRANSPLANTATION
& REPAIR
3rd ANNUAL APANTR MEETING
HOBART, AUSTRALIA
14th OCTOBER 2022
The goal of the Asia-Pacific Association for Neural Transplantation and Repair (APANTR) is to bring together researchers who wish to share their knowledge, skills and goals, targeted at protecting, repairing and restoring the injured nervous system. Key focuses within the APANTR community include: cell and gene therapy, stem cells and their restricted differentiation, disease modelling, neurogenesis and gliogenesis, neural development, biomaterials as well as tools and techniques. The Association is targeted at both research-based scientists and clinicians, with the aspiration that research will lead to clinical translation, and that translational outcomes will drive further research.​
A key philosophy of the association is to see the support of graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, fostering the next generation of scientists and clinicians. As such the association endeavours to place a strong emphasis on the support and involvement of its junior members, particularly at meetings.
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APANTR NEWS

DATABLITZ SUBMISSION OPEN
We are calling for submissions for Datablitz presentations for APANTR 2022.
DATABLITZ: This year's format will be a 3 minute presentation followed by 2 minutes of questions.
SUBMISSION: Send a 250 word abstract with title. Please ensure the subject line of your email reads “APANTR datablitz submission”.
EMAIL: apantr.secretariat@outlook.com
DATE: Submit by COB Wednesday 30th September.
Please note that high quality submissions will be accepted into the program as they are received, until the program is full.

APANTR 2022
Join us for the 3rd Annual APANTR meeting in Hobart, Australia 14th October 2022.
APANTR will bring together the Asian Pacific community annually to share the latest research and clinical trial updates,
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ABOUT APANTR
APANTR was established in 2017 following the International Society of Neural Transplantation and Repair (INTR) meeting, held in Port Douglas Australia the same year, where it was recognised that a forum was required to foster the networking within the local region.

