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research grants program - 2008

The CP Institute has great pleasure in announcing the recipients of the 2008 Grant Program. The program, funded by the CP Foundation, is designed to stimulate cerebral palsy research in the epidemiological, behavioural and social sciences.

View recipients from previous years: 2006 and 2007

Innovative research grants

Dr Suzanne Miller - $82,154 over one year
Monash University

A new antenatal prevention for cerebral palsy

Cerebral palsy (CP) describes a group of disorders of movement and posture, secondary to non-progressive brain injury sustained during fetal development. There is a strong association between intrauterine infection, white matter brain injury and cerebral palsy. This project will use fetal sheep to examine the potential for maternal melatonin administration to reduce fetal inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby ameliorating fetal brain injury.

Associate Professor Dinah Reddihough - $145,375 over three years
Royal Children’s Hospital

MRI brain scans and cerebral palsy – the key to risk factors, causes and prevention

Children with CP have different patterns of abnormalities on their brain scans which can provide information as to the cause of the motor problem. The aim of this project is to study the MRI brain scans of the largest group of children with CP so far studied (800 children). The findings will be linked with all the details recorded on the Victorian CP Register to determine the sequence of events that resulted in the brain injury.

Dr Jacques-Olivier Coq – $100,000 over three years
National Center for Scientific Research, University of Marseille, France

Developing a new rodent model of CP to help understand, prevent and cure CP

Cerebral palsy is a complex syndrome of various sensorimotor and cognitive deficits related to early brain damage. We have developed a promising model of CP in rats that reproduces the many symptoms observed in CP. This rat model helps us to understand the mechanisms of CP and to try new strategies of remediation and prevention that could be used in humans in the future.

Professor George Mendz - $55,449 over one year
The University of Notre Dame

Prevention of cerebral palsy: Understanding of infection as a cause of preterm birth

Preterm birth of infants is a risk factor for CP. Intrauterine infections are the only pathologic processes for which a firm causal link with prematurity has been established. Thus, prevention or early cure of urogenital infections will reduce the number of premature births and consequently of CP cases. The leading causes of infection-associated preterm births are bacterial infections. This study aims to identify the bacterial infections leading to prematurity and their relationship with the different degrees of prematurity.

Professor Enrico Coiera - $120,000 over three years
Centre for Health Informatics, University of NSW

Accelerating our understanding of the causal pathways to Cerebral Palsy with a computer supported discovery system.

While little is known about CP aetiology, there are many unconnected islands of related research which may contain clues to CP prevention and for which results are well documented in the scientific literature. This study will develop software tools that search the published scientific literature and assist in exploring and partially answering aetiology questions posed by cerebral palsy researchers. The researchers will develop computational methods which will perform the automatic extraction and synthesis of aetiological knowledge across multiple documents that potentially address the aetiology or prevention of conditions related to CP.

Professor Alastair MacLennan - $115,000 over two years
The University of Adelaide; Women's & Children's Hospital North Adelaide

A genomic basis for cerebral palsy - studies on a large Australian cohort

Our previous research has shown that exposure to viral infection is common in newborn babies in South Australia, especially in preterm babies. The risk of cerebral palsy is nearly doubled with exposure to Herpes PCR group B viruses, but may require other factors, such as genetic susceptibility to infection and inherited thrombophilia or involvement of other clinical events such as growth restriction or or prematurity for brain damage and subsequent cerebral palsy to occur. This study will continue this work by testing newborn screening cards for exposure to viral infection and linking with genomic, pregnancy and neonatal information. The results will provide us with more information about the antenatal causes of cerebral palsy.

Allergan Doctoral Research Grant

Margaret Wallen - $100,000 over three years
The Children’s Hospital Westmead, NSW

Modified constraint-induced therapy for children with cerebral palsy: A randomised trial
- This research will compare two occupational therapy interventions for children with hemiplegic CP to identify which intervention improves the function of a child’s arm and hand the most.

NHMRC Co-funded doctoral scholarships

Henry H Roth Foundation Scholarship: Liora Ballin $27,000
University of Sydney

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Training with experienced AAC users as volunteer AAC therapy aides

Some people with cerebral palsy use speech generating augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to communicate, as they are unable to use speech as their primary communication mode. However, learning to use an AAC device competently may take up to two years. Experienced AAC users may be well placed to train people who are learning to use AAC. This doctoral research will identify important aspects of an AAC training program; observe clinical sessions; develop and implement a training program for experienced AAC users to be volunteer therapy aides; develop and implement AAC training with new users paired with experienced users.

Sundell Foundation Research Grant: Abbey Eeles $27,000
University of Melbourne

Sensory outcomes and profiles over the first two years for infants born less than 30 weeks' gestation

The sensory experiences preterm infants encounter early in life lay the foundations for future neurodevelopment. Whilst the literature suggests that sensory experiences have an impact on development little is known about the development of sensory functioning in early childhood or the extent to which sensory profiles/outcomes affect the neurobehavioural outcomes of this vulnerable population. This doctoral research aims to examine this relationship and provide direction for future practices.

For further information contact Sarah McIntyre, Sargents Research Fellow, at smcintyre@tscnsw.org.au