OCULAR DISEASE AND EARLY ONSET MYOPIA
Dr Jessica Mountford
Brian King Fellow &
Head of Functional Molecular Vision Group
Lions Eye Institute, Western Australia
RESEARCHER PROFILE
Filmed in Perth, Western Australia | November 2024
Dr Jessica Mountford received her highly ranked PhD from Monash University, Melbourne, in 2012, in the field of biochemistry and clinical haematology. Her work investigating novel ways to prevent thrombosis, a leading cause of heart attack and stroke, led to a first author publication in Nature Communications.
Following this, Dr Mountford relocated to Perth and went on to complete two post-doctoral appointments at the University of Western Australia, where she began research on the comparative evolution of visual and non-visual opsin across species of vertebrate, from the primitive lamprey to human.
During this period Dr Mountford began researching novel genetic variants associated with myopia development. With Adjunct Research Fellow appointments held at La Trobe University in Melbourne, and the University of Western Australia, Dr Mountford is currently the 6th Brian King Fellow and the Head of the Functional Molecular Vision Group at the Lions Eye Institute in Perth where she researches both the genetic and environmental factors involved in the development of early-onset myopia.
Dr Mountford has successfully established Western Australia’s first and only ocular genetic screening platform using zebrafish and utilises this model to help elucidate some of the complex gene-environment interactions responsible for the development of myopia.
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Interventions for improving outcomes of children who are deaf or hard of hearing
Professor Teresa Ching is a Conjoint Professor at NextSense Institute and Macquarie University, and an Honorary Professor at the University of Queensland in Australia. Her current research focuses on devising culturally sensitive practices in early detection and intervention to maximise children’s outcomes. Working with international colleagues, her current research is also directed towards developing global guidelines and recommendations for hearing screening beyond the newborn period, so that all children can benefit from early detection and intervention. The ultimate goal is to attain equity of care and outcomes for all children with hearing difficulties.
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Tyrosine Kinases in cancer recurrence
Dr Yu Yu leads the Oncology and Gynaecology Research Program at Curtin Medical Research Institute . Dr Yu is also a senior research fellow at Curtin Medical School.
Dr Yu Yu’s laboratory is working on better ways to treat cancers, particularly ovarian cancers which are resistant to conventional chemotherapy. The aims are for better informed treatment choice and reducing unnecessary exposure to ineffective chemotherapy and its potential adverse effects.
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Dr James Pang
DR JAMES PANG, RESEARCH FELLOW
TURNER INSTITUTE FOR BRAIN AND MENTAL HEALTH, MONASH UNIVERSITY
VICTORIA, AUSTRALIA
