QBI Steps for Dementia Research

Supporting the Alastair Rushworth PhD Alzheimer's Fund

Through the walk, Janice has shared her story with many people in the community and also met many likeminded fellow trekkers who have their own connection with dementia. 

About the trek 

The trek is designed to explore the outdoors as a group and share stories and create new memories together. Trekking experts, Aurora Adventures, organise the trek and guides, ensuring everyone feels empowered to take on the challenge of the walks. 

To make sure trekkers are well prepared and ready for the trek, training is offered in the lead up to the walk and participants are strongly encouraged to attend. This includes a weekly training walk at Mt Coot-tha and participants should also undertake their own training to ensure that the trek is enjoyable. 

Fundraising and raising awareness about QBI  

Main Fundraising event for the walk 

The QBI Lexus High Tea is held a week or two before the walk and is the main fundraiser. This event provides an opportunity for trekkers to invite their family and friends to an event and enjoy an afternoon of food, flowing French champagne and good conversation. 

Each of the trekkers contribute gifts to be included in the Lucky Envelope Draw, raffle or the auction prize. Trekkers can ask organisations, businesses in their local community and friends or donate the items themselves. In preparation for the event a wrapping day is held at Lexus at Indooroopilly where trekkers are invited to attend and help wrap the gifts ahead of the event. 

History of the how Lexus became involved and the High Tea was born

In 2018, QBI and Lexus of Brisbane came together by supporting dementia research through the Lexus Owner’s Gift. This generous $25,000 donation purchased an electroporator, which is an integral piece of technology used by QBI researchers. As a family owned and operated business, Lexus of Brisbane Group experienced dementia firsthand when a family member was diagnosed with dementia. Sisters, Allison Scifleet and Sarah Andersson took part in the Kangaroo Island trek in 2021 and have continued their support to the Alastair Rushworth Fund ever since. Allison suggested the idea of the Lexus High Tea and this very successful event was launched in 2022. 

Where your support goes 

The fundraising supports a PhD student who is studying dementia research at UQ’s Queensland Brain Institute. 

Montana Samantzis is the current recipient of the Alastair Rushworth PhD Scholarship Fund. Montana is a second year PhD student at the Queensland Brain Institute, studying in the lab of Matilde Balbi. She has a background in both Biomedical Science and Psychology and is fascinated by how the brain’s functioning is disrupted in natural ageing and disease. Currently, her research is investigating a form of non-invasive brain stimulation as a potential therapeutic for dementia’s, healthy ageing, and stroke. She is focussed on using mouse models of vascular dementia and healthy ageing to determine whether cognitive and behavioural functioning can be restored following brain stimulation. 

Previous recipients of the award have been – 

2020 – 2022 Dr Igor Bonacossa Pereira

Igor’s research looked at the fundamental neuroprotection mechanisms that may allow the development of new strategies in the treatment of dementia. Igor studied how neurons co-operate to prevent damage to the nervous system that can cause disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease. Igor is now a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the Hilliard Lab at QBI. 

2017 – 2020 - Dr Joseph Benetatos 

Joseph’s research shed new light on the how the abnormal build-up of a protein, tau, produces a signal to activate microglia (a type of glial cell in the brain) to prune synapses (the junction between two nerves). Understanding this signalling pathway is critical to developing targeted treatments to lessen synaptic loss in Alzheimer’s Disease, and slow disease progression and cognitive decline. Joseph is now a Post doctoral researcher at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the Department of Biological Engineering at Cambridge, United States. 

Like to be involved but can’t make the trek  

More information