Today we profile Associate Professor Antony Cooper from the Garvan Institute. Antony, along with his team, conducts research into what occurs in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. Read what inspires Antony to work in this exciting research field in a bid to find a cure for Parkinson’s.

What Drives Your Commitment to find a cure for Parkinson’s?

Wanting to discover what causes Parkinson’s disease so we can help patients by providing earlier diagnosis, improved treatments, halt disease progression or hopefully find a cure.

Why Shake It Up Australia?

Shake It Up Australia have formed a brilliant strategic partnership with the international Michael J. Fox Foundation. This partnership allows Shake It Up Australia to swiftly assess viable research projects to fund, as well as maximising the amount of research undertaken for each donation received. Its more than impressive that 100% of all monies received are invested directly into research in Australia!

Tell us what you are doing to Shake Things Up?

We are undertaking a range of approaches to identify the early changes occurring in the brains of patients. This in turn will allow us to target therapies to stop the earliest phases of the disease before symptoms appear and so prevent the subsequent cascade of symptoms that follow.

Greatest Reward?

Discovering a new piece of the Parkinson’s disease puzzle. It is both scientifically exciting and also provides great satisfaction knowing that the discovery will help in either earlier diagnosis or guiding development of better therapeutics for PD patients.

Best advice for people looking to Shake It Up?

Finding a cure requires expensive research so if you want to help the best option is to visit the Shake It Up Australia website to either volunteer in a range of fundraising options or form a corporate partnership with Shake It Up Australia.