Our hero this week is researcher, Jasmine Galper, who is on the frontline of Parkinson’s science at the University of Sydney. This year, Jasmine is supporting Paws 4 Parkinson’s by sharing her dream pet – the deer she met at the World Parkinson’s Conference in Japan. She said “This deer was almost as inspiring as the participants of the conference! It was steady and fearless in the face of chaos and traffic.”
You can get involved with Paws 4 Parkinson’s by sharing your pet and their story through Facebook and Instagram. Make sure you tag @shakeitupaust and use the hashtag #paws4parkinsons
Briefly outline where you commenced your research journey and where you are currently based.
I started neuroscience research at Queensland Brain Institute and am now based at the Neuropathology and Biomarkers lab at The Brain and Mind Centre, The University of Sydney.
Describe yourself in five words
I’m very peanut-butter oriented.
Who do you admire?
If I think of people who deserve recognition, it’s hard not to take your hat off to the scientist Barry Marshall, who researched ulcers and gastritis. He went so far as to drink a broth of H. pylori bacteria to prove it caused disease and ended up with a Nobel prize.
When did you know you wanted to be involved in medical research?
It was sometime in first year uni, between realising I get too sea-sick to be a marine biologist and reading the book “The brain that changes itself” by Dr. Norman Doidge.
Why Parkinson’s?
My dad has had Parkinson’s since I was about 9 years old so I’ve come to know that there is a need to understand the disease much more than we currently do.
What is your current Parkinson’s research focussed on?
My research is on blood and cerebrospinal fluid markers of Parkinson’s. We are interested in what type of markers might be different in Parkinson’s compared to those without, to gain insight into the disease. We are also interested in markers that might be present in people with a high-risk of Parkinson’s to better understand some of the earliest changes that occur in the disease process.
The hardest things about being a researcher:
Wanting to see results while knowing most progress is incremental.
What do you enjoy doing when you are not in a lab?
Watching shows of my talented friends at Improv Theatre Sydney.
Check out more information on current research projects supported by Shake It Up.
You can get involved with Paws 4 Parkinson’s by sharing your pet and their story through Facebook and Instagram. Make sure you tag @shakeitupaust and use the hashtag #paws4parkinsons
