The McCusker Charitable Foundation gifts $1 million for pioneering research at QBI
Since 2018, the McCusker Charitable Foundation has partnered with QBI and been pivotal in progressing Professor Jürgen Götz’s research at the Clem Jones Centre for Ageing Dementia Research to develop a portable, non-invasive scanning ultrasound device and Professor Tim Bredy’s RNA therapies research.
Through donations of over $2 million, the McCusker Foundation has helped build on and support some of the brightest minds in neuroscience progress their research and enabled significant progress in the field of RNA research and progressed an innovative scanning ultrasound approach to treat dementia
QBI Director Professor Helen Cooper said the McCusker Charitable Foundation’s generosity would be far-reaching and the impact it will create provides incredible opportunity for researchers at QBI and the Foundation’s foresight in supporting this innovative research should be congratulated.
“We are extremely grateful for Tonya and Malcolm McCusker’s ongoing support of QBI,” Professor Cooper said.
“With Professor Tim Bredy’s RNA research we will create a platform to translate fundamental discoveries into new treatments for neurodegenerative disorders including Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and MND, neurodevelopmental disorders including autism and intellectual disability, and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia and PTSD. The potential for development of RNA therapies is limitless,” she said.
“With greater efficacy and fewer side-effects, we will improve the lives of those living with these diseases.”
The Foundation’s initial funding has enabled QBI’s therapeutic ultrasound translational program to advance the UltraThera technology as a potential treatment for Alzheimer's disease and other brain conditions.
The McCusker Charitable Foundation generosity primarily funds medical research and the advancement of science, whilst also supporting young people, arts development, agricultural research, and initiatives that encourage philanthropy and volunteering.