Parkinson’s is a progressive neurodegenerative disease which can result in symptoms like tremors, slow movement and loss of balance as well as depression, anxiety, problems with sleep and more.

Over 12,000 Kiwis are affected by Parkinson’s disease and scientists are still working to decipher the cause of it.

So far, researchers have discovered over 240 genetic differences in people with the disease. However, there’s limited understanding of how these genetic mutations affect the disease’s development and progression.

One of the brilliant minds seeking to unravel these mysteries belongs to Dr Sophie Farrow, based at The University of Auckland’s Liggins Institute. Her early-career research was supported by a Neurological Foundation Small Project Grant. 

Join us for this FREE online talk

Join us on ZOOM to hear from Dr Farrow and learn about her groundbreaking research into the genetics of Parkinson’s. She’s using computational modelling and lab techniques to understand how these genes interact with each other and with other genes, and how this can lead to the disease’s development.

About the speaker

Dr Sophie Farrow completed her PhD in 2022 and is currently working as a post-doctoral fellow in Professor Justin O’Sullivan’s lab group. Dr Farrow’s research focuses on understanding the role of genetic regulatory variants in the development of Parkinson’s disease, among other complex diseases, using high-throughput computational and laboratory techniques. She’s particularly interested in using genomics, among other tools, for understanding the different sub-types of Parkinson’s disease. Moving forward, she hopes to integrate her findings with clinical data and outcomes, with the goal of developing a translational framework to move from basic cellular work to precision-based clinical application.