$10 million neurological research centre launched

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Tags: health, partnerships, winter-2012

Tom Tefft, Dr Terry Coyne, Professor Peter Silburn, Professor Debbie Terry and Richard Royle officially launch the Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation

A new partnership between UQ, Brisbane’s St Andrews Hospital and medical technology leader Medtronic will support the future of the new multi-million dollar Asia-Pacific Centre for Neuromodulation (APCN).

The centre will work to revolutionise the diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases, and specifically to aid further research into Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS), a procedure to treat brain ailments such as Parkinson’s disease, post-stroke disorders, Tourette’s syndrome and epilepsy.

UQ neurologist Professor Peter Silburn and neurosurgeon Dr Terry Coyne are both based at St Andrews and have together performed more than 800 DBS procedures.

“The research is about taking what we’ve learned so far about DBS, and recording what is happening in people’s brains to learn more about it functions and what parts are responsible for these problems,” Professor Silburn said.

Professor Silburn said neurological disease cost Australia $8.3 billion in 2011, alongside an untold emotional toll on patients.

“One of the centre’s goals is to convert knowledge and research into improved treatments; it is an extension of our commitment to seek compassionate outcomes for sufferers of neurological disease,” he said.

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