I completed my undergraduate and PhD training at UQ. After completing my PhD in 2009, I took up a postdoctoral position at UQCCR to introduce a translational edge to my research program. In 2012, I was awarded a Bill Gole Postdoctoral Research Fellowship from the Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia (MNDRIA) and returned to the School of Biomedical Sciences with this fellowship to continue my research program in motor neuron disease (MND). In 2015, I was awarded the Scott Sullivan MND Research Fellowship. In this position, I conduct research between the Australian Institute for Bioengineering and Nanotechnology and the Queensland Brain Institute at UQ, and the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital and the Wesley Hospital to address how changes in energy metabolism affects the course of MND, whilst working to develop therapies for MND.
The primary interest of my research group is to understand how metabolic homeostasis at the systemic and cellular level can impact upon neurodegenerative processes. My group's Metabolic Exploration in Neurodegenerative Disease (MEND) research program centres on Motor Neurone Disease (MND), a fatal neurological condition in which the average life expectancy is 27 months following diagnosis. In MND, the irreversible degeneration of neurones in the central nervous system leads to progressive paralysis and eventually, death. There is no effective treatment for MND, and hence no cure. We are using mouse models of MND, and human myosatellite cell-derived muscle fibres and human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived neurons to not only understand the mechanistic nature of MND, but to also conduct preclinical testing of potential therapeutic compounds. The combined use of mouse and human-derived models are integral to our goal of translating research findings into clinical trials for MND.
Journal Article: Use of hip- versus wrist-based actigraphy for assessing functional decline and disease progression in patients with motor neuron disease
Holdom, Cory J., van Unnik, Jordi W. J., van Eijk, Ruben P. A., van den Berg, Leonard H., Henderson, Robert D., Ngo, Shyuan T. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2023). Use of hip- versus wrist-based actigraphy for assessing functional decline and disease progression in patients with motor neuron disease. Journal of Neurology, 270 (5), 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s00415-023-11584-7
Journal Article: Muscle and Its Neuromuscular Synapse – Players in the Pathogenesis of Motor Neuron Disease
Noakes, Peter G., Phillips, William D., Jeffree, Rosalind L., Steyn, Frederik J., Wolvetang, Ernst J., Henderson, Rob D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2023). Muscle and Its Neuromuscular Synapse – Players in the Pathogenesis of Motor Neuron Disease. Journal of Experimental Neurology, 4 (1), 1-5. doi: 10.33696/neurol.4.067
Other Outputs: Skeletal muscle and blood RNA-seq counts in motor neurone disease cases and controls
Anna Freydenzon, Allan F. McRaee, Shyuan Ngo, Naomi R. Wray, Leanne Wallace, Anjali K. Henders, Pamela A. McCombe, Robert D. Henderson and Frederik J. Steyn (2023). Skeletal muscle and blood RNA-seq counts in motor neurone disease cases and controls. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/b722f1f
Untangling mechanisms of energy impairment across the ALS-FTD spectrum of disease
(2023–2024) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc Innovator Grant
Spatial Transcriptomics studies on human tissues
(2023) Research Donation Generic
(2022–2025) IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri
Deciphering the spatio-temporal landscape of cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous drivers of motor neuron death in MND
Doctor Philosophy
Targeting metabolic flexibility as a therapeutic approach for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (METALS)
Doctor Philosophy
Exploring cellular bioenergetics in skeletal muscle in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Doctor Philosophy
Metabolic dysfunction in Motor Neuron Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Motor Neuron Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MND/ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterised by the degeneration of both upper and lower alpha motor neurons. The irreversible loss of neurons in the brain and spinal cord results in progressive skeletal muscle paralysis and death within 2-5 years of diagnosis. There is no known cure for the disease, and treatments are of limited benefit. In the absence of a cure for MND/ALS, there is a pressing need to lessen the severity of symptoms associated with, and to slow the progression of disease, whilst enhancing quality of life.
While the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the development of MND/ALS remains unknown, recent studies suggest that defective regulation of energy homeostasis may exacerbate the degenerative process throughout the course of disease. In the last 7 years, our team has made novel observations of metabolic dysfunction and altered metabolic flexibility in mouse models of MND, and paradigm-shifting discoveries that for the first time, highlight the impact of increased energy use (hypermetabolism) in patients with MND on disease progression and prognosis. In this time, our team have also successfully generated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived motor neurons (including CRISPR-Cas9 TDP-43 iPSCs with isogenic controls), and to our knowledge the only directly reprogrammed motor neurons from MMD patients in Australia.
