Unlocking the mysteries of the brain

May 2006

People with brain diseases could be helped by a technique being developed at Monash University Malaysia.

Report: Rahmah Daud
Photography: Monash Malaysia

Scientists at Monash Malaysia are working to improve drug delivery to diseased brain cells, giving hope to people with brain-related illnesses.

Getting into the brain: Professor Ishwar Parhar.

The team at the Brain Research Institute, led by Professor Ishwar Parhar, have developed a technique that allows for neurons of interest to be isolated with precision without damaging surrounding neurons.

The marker-tagged, single-cell laser capture technique 'labels' neurons of interest with a fluorescent dye, allowing them to be easily located and then dissected.

"We can then take a good look at the genes in a neuron, in a technique known as gene profiling," Professor Parhar says.

Through comparing the gene profiles of diseased and non-diseased neurons, potential targets for drugs to treat brain diseases can be identified, he says.

"The brain is a complex organ, and unlocking its mysteries will be the key to developing new treatments and therapies for several diseases."

Tagging and micro dissection of the neurons does not damage surrounding neurons, and therapeutic drugs can be delivered to targeted neurons using nanotechnology, he explains.

The institute's researchers are also looking at other issues involving the brain, including development.

"We are interested in aggressive behaviour because it is related to reproductive hormones," Professor Parhar says. "We know that the male sex hormone testosterone makes young males more aggressive, but we want to find out more about how testosterone excites areas in the brain that relate to aggression."

The researchers will use brain mapping and imaging, nanotechnology and behavioural neurogenetics -- the study of social behaviour -- in their work. They will also compare what they discover with existing databases of brain research findings.

Professor Parhar says these tools of neuroscience have resulted in a greater understanding of brain function, disease onset and disease progression.

"Understanding these issues is vital in helping clinicians treat major brain diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, stroke, infertility and cancer of the brain," Professor Parhar says.

"It also gives us a better understanding of brain mechanisms and responses to stress, anxiety and depression."

Professor Parhar has spent 30 years working with leading research institutions including Rockefeller University in the US and the Nippon Medical School in Japan.

In January this year, he joined Monash Malaysia as Director of the Brain Research Institute in the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, and Director of Research and Development within the school.

Through his two roles, he will contribute to the development of neuroscience research in Malaysia.

"Japan has been my base for the past 15 years, but now that I am in Malaysia, I hope to contribute significantly to the development of a thriving local and regional research environment, and eventually form a bridge to the international research community," Professor Parhar says.

He plans to involve the institute in research collaborations with the International Brain Research Organisation based in France, the Japanese Neuroscience Society and the American Neuroscience Society.

"The scope of brain research is huge, so the potential of new discoveries is tremendous. We hope eventually to translate our scientific research into real benefits for mankind."