A FERNTREE Gully medical research student has embarked upon a groundbreaking quest to answer an enduring biological mystery.
Tammy Money, 23, has been awarded a $52,000 scholarship to study schizophrenia as part of her PhD at the Mental Health Research Institute of Victoria.
Ms Money acknowledged the significance of the honour bestowed upon her by the Australian Rotary Health Research Fund (ARHRF), explaining that the study had the potential to rescue sufferers from the shadows of schizophrenia.
As one of two recipients of the prestigious Ian Scott Scholarship for 2007, Ms Money will investigate why people with schizophrenia have difficulties with everyday activities such as getting out of bed and organising their day.
ARHRF spokeswoman Felicity Broadbent said that Ms Money’s valuable study will look at a group of proteins known as muscarinic receptors that are believed to be responsible for the problems schizophrenia sufferers have with day-to-day functioning.
Ms Money said: “I’m trying to find out how and why one of the muscarinic receptor proteins changes in people with schizophrenia.
“If we know what causes the change we can then hopefully develop a drug that targets this factor and normalise it in those people.”
The researchers believe that it will be the first study to look at the mechanisms by which the protein is decreased in schizophrenia sufferers.
Ms Money said that if research can identify how the protein is altered, it might also be possible to develop a drug that could enhance cognition and intelligence more generally.
While the commercial potential of such a drug is undeniable, it was the mysterious nature of the schizophrenia that initially sparked Ms Money’s interest.
“Schizophrenia is one of the most perplexing and challenging mental health problems facing researchers and healthcare providers today,” she said.
“I wanted to be in an area where I thought I could do the most.”
Ms Money explained that the scholarship money will be used to cover everyday expenses, allowing her to focus on her studies.
Having completed an undergraduate science degree at Monash University, Ms Money spent her Honours year conducting pregnancy research at the Royal Women’s Hospital.
While she has contemplated a career in psychology, Ms Money is keen to keep her options open.
“Who knows, I might stay in medical research because it’s a really exciting area,” she said.
– Paul Pickering
