Angela Laird

Dr. Angela Laird is an Associate Professor at the Macquarie Medical School, affiliated with the Motor Neuron Disease Research Centre at Macquarie University. Her research focuses on neurodegenerative diseases, particularly spinocerebellar ataxia type-3 (Machado-Joseph Disease, MJD) and motor neuron disease. She has pioneered the development of zebrafish models for studying these conditions and testing potential treatments. Her work emphasizes the role of autophagy, proteolytic cleavage, and glutamate-induced excitotoxicity in disease pathogenesis.

Dr. Laird’s academic journey includes roles as a Senior Research Scientist at ANZAC Research Institute (2010–2016), Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Leuven (2008–2010), and Casual Research Assistant at the University of New South Wales (2002–2007). She has led multiple projects, including drug screenings for MJD and studies on autophagy induction mechanisms.

Her research interests span transgenic zebrafish modeling, neuroprotective strategies, and molecular pathways underlying neurodegeneration. Notable achievements include identifying butyrate and spermidine as potential therapeutic agents and discovering gut microbiota alterations linked to disease severity in MJD models.

Dr. Laird has received prestigious awards such as the Best Early Career Researcher article (2017) and Sir Grafton Elliot-Smith Award (2007). She actively engages in public outreach, including expert panels and media appearances to raise awareness about MJD and neurodegenerative diseases.

Key collaborations involve projects like the A laser platform for zebrafish experiments and Testing drugs for Machado-Joseph disease. Her lab focuses on translating preclinical findings into clinical applications, with a strong emphasis on drug development and disease biomarkers.