Rosemary Martin ANU Medical School & School of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Faculty of Science Australian National University Canberra, ACT Australia 0200

Contact Details

E: Rosemary.Martin@anu.edu.au T: (+61 2) 6125 2322 F: (+61 2) 6125 0313

Main Research interests

Cerebral ischaemia (stroke); fetal origins of adult disease. Cellular basis of neural damage in storke Development of diagnostic and prognostic tests for neonatal hypoxic-ischmaemic injury and stroke

Teaching Activities

Medical School, Second Year Co-ordinator

Current Research Group

Belinder Schiller - Phd Student Helen Gniel - Phd student Cassandra Harris - Honours Student

Research Activities

When blood supply to the brain is restricted by a embolus or thrombus a focal area of damage (infarct) rapidly develops in the regions where there is no blood supply. However, over the following hours and days the infarct often grows, probably because of the occurence of cortical spreading depressions (CSDs). These are periods of electrical silence due to single and repeated CSDs generated in corticial brain slices. The experiments principally involve a combination of electrophysiology and fluoresent calcium imaging. Our work on development of diagnostic and prognostic tests for hypoxic-ischaemic injury (HII) and stroke is based around proteomic and immunological techniques. We are using 2D in gel electrophoresis (2DIGE) followed by mass spectrometry to identify serum proteins whose expression is changed by HII or stroke. We have identified some key proteins for further exploration using immunoassays whose identity we cannot publish for commercial reasons. This animal work will be followed by studies of human blood, with collection of blood samples from babies already in progress.

Publications

Berg, H.M. and Martin, R.L (2007). Short-term pre-conditioning induced by cortical spreading depression is mediated by adenosine. Abstract (submitted), International Brain Research Organisation Meeting, Melbourne, July. Berg, H.M. and Martin, R.L. (2006). Changes in neutonal intracellular calcium associated with oxygen-glucose deprivation and repeated episodes of spreading depression. Abstract (679.25), Society for Neuroscience, Atlanta, November. Martin, R. (2003) Kate-Tastrophy. A Case Study in Brain Death. Journal of College Science Teaching. 33:8-12. de Plater, G., Milburn, P.J. and Martin (2001) Venom from the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) activates an inward current in rat dorsal root ganglion cells. J Neurophysiology 85: 1340-1345. Martin, R.L. (1999) Block of rapid depolarization induced by in vitro energy depletion of rat dorsal vagal motoneurones. Journal of Physiology 519: 131-141. de Plater, G., Martin, R.L. and Milburn, P.J. (1998) A C-type natriuretic peptide from the venom of the platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus): structure and pharmacology. Comparative Biochem. & Physiol. Part C. 120: 99-110. de Plater, G., Martin, R.L. and Milburn, P.J. (1998) The natriuretic peptide (ovCNP-39) from platypus (Ornithorhynchus anatinus) venom relaxes the isolated rat uterus and promotes oedema and mast cell histamine release. Toxicon. 36: 847-857. Martin, R.L. (1997) Experimental neuronal protection in cerebral ischaemia. Part II: Potential neuroprotective drugs. J. Clinical Neuroscience 4:290-310. Martin, R.L. (1997) Experimental neuronal protection in cerebral ischaemia. Part I: Experimental models and pathophysiological responses. J. Clinical Neuroscience 4: 96-113.