Symposium session: The orexin/hypocretin system: implications for sleep, wake and the ageing brain
Tracks
Track 1
| Thursday, October 17, 2024 |
| 3:45 PM - 5:30 PM |
| Arena 1B |
Details
This session will highlight two “hot-topics” in sleep – recent research highlighting orexin/hypocretin as a key mediator linking poor sleep and the ageing brain, and the arrival of orexin agonists as potential therapy for narcolepsy and other disorders of hypersomnolence.
Co-chair Prof Ron Grunstein will begin by briefly outlining the clinical importance of the orexin/hypocretin system.
A/Prof Laura Jacobson will provide an overview of the orexin/hypocretin system, and its potential as a pharmacological target in disorders affecting sleep, wake, and the ageing brain.
Dr Camilla Hoyos will present evidence for the use of orexin/hypocretin antagonists in insomnia and ageing.
Dr Julia Chapman will present the latest research on orexin/hypocretin agonists in disorders of excessive hypersomnolence.
The session will conclude with a panel discussion on the clinical and future implications of manipulating the orexin/hypocretin system.
Speaker
Prof Ronald Grunstein
Head, Sleep And Circadian Group
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
Chair: Introduction
3:45 PM - 3:50 PMBiography
Dr Laura Jacobson
Assoc Prof
The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Orexin/hypocretin – translational implications for sleep, wake and the ageing brain
3:50 PM - 4:10 PMBiography
Associate Professor Laura Jacobson heads the Florey’s Sleep and Cognition Group and is Honorary Principal Fellow at the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, University of Melbourne. She received her PhD from the University of Basel, Switzerland in 2006 (Summa cum Laude) then conducted neuroscience drug discovery research as a Laboratory Head with Novartis Institutes of Biomedical Research (Basel, 2007-2013). In 2013 she transitioned to academic research, establishing her Group at The Florey in 2016. Her research uses pharmacology, polysomnography and behavioural neuroscience methodologies to investigate interfaces between sleep and cognition and the implications thereof for neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders.
Dr Camilla Hoyos
Senior Research Fellow
Macquarie University
Orexin/hypocretin antagonists in insomnia and in ageing – what we know, what we want to find out
4:10 PM - 4:30 PMBiography
Dr Hoyos am a Research Leader within the Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and a National Heart Foundation Future Leader Fellow within the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences at the Macquarie University. Her work is determining whether reversing sleep problems with various therapies leads to reduced risk and impact of health conditions. I have expertise in clinical trial design, conduct and reporting and lead trials of pharmacological (cannabinoids, melatonin, testosterone) and non-pharmacological (sleep apnea devices, digital behavioural therapies) interventions.
Dr Julia Chapman
Postdoctoral Researcher
Woolcock Institute of Medical Research
Orexin/hypocretin agonists – latest evidence in disorders of hypersomnolence
4:30 PM - 4:50 PMBiography
Dr Julia Chapman, PhD, is a postdoctoral researcher and clinical trials lead at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research in Sydney. Her research focusses on the daytime consequences of poor sleep, and the measurement of biological markers to identify the effects of poor sleep on brain health. One key theme of her research is the measurement and treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness. She has recently led Australian operations of a Phase 1b orexin agonist trial in narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, and has contributed to the development of Phase 2 protocols currently underway.
Prof Daniel Hoyer
Professor Emeritus
University of Melbourne
Chair
Biography
