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Carlton North researcher wins neuroscience award

Friday July 27, 2007

Carlton North resident Dr Noojan Kazemi, has been awarded a Pfizer Australia Neuroscience (NSR) grant worth up to $55,000 for research into seizure spread patterns in epilepsy and their relationship to surgical outcome.

Dr Kazemi was acknowledged at the 5 th Annual Pfizer Australia NSR awards ceremony at the Sydney Hilton on Friday, July 27.

An Australian Physicians Independent Committee (APIC) determined the winning NSR grants for proposals for basic and clinical research across the broad field of neuroscience, including but not necessarily confined to psychiatry, pain medicine and neurology.

Dr Kazemi’s work will analyse epileptic seizure spread patterns to enable more successful surgical procedures.

While many patients following surgery have an excellent outcome with respect to seizure control, an important proportion of patients without a distinct lesion apparent on an MRI scan (known as Non-lesion TLE) will continue to have seizures post-operatively.

“ Our group is using sophisticated imaging techniques such as SPECT scans & MRI imaging to better identify exactly where in the brain seizures arise from, so as to aid successful and safe surgery,” Dr Noojan Kazemi said.

“This important research will contribute and aid the process of selecting patients who would benefit from epilepsy surgery.”

For more information on the Pfizer Australia NSR Grants visit www.nsrgrants.com.au

Pfizer Australia is the nation’s leading research-based health care company. It develops, manufactures and markets innovative medical treatments for both humans and animals. Pfizer Australia is investing more than $45 million in local research and development. For more information visit the links on this website.