Overview

The Centre for Neuroscience was established in 1999 within the Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences to provide a strategic focus for neuroscience research at the University of Melbourne and to build on a strong and established research base. The Centre brings together the breadth of neuroscience excellence in inner Melbourne and applies the scientific and clinical resources available in a coordinated approach to the many and varied problems within the broad field of neuroscience. In particular, the Centre aims to:

• focus research efforts on neuroscience
• enable more efficient use of facilities & infrastructure
• raise the productivity & impact of neuroscience research
• increase funding to neuroscience
• attract the best research personnel & students
• facilitate neuroscience education
• interact with the pharmaceutical & biotechnology industries

The Director of the Centre is Professor Trevor Kilpatrick, a clinical neurologist with a strong research interest in the area of demyelinating diseases (including Multiple Sclerosis). Research laboratories of the Centre are based in the West Wing on the 7th floor of the Medical Sciences Building on the University campus. Research programs are currently being undertaken in the areas of neural regeneration, neurodegeneration, pain & sensory mechanisms, and in conjunction with the Howard Florey Institute, demyelinating disease and neuroscience informatics. The Centre has several collaborative neuroscience research projects with many departments of the Faculty, and has established strong links through its involvement with Neurosciences Victoria, affiliated research institutes and the clinical units of the major teaching hospitals in the locale.