3rd ANNUAL
APANTR
MEETING
3rd ANNUAL APANTR MEETING
This one-day meeting will bring together a range of clinical and basic neuroscience. Hosted in Hobart, our program will include presentations from a range of senior and early career researchers. Meeting includes a full day program including lunch and a networking event in the evening.
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DATE: 14th October 2022
TIME: 10am-5:30pm and an evening networking event
LOCATION: The Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
COST: FREE
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SUBMISSION FOR DATABLITZ OPEN NOW
Presenting data as a datablitz is a great opportunity for ECRs to showcase their work. The format this year will be 3min talk + 2min questions.
To apply, send a 250 word abstract and title to apantr.secretariat@outlook.com by COB 30th September.
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SPEAKERS
Disease Modelling and Mechanisms
KAYLENE YOUNG
The University of Tasmania, Australia
Prof. Kaylene Young is Theme Leader for Brain Health and Disease Research and Head of the Glial Research Team at the Menzies Institute for Medical Research. Her research program spans the lab and clinic, utilising stem and progenitor cell populations to understand multiple sclerosis and develop approaches to prevent myelin loss.
SAMANTHA BARTON
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Dr Samantha Barton is a Rebecca L. Cooper Medical Research Fellow and a group leader at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health using human stem cells to model neurological disease. Dr Barton uses patient induced pluripotent stem cells, in combination with human post-mortem tissue and mouse models, to interrogate the role of oligodendrocytes and associated glia in diseases like motor neuron disease and multiple sclerosis.
LEZANNE OOI
The University of Wollongong, Australia
CAMERON HUNT
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Dr. Cameron Hunt is a senior post-doctoral researcher from the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health at the University of Melbourne within the Stem cells and Neurodevelopment laboratory of Prof. Clare Parish. His research focus leverages developmental neurobiology of the CNS in order to generate directed differentiation protocols from human pluripotent stem cells & novel tools for molecular biology to investigate in vitro and in vivo models of neurodegenerative disorders including PD, ALS, Stroke & Huntington's Disease.
Prof. Lezanne Ooi studies neurodegenerative diseases such as motor neuron disease (MND) and Alzheimer's disease.
Cell Therapy and Repair
BRAD SUTHERLAND
The University of Tasmania, Australia
Associate Professor Brad Sutherland is an NHMRC Boosting Dementia Fellow in the Discipline of Medical Sciences, Tasmanian School of Medicine in the College of Health and Medicine. His main research interests focus on the regulation of the microvascular system, how it is controlled at the cellular and molecular level, and how this becomes dysfunctional in diseases such as stroke and dementia.
DHANISHA JHAVERI
The University of Queensland, Australia
Dr Dhanisha Jhaveri has a joint appointment at Mater Research and the Queensland Brain Institute (QBI) and is a Mater Foundation Senior Research Fellow and a Group Leader. Dhanisha’s research group is investigating the fundamental mechanisms that drive the renewal of neurons in the adult brain, with the goal of harnessing this form of neural plasticity to relieve the emotional and cognitive burdens associated with chronic stress and depression.
NIAMH MORIARTY
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Dr. Niamh Moriarty is a senior postdoctoral researcher working under the mentorship of Professor Clare Parish in the Stem Cells and Neural Development Laboratory at The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Melbourne. Her research career has focused on novel approaches to advance cell replacement therapies, with a focus on Parkinson’s Disease.
BRYONY NAYAGAM
The University of Melbourne, Australia
A/Prof Bryony Nayagam is member of the Centre for Stem Cell Systems in the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience at the University of Melbourne. A major focus of A/Prof Nayagam’s research is to better understand the sensory biology of hearing and vestibular function and preventing the loss of key sensory cell types following damage to the inner ear.
New and Emerging Technologies
TONY COOK
The University of Tasmania, Australia
Associate Professor Cook is a research/teaching academic at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre. His research interests lie in developing and utilising human cell-based models of neurodegenerative diseases to identify and test new treatment strategies. He leads and collaborates on projects utilizing pluripotent stem cell culture and CRISPR/Cas gene editing to study genetic diseases causing neurodegeneration in children, gene-environment interactions in ALS, and mechanisms of how axons degenerate.
MICHELLE O’HARA-WRIGHT
The University of Sydney, Australia
Michelle is a PhD student in Dr Anai Gonzales-Cordero at the Children's Medical Research Institute, University of Sydney.
JORDAN WRIGHT
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Dr Jordan Wright is a Postdoc currently working in the Neurogenetics laboratory of Prof. Paul Lockhart at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. He leads the epigenetic neurodevelopmental disorder modelling arm of the laboratory, which is primarily focused on generating and characterising human stem cell-derived neuronal models of genetic neurodevelopmental disorders associated with epigenetic genes. Working closely with Prof. Anne Voss and Prof. Marnie Blewitt at the WEHI, the team is trialing a number of pathway modifying compounds across human and mouse models to explore whether compound-dependent epigenetic alterations improve neuronal characteristics and behavioural deficits.
COURNTEY WRIGHT
The University of Sydney, Australia
Dr Courtney Wright is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Sydney within Prof. Deniz Kirik's Neuro-Biomedicine Laboratory. Her research centres on Parkinson's disease and associated protein aggregation. She utilises both in-vitro and in-vivo models coupled with advanced light microscopy techniques to understand the complex interactions between cellular biochemistry and neurodegeneration.
BOARD MEMBERS
APANTR HONORARY FOUNDING MEMBERS
CLARE PARISH
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Stem cells and neural
development laboratory
Florey Institute of Neuroscience
& Mental Health

MIRELLA DOTTORI
University of Wollongong, Australia

KAYLENE YOUNG
University of Tasmania, Australia
APANTR BOARD

MAURICE CURTIS
University of Auckland, New Zealand

DHANISHA JHAVERI
University of Queensland, Australia
ECR MEMBERS

HELEN MURRAY
University of Aukland, New Zealand

ASUKA MORIZANE
Centre for IPS Cell Research and Application, Japan
ASNTR MEMBER
NECTAR MEMBER

ROMINA ARON BADIN
CEA center, Paris France

MICHAEL LANE
Drexel University, United States of America
ORGANISING COMMITTEE

KAYLENE YOUNG
University of Tasmania, Australia

LACHLAN THOMPSON
University of Melbourne, Australia

KIMBERLEY PITMAN
University of Tasmania, Australia

CAMERON HUNT
University of Melbourne, Australia

CLARE PARISH
University of Melbourne, Australia

CHARLOTTE ERMINE
University of Melbourne, Australia

NIAMH MORIARTY
University of Melbourne, Australia
SECRETARIAT

CHARLOTTE ERMINE
University of Melbourne, Australia

KIMBERLEY PITMAN
University of Tasmania, Australia

LACHLAN THOMPSON
The University of Melbourne, Australia
Neurogenesis and neural
transplantation laboratory
Florey Institute of Neuroscience
& Mental Health
CONTACT
Enquiries
For any inquiries, questions or commendations, please fill out the following form
Meeting Location
The Menzies Institute for Medical Research, Hobart, Tasmania
Australia
Head Office
Florey Institute of Neuroscience
& Mental Health
30 Royal Parade, Parkville, Victoria,
3052, Australia