All PhD projects fall under a broader research program that investigates how altered glucose and fatty acid metabolism contributes to the progression of MND/ALS. Projects span the clinical and basic research settings, and involve working with patients living with MND, or mouse and human-derived models of MND. Projects focus on identifying the mechanisms that cause metabolic dysfunction in MND, and identifying treatments to alleviate metabolic perturbations.
Biofluid biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Holdom, Cory J., Steyn, Frederik J., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A., Rogers, Mary-Louise and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2022). Biofluid biomarkers of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Neurodegenerative diseases biomarkers: towards translating research to clinical practice. (pp. 263-306) edited by Philip V. Peplow, Bridget Martinez and Thomas A. Gennarelli. New York, United States: Springer . doi: 10.1007/978-1-0716-1712-0_11
High Caloric diets for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Ngo, Shyuan T., Steyn, Frederik J., McCombe, Pamela A. and Borges, Karin (2015). High Caloric diets for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Bioactive nutraceuticals and dietary supplements in neurological and brain disease: prevention and therapy. (pp. 355-361) edited by Ronald Ross Watson and Victor R. Preedy. London, United Kingdom: Academic Press. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-411462-3.00036-9
Ngo, Shyuan T. and Bellingham, Mark C. (2013). Neurophysiological recording of the compound muscle action potential for motor unit number estimation in mice. Stimulation and inhibition of neurons. (pp. 225-235) edited by Pilowsky, Paul M., Farnham, Melissa M. J. and Fong, Angelina Y.. New York, NY United States: Humana Press. doi: 10.1007/978-1-62703-233-9_13
Holdom, Cory J., van Unnik, Jordi W. J., van Eijk, Ruben P. A., van den Berg, Leonard H., Henderson, Robert D., Ngo, Shyuan T. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2023). Use of hip- versus wrist-based actigraphy for assessing functional decline and disease progression in patients with motor neuron disease. Journal of Neurology, 270 (5), 1-9. doi: 10.1007/s00415-023-11584-7
Muscle and Its Neuromuscular Synapse – Players in the Pathogenesis of Motor Neuron Disease
Noakes, Peter G., Phillips, William D., Jeffree, Rosalind L., Steyn, Frederik J., Wolvetang, Ernst J., Henderson, Rob D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2023). Muscle and Its Neuromuscular Synapse – Players in the Pathogenesis of Motor Neuron Disease. Journal of Experimental Neurology, 4 (1), 1-5. doi: 10.33696/neurol.4.067
Lower hypothalamic volume with lower BMI is associated with shorter survival in patients with ALS
Chang, Jeryn, Shaw, Thomas B., Holdom, Cory J., McCombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D., Fripp, Jurgen, Barth, Markus, Guo, Christine C., Ngo, Shyuan T. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2022). Lower hypothalamic volume with lower BMI is associated with shorter survival in patients with ALS. European Journal of Neurology, 30 (1), 57-68. doi: 10.1111/ene.15589
Open-Source Hypothalamic-ForniX (OSHy-X) Atlases and Segmentation Tool for 3T and 7T
Chang, Jeryn, Steyn, Frederik, Ngo, Shyuan, Henderson, Robert, Guo, Christine, Bollmann, Steffen, Fripp, Jurgen, Barth, Markus and Shaw, Thomas (2022). Open-Source Hypothalamic-ForniX (OSHy-X) Atlases and Segmentation Tool for 3T and 7T. Journal of Open Source Software, 7 (76), 4368. doi: 10.21105/joss.04368
Jiang, Leanne and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2022). Altered TDP-43 structure and function: key insights into aberrant RNA, mitochondrial, and cellular and systemic metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Metabolites, 12 (8) 709, 1-29. doi: 10.3390/metabo12080709
Helleman, Jochem, Johnson, Barbara, Holdom, Cory, Hobson, Esther, Murray, Deirdre, Steyn, Frederik J., Ngo, Shyuan T., Henders, Anjali, Lokeshappa, Madhura B., Visser-Meily, Johanna M. A., van den Berg, Leonard H., Hardiman, Orla, Beelen, Anita, McDermott, Chris and van Eijk, Ruben P. A. (2022). Patient perspectives on digital healthcare technology in care and clinical trials for motor neuron disease: an international survey. Journal of Neurology, 269 (11), 1-11. doi: 10.1007/s00415-022-11273-x
