Join us for an evening with Dr Joanne Lin, as she shares her latest research on detecting neuroinflammation using several techniques including MRI scans.

Recent research suggests that inflammation in the brain may play a role in disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, depression, stroke, and multiple sclerosis.

There exists an enormous need for methods to measure this inflammation for both clinical research and clinical practice, a need that Joanne and her fellow researchers are hoping to help meet.

"We hope these techniques can be applied across many conditions where inflammation is involved, and provide objectively measurable biomarkers that can help us further understand the underlying causes and ultimately help in the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases, and identification of new targets for treatment."

Meet Dr Joanne Lin

Dr Joanne Lin graduated from the University of Auckland with a Bachelor of Pharmacy (BPharm). She then completed a PhD investigating the effects of methamphetamine use on the human brain, and then went onto working as a community pharmacist until 2013. Joanne eventually took up a postdoctoral position in the Adult and Paediatric Pain Lab at Stanford University School of Medicine, researching the effects of recreational drug use on the brain with Associate Professor Jarred Younger. After some time, Joanne decided it was time to apply what she had learnt back in New Zealand, so she returned on a Neurological Foundation Repatriation Fellowship in 2018. Joanne is currently investigating magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques for measuring brain inflammation in human participants at the University of Auckland.

Other information

There will be a mix and mingle with refreshments before the event from 5.30pm - 6.30 pm. The presentation will then begin at 6.30pm, with an audience Q&A to follow.

Parking

Ample free parking is available onsite.

Ticketing

Although this event series is free to attend, any donation you can make, no matter how big or small, is much appreciated. When you donate, you are helping researchers and scientists to make breakthroughs in our understanding and treatment of neurological conditions, conditions that affect 1 in 5 Kiwis.