New Kolling website goes live The new Kolling Institute for Medical Research website has been launched, showcasing the extensive range of leading research within the Kolling. The website includes detailed information about our teams and the breadth of work to help diagnose, prevent and treat disease. Executive Director of Research Professor Carolyn Sue said the website will be consistently updated with the latest news and information, and there’ll also be the chance to submit fresh information reflecting the latest research projects, activities and achievements. “The website is a valuable resource for the community, government and the media, helping to raise awareness of our world leading research, our experienced teams and our position as part of a large, respected health system,” Prof Sue said said. Please check out the new website at www.kollinginstitute.org.au
Dr Karin Aubrey and Dr Yo Otsu
World-first discovery
Kolling Institute scientist Dr Yo Otsu and a team of researchers have discovered a unique receptor in the brain which can regulate negative moods.
“Existing medications to treat conditions like anxiety and depression have side effects because they affect the whole brain. “The discovery of this receptor offers the potential to create much more targeted medicines with fewer side- effects.” Dr Karin Aubrey from the Pain Management Research Institute’s Neurobiology of Pain Lab, where Dr Otsu now works, said the finding opens up a whole new area of brain research. “Yo has brought such a depth of knowledge to the group. He interrogates every aspect of the data – an approach which has enabled him to consistently produce data of the highest level and impact. We are very fortunate to have a researcher of his calibre working with us, and I can’t wait to see what he does next,” she said. “We are starting new research within the Kolling to further understand the role of this receptor, with the ultimate goal of developing medications to target it.”
The finding is the culmination of eight years of painstaking
investigation, involving Dr Otsu and researchers from France, Canada and Hungary. The research has been published in the academic journal Science, highlighting the discovery of the excitatory glycine receptor in a little known region of the adult brain, the medial habenula. Dr Otsu said he and his colleagues now believe the receptor plays a role in regulating negative moods. “The function of the medial habenula is not very well understood, but it is thought to play a role in depression, stress, anxiety and nicotine addiction,” said Dr Otsu. “Therefore, the discovery of this rare type of receptor and its role in modulating anxiety means that it has the potential to be a highly specific target for mood regulating drugs.
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KOLLINGNEWS | ISSUE 4 | DECEMBER 2019
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