Impaired signaling for neuromuscular synaptic maintenance is a feature of Motor Neuron Disease
Ding, Qiao, Kesavan, Kaamini, Lee, Kah Meng, Wimberger, Elyse, Robertson, Thomas, Gill, Melinder, Power, Dominique, Chang, Jeryn, Fard, Atefeh T., Mar, Jessica C., Henderson, Robert D., Heggie, Susan, McCombe, Pamela A., Jeffree, Rosalind L., Colditz, Michael J., Hilliard, Massimo A., Ng, Dominic C. H., Steyn, Frederik J., Phillips, William D., Wolvetang, Ernst J., Ngo, Shyuan T. and Noakes, Peter G. (2022). Impaired signaling for neuromuscular synaptic maintenance is a feature of Motor Neuron Disease. Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 10 (1) 61, 61. doi: 10.1186/s40478-022-01360-5
Hop, Paul J., Zwamborn, Ramona A.J., Hannon, Eilis, Shireby, Gemma L., Nabais, Marta F., Walker, Emma M., van Rheenen, Wouter, van Vugt, Joke J.F.A., Dekker, Annelot M., Westeneng, Henk-Jan, Tazelaar, Gijs H.P., van Eijk, Kristel R., Moisse, Matthieu, Baird, Denis, Al Khleifat, Ahmad, Iacoangeli, Alfredo, Ticozzi, Nicola, Ratti, Antonia, Cooper-Knock, Jonathan, Morrison, Karen E., Shaw, Pamela J., Basak, A. Nazli, Chiò, Adriano, Calvo, Andrea, Moglia, Cristina, Canosa, Antonio, Brunetti, Maura, Grassano, Maurizio, Gotkine, Marc ... Brain MEND Consortium (2022). Genome-wide study of DNA methylation shows alterations in metabolic, inflammatory, and cholesterol pathways in ALS. Science Translational Medicine, 14 (633) eabj0264, 1-15. doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.abj0264
van Rheenen, Wouter, van der Spek, Rick A. A., Bakker, Mark K., van Vugt, Joke J. F. A., Hop, Paul J., Zwamborn, Ramona A. J., de Klein, Niek, Westra, Harm-Jan, Bakker, Olivier B., Deelen, Patrick, Shireby, Gemma, Hannon, Eilis, Moisse, Matthieu, Baird, Denis, Restuadi, Restuadi, Dolzhenko, Egor, Dekker, Annelot M., Gawor, Klara, Westeneng, Henk-Jan, Tazelaar, Gijs H. P., van Eijk, Kristel R., Kooyman, Maarten, Byrne, Ross P., Doherty, Mark, Heverin, Mark, Al Khleifat, Ahmad, Iacoangeli, Alfredo, Shatunov, Aleksey, Ticozzi, Nicola ... SLAP Consortium (2022). Author Correction: Common and rare variant association analyses in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identify 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology. Nature Genetics, 54 (3), 361-361. doi: 10.1038/s41588-022-01020-3
Functional characterisation of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk locus GPX3/TNIP1
Restuadi, Restuadi, Steyn, Frederik J., Kabashi, Edor, Ngo, Shyuan T., Cheng, Fei-Fei, Nabais, Marta F., Thompson, Mike J., Qi, Ting, Wu, Yang, Henders, Anjali K., Wallace, Leanne, Bye, Chris R., Turner, Bradley J., Ziser, Laura, Mathers, Susan, McCombe, Pamela A., Needham, Merrilee, Schultz, David, Kiernan, Matthew C., van Rheenen, Wouter, van den Berg, Leonard H., Veldink, Jan H., Ophoff, Roel, Gusev, Alexander, Zaitlen, Noah, McRae, Allan F., Henderson, Robert D., Wray, Naomi R., Giacomotto, Jean and Garton, Fleur C. (2022). Functional characterisation of the amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk locus GPX3/TNIP1. Genome Medicine, 14 (1) 7, 7. doi: 10.1186/s13073-021-01006-6
Repurposing of Trimetazidine for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a study in SOD1 mice
Scaricamazza, Silvia, Salvatori, Illari, Amadio, Susanna, Nesci, Valentina, Torcinaro, Alessio, Giacovazzo, Giacomo, Primiano, Aniello, Gloriani, Michela, Candelise, Niccolò, Pieroni, Luisa, Loeffler, Jean-Philippe, Renè, Frederique, Quessada, Cyril, Tefera, Tesfaye W, Wang, Hao, Steyn, Frederik J, Ngo, Shyuan T, Dobrowolny, Gabriella, Lepore, Elisa, Urbani, Andrea, Musarò, Antonio, Volonté, Cinzia, Ferraro, Elisabetta, Coccurello, Roberto, Valle, Cristiana and Ferri, Alberto (2022). Repurposing of Trimetazidine for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a study in SOD1 mice. British Journal of Pharmacology, 179 (8), 1732-1752. doi: 10.1111/bph.15738
van Rheenen, Wouter, van der Spek, Rick A. A., Bakker, Mark K., van Vugt, Joke J. F. A., Hop, Paul J., Zwamborn, Ramona A. J., de Klein, Niek, Westra, Harm-Jan, Bakker, Olivier B., Deelen, Patrick, Shireby, Gemma, Hannon, Eilis, Moisse, Matthieu, Baird, Denis, Restuadi, Restuadi, Dolzhenko, Egor, Dekker, Annelot M., Gawor, Klara, Westeneng, Henk-Jan, Tazelaar, Gijs H. P., van Eijk, Kristel R., Kooyman, Maarten, Byrne, Ross P., Doherty, Mark, Heverin, Mark, Al Khleifat, Ahmad, Iacoangeli, Alfredo, Shatunov, Aleksey, Ticozzi, Nicola ... SLAP Consortium (2021). Common and rare variant association analyses in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis identify 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology. Nature Genetics, 53 (12), 1636-1648. doi: 10.1038/s41588-021-00973-1
