Rachel Atkinson

Dr. Rachel Atkinson is a Research Fellow at the Wicking Dementia Research and Education Centre, University of Tasmania. She specializes in neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on mechanisms underlying cell degeneration in ALS and frontotemporal dementia. Her work includes investigating protective responses to cold stress and metabolic alterations in motor neuron disease. She holds the MNDRA Bill Gole Fellowship (2024-2026) and collaborates internationally on projects exploring therapeutic targets like HDAC6 inhibition and leptin repurposing.

Education:

• Bachelor of Biotechnology and Medical Research (University of Tasmania, 2010-2012)
• Bachelor of Biotechnology and Medical Research with Honours (2013)
• PhD in FTLD/ALS Proteins (2014-2018)

Research Interests: Dr. Atkinson’s research centers on axon degeneration, neurofilament biology, and protective pathways in neurodegenerative diseases. She employs viral techniques, stem cell models, and mouse studies to dissect cellular mechanisms. Key areas include cold shock pathways, metabolic modulation, and protein mislocalization in ALS/FTD.

Key Findings: Her work has identified roles for SARM1 and HDAC6 in axonal pathology, and demonstrated synergistic effects of leptin and pioglitazone in Alzheimer’s models. Recent studies explore cold stress as a therapeutic avenue for ALS.

Awards:

• MNDRA Bill Gole Fellowship (2024-2026)

Grants & Supervision: Leads over $1.4M in grants, including projects on axon degeneration mechanisms and gene-environment interactions in ALS. Supervises four PhD students and teaches dementia care and neuroscience courses.

Labs & Collaborations: Part of the Wicking Centre, collaborating with Spain and UK groups on metabolic and therapeutic research.