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Dr. Glenda Bishop

Biography

Glenda is an NHMRC Peter Doherty Postdoctoral Fellow (2004-2007), working under the mentorship of Stephen Robinson, in collaboration with Ralf Dringen. This fellowship allows her to investigate iron uptake and toxicity in brain cells, using the techniques of primary neural cell culture and biochemical assays that examine oxidative stress and iron metabolism.

Previously, she undertook postdoctoral research at Case Western Reserve University, Ohio USA (2002-2003), with Prof. Mark A. Smith and Assoc. Prof. Craig Atwood to investigate oxidative stress induced by amyloid-beta and metal ions, and oxidative stress after hypoxia.

 Dr Glenda Bishop

During her PhD at Monash University, she studied the neurotoxicity of amyloid-beta and metal ions in rat cortex using an in vivo model of intracortical injection. This model was used to obtain evidence that amyloid-beta peptide was not toxic to rat cortical neurones, but instead protected against metal-induced neuronal death. These findings have added to a growing body of research which suggests that amyloid-beta may not be the primary cause of Alzheimer's disease, but rather, has a physiological role in the brain.

Email Dr Glenda Bishop

Professional Activities

Professional Societies:
  • Australian Neuroscience Society
  • The Society for Free Radical Research, Australasia
Awards include:
  • Alzheimer's Association (USA) Young Investigator Travel Award (2002)
  • Ellison Medical Foundation study fellowship to attend a course on Molecular Biology of Aging at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole (2002)
  • CASS Foundation Postdoctoral Travel Grant (2005)

Research Interests

Glenda was selected to attend an intensive course on Molecular Biology of Aging, held at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, which was taught by world-leaders in ageing research. This unique experience fostered an interest in studying the phenomena associated with the ageing process. Over the past 2 years she has established a large colony of senescent mice, and has developed techniques for the isolation of primary neural cell cultures from the brains of senescent mice. Glenda's research team is one of the few worldwide that cultures brain cells from senescent animals.

Glenda is now investigating changes that occur in brain cells as a result of normal ageing, with a particular emphasis on iron metabolism and oxidative stress. Her research is motivated by the belief that age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease and stroke, are compounded by cellular changes that occur during the normal ageing process. By disentangling normal age-related changes from pathological ones, this research will provide new insights into the aetiology of these neurodegenerative disorders and may assist in the development of new therapies.

Postgraduate Research Projects

Current laboratory-based research projects investigate the response of astrocytes and neurones to a variety of oxidative stimuli with a view of understanding neurodegenerative disorders. The projects focus on oxidative stress, iron and hemin metabolism, cholesterol metabolism, and amyloid-beta toxicity.

Potential Student Projects

My team is interested in understanding physiological and pathological changes that occur in brain cells during the ageing process. Our particular focus is on the role of iron and oxidative stress in normal ageing and in age-related neurodegenerative disorders such as stroke and Alzheimer’s disease. The research conducted in our lab uses cell culture, biochemical assays and in vivo paradigms. We have a wide range of potential student projects and would be happy to discuss them with you.

Teaching

Collaborations

Current research collaborations include:
  • Dr. Lisa Martin and Dr. Adam Mechler: Investigations of factors that influence the aggregation of amyloid-beta peptide.

Grant Support

  • Iron uptake and toxicity in brain cells: implications for neurodegenerative diseases, National Health and Medical Research Council Peter Doherty Fellowship, 2004-2007.
  • Iron metabolism and oxidative stress in brain cells from young and old animals: influence of normal ageing processes on mechanisms that underlie neurodegenerative disorders, Clive and Vera Ramaciotti Establishment Grant, 2006.
  • Differential effects of the secondary structure of A? on neuronal viability and synaptic integrity, Alzheimer's Australia Research Limited Dementia Grant, 2005-2006 (with SR Robinson).
  • Are old brain cells more susceptible to oxidative stress? Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Strategic Grant Scheme: Early Career Development Award, 2006 (with SR Robinson).
  • Assessment of age-related functional changes in brain cells, Monash University Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences Strategic Grant Scheme: Early Career Development Award, 2005 (with SR Robinson).

Publications

Bishop, G.M. and Robinson, S.R. (2001) Quantitative analysis of cell death and ferritin expression in response to cortical iron: implications for hypoxia-ischemia and stroke. Brain Res. 907, 175-187.

Bishop, G.M., Robinson, S.R., Smith, M.A., Perry, G. and Atwood, C.S. (2002) Call for Elan to publish Alzheimer's trial details. Nature, 416, 677.

Robinson, S.R. and Bishop, G.M. (2002) The search for an amyloid solution. Science 298, 962-963.

Robinson, S.R. and Bishop, G.M. (2002) Amyloid beta as a bioflocculant: Implications for the amyloid hypothesis of Alzheimer's disease. Neurobiol. Aging 23, 1051-1072.

Bishop, G.M., Robinson, S.R., Liu, Q., Perry, G., Atwood, C.S. and Smith, M.A. (2002) Iron: a pathological mediator of Alzheimer's disease? Dev. Neurosci. 24, 184-187.

Bishop, G.M. and Robinson, S.R. (2003) Deposits of fibrillar Abeta do not cause neuronal loss or ferritin expression in adult rat brain. J. Neural Transm. 110, 381-400.

Bishop, G.M. and Robinson, S.R. (2003) Human Abeta1-42 reduces iron-induced toxicity in rat cerebral cortex. J. Neurosci. Res. 73, 316-323.

Bishop, G.M., Swan, L.E. and Robinson, S.R. (2004) Altered cellular distribution of iron in rat cerebral cortex during the oestrous cycle. J. Neural Transm. 111, 159-165.

Bishop, G.M. and Robinson, S.R. (2004) The amyloid paradox: Amyloid-beta-metal complexes can be neurotoxic and neuroprotective. Brain Pathology 14, 448-452.

Bishop, G.M., Robinson, S.R. (2006) Insights on Alzheimer's disease from the intracerebral injection and infusion of amyloid-?, In: New Research on Alzheimer's Disease, ed. EM Welsh, Chapter 1, Nova Science Publishers, New York. ISBN: 1-59454-939-7.