Holdom, Cory J., Janse van Mantgem, Mark R., van Eijk, Ruben P.A., Howe, Stephanie L., van den Berg, Leonard H., McCombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D., Ngo, Shyuan T. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2021). Venous creatinine as a biomarker for loss of fat‐free mass and disease progression in patients with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis. European Journal of Neurology, 28 (11) ene.15003, 3615-3625. doi: 10.1111/ene.15003
Holdom, Cory J., Ngo, Shyuan T., McCombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2021). Low plasma hyaluronan is associated with faster functional decline in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 23 (1-2), 1-7. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2021.1918721
A road map for remote digital health technology for motor neuron disease
van Eijk, Ruben P A, Beelen, Anita, Kruitwagen, Esther T, Murray, Deirdre, Radakovic, Ratko, Hobson, Esther, Knox, Liam, Helleman, Jochem, Burke, Tom, Rubio Pérez, Miguel Ángel, Reviers, Evy, Genge, Angela, Steyn, Frederik J, Ngo, Shyuan, Eaglesham, John, Roes, Kit C B, van den Berg, Leonard H, Hardiman, Orla and McDermott, Christopher J (2021). A road map for remote digital health technology for motor neuron disease. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 23 (9) e28766, e28766. doi: 10.2196/28766
McGill, R.B., Steyn, F.J., Ngo, S.T., Thorpe, K.A., Heggie, S., Henderson, R.D., Mccombe, P.A. and Woodruff, T.M. (2021). Monocyte CD14 and HLA-DR expression increases with disease duration and severity in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 23 (5-6), 1-8. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2021.1964531
Quessada, Cyril, Bouscary, Alexandra, René, Frédérique, Valle, Cristiana, Ferri, Alberto, Ngo, Shyuan T. and Loeffler, Jean-Philippe (2021). Skeletal muscle metabolism: origin or prognostic factor for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) development?. Cells, 10 (6) 1449, 1449. doi: 10.3390/cells10061449
Restuadi, Restuadi, Garton, Fleur C., Benyamin, Beben, Lin, Tian, Williams, Kelly L., Vinkhuyzen, Anna, van Rheenen, Wouter, Zhu, Zhihong, Laing, Nigel G., Mather, Karen A., Sachdev, Perminder S., Ngo, Shyuan T., Steyn, Frederik J., Wallace, Leanne, Henders, Anjali K., Visscher, Peter M., Needham, Merrilee, Mathers, Susan, Nicholson, Garth, Rowe, Dominic B., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A., Pamphlett, Roger, Blair, Ian P., Wray, Naomi R. and McRae, Allan F. (2021). Polygenic risk score analysis for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis leveraging cognitive performance, educational attainment and schizophrenia. European Journal of Human Genetics, 30 (5), 1-8. doi: 10.1038/s41431-021-00885-y
Nabais, Marta F., Laws, Simon M., Lin, Tian, Vallerga, Costanza L., Armstrong, Nicola J., Blair, Ian P., Kwok, John B., Mather, Karen A., Mellick, George D., Sachdev, Perminder S., Wallace, Leanne, Henders, Anjali K., Zwamborn, Ramona A. J., Hop, Paul J., Lunnon, Katie, Pishva, Ehsan, Roubroeks, Janou A. Y., Soininen, Hilkka, Tsolaki, Magda, Mecocci, Patrizia, Lovestone, Simon, Kloszewska, Iwona, Vellas, Bruno, Furlong, Sarah, Garton, Fleur C., Henderson, Robert D., Mathers, Susan, McCombe, Pamela A., Needham, Merrilee ... McRae, Allan F. (2021). Meta-analysis of genome-wide DNA methylation identifies shared associations across neurodegenerative disorders. Genome Biology, 22 (1) 90, 1-30. doi: 10.1186/s13059-021-02275-5
Lipids: Key players in central nervous system cell physiology and pathology
Ngo, Shyuan T. (2021). Lipids: Key players in central nervous system cell physiology and pathology. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 112, 59-60. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2021.02.003
Ghrelin as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Ngo, Shyuan T., Wang, Hao, Henderson, Robert D., Bowers, Cyril and Steyn, Frederik J. (2021). Ghrelin as a treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 33 (7) e12938, 1-10. doi: 10.1111/jne.12938
CNS glucose metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a therapeutic target?
