The Parkinson's disease research team in the Neurodegeneration Research Laboratory based at the Brain and Mind Centre (BMC) are working to understand why particular cells in the nervous system die, including Parkinson’s disease. Our ultimate aim is to develop and test treatments that can prevent this devastating disease. We are particularly interested in the role of metals, and metal-dependent proteins, in the nervous system. We have identified that copper is reduced in Parkinson’s disease brain tissue,and are developing the first tool to quantify and assess the distribution of copper in the living brain. This outcome would be a significant advance toward using CNS copper as a disease biomarker, and for monitoring the safety and efficacy of treatment of disorders of central copper dysfunction. We recently identified a new type of abnormal protein in the brains of patients with Parkinson’s disease and we are supported by national and international funding bodies to understand how this protein might contribute to brain cell death in Parkinson’s disease. Our work is highly collaborative; we work together with experts in many fields in Australia and internationally to meet this challenge.