Beneficiary of the Funds
The new Chair and the proposed Centre of Excellence will provide a tremendous opportunity to drive stroke care and research well into the next generation with enormous benefits. A key focus is developing new therapies and leading clinical trials that evaluate the effectiveness of these therapies in preventing and treating stroke, one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide.
Perron Institute
The creation of the Chair in Stroke Research was made possible through a financial commitment of $3 million by UWA, matched by the Perron Institute with the generous support of WA philanthropists. It is a vital step towards establishing the Perron Institute Stroke Centre of Excellence.
Research Focus
Our Stroke Research Group is led by Clinical Professor Neville Knuckey and Adjunct Professor Bruno Meloni. The group’s core focus is to develop neuroprotective treatments to minimise brain damage after a stroke, and other neurological disorders causing brain injury.
After discovering peptides rich in the amino acid arginine are highly neuroprotective and can limit brain damage after a stroke, the team have been working to develop a lead peptide known as ARG-007 as a potential therapy. The therapy would allow us to accomplish our current focus and extend the therapeutic time window for medical interventions to break up the blood clot or to remove the clot in the brain’s blood vessel which caused the stroke, ultimately preserving brain tissue and improving patient outcome. To progress ARG-007 to the clinic, the UWA and Perron Institute ASX listed spin-out company Argenica Therapeutics was established in 2021. In addition, ongoing research is exploring the potential application of ARG-007 as a neuroprotective treatment for other neurological conditions such as neonatal asphyxia, traumatic brain injury and Parkinson’s disease.
University of Western Australia
UWA researchers are globally prominent in a wide variety of research fields, including Biological Sciences and Agricultural Sciences, Marine/Ocean Engineering and Environmental Science & Engineering. UWA is home to two Nobel Prize for Medicine Laureates Professors Barry Marshall and Robin Warren, they host seven of the world's Highly Cited researchers and over 60 academics across all of Australia's learned academies.
New Research Chair in Stroke Appointed at UWA
Distinguished neurologist Professor Graeme Hankey has been appointed as the inaugural Perron Institute Chair in Stroke Research at The University of Western Australia.
As a clinician-scientist, Professor Hankey has made an outstanding lifetime contribution to stroke research, with a special interest in epidemiological studies and clinical trials of interventions for the treatment and prevention of stroke.
Internationally recognised for his achievements, he has led several pivotal studies in collaboration with leading researchers worldwide.
The creation of the Chair in Stroke Research was made possible through a financial commitment of $3 million by UWA, matched by the Perron Institute with the generous support of WA philanthropists. It is a vital step towards establishing the Perron Institute Stroke Centre of Excellence.