Tefera, Tesfaye Wolde, Steyn, Frederik J., Ngo, Shyuan T. and Borges, Karin (2021). CNS glucose metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a therapeutic target?. Cell & Bioscience, 11 (1) 14, 14. doi: 10.1186/s13578-020-00511-2
Kobayashi, Takumi, Lam, Pui Yeng, Jiang, Hui, Bednarska, Karolina, Gloury, Renee Elyse, Murigneux, Valentine, Tay, Joshua, Jacquelot, Nicolas, Li, Rui, Tuong, Zewen Kelvin, Leggatt, Graham, Gandhi, Maher K., Hill, Michelle M, Belz, Gabrielle T., Ngo, Shyuan, Kallies, Axel and Mattarollo, Stephen R. (2020). Increased lipid metabolism impairs NK cell function and mediates adaptation to the lymphoma environment. Blood, 136 (26), 3004-3017. doi: 10.1182/blood.2020005602
Disorders of sleep and wakefulness in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a systematic review
Lucia, Diana, McCombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2020). Disorders of sleep and wakefulness in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS): a systematic review. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 22 (3-4), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2020.1844755
Bouscary, Alexandra, Quessada, Cyril, René, Frédérique, Spedding, Michael, Turner, Bradley J., Henriques, Alexandre, Ngo, Shyuan T. and Loeffler, Jean-Philippe (2020). Sphingolipids metabolism alteration in the central nervous system: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other neurodegenerative diseases. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 112, 82-91. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.10.008
Bouscary, Alexandra, Quessada, Cyril, René, Frédérique, Spedding, Michael, Henriques, Alexandre, Ngo, Shyuan and Loeffler, Jean-Philippe (2020). Drug repositioning in neurodegeneration: an overview of the use of ambroxol in neurodegenerative diseases. European Journal of Pharmacology, 884 173446, 173446. doi: 10.1016/j.ejphar.2020.173446
Iacoangeli, Alfredo, Lin, Tian, Al Khleifat, Ahmad, Jones, Ashley R., Opie-Martin, Sarah, Coleman, Jonathan R.I., Shatunov, Aleksey, Sproviero, William, Williams, Kelly L., Garton, Fleur, Restuadi, Restuadi, Henders, Anjali K., Mather, Karen A., Needham, Merilee, Mathers, Susan, Nicholson, Garth A., Rowe, Dominic B., Henderson, Robert, McCombe, Pamela A., Pamphlett, Roger, Blair, Ian P., Schultz, David, Sachdev, Perminder S., Newhouse, Stephen J., Proitsi, Petroula, Fogh, Isabella, Ngo, Shyuan T., Dobson, Richard J.B., Wray, Naomi R. ... Al-Chalabi, Ammar (2020). Genome-wide meta-analysis finds the ACSL5-ZDHHC6 locus is associated with ALS and links weight loss to the disease genetics. Cell Reports, 33 (4) 108323, 1-9. doi: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108323
Altered skeletal muscle glucose-fatty acid flux in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Steyn, Frederik J., Li, Rui, Kirk, Siobhan E., Tefera, Tesfaye W, Xie, Teresa Y., Tracey, Timothy J., Kelk, Dean, Wimberger, Elyse, Garton, Fleur C., Roberts, Llion, Chapman, Sarah E., Coombes, Jeff S., Leevy, W. Matthew, Ferri, Alberto, Valle, Cristiana, René, Frédérique, Loeffler, Jean-Philippe, McCombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2020). Altered skeletal muscle glucose-fatty acid flux in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain Communications, 2 (2) fcaa154, fcaa154. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa154
Tracey, T. J., Kirk, S. E., Steyn, F. J. and Ngo, S. T. (2020). The role of lipids in the central nervous system and their pathological implications in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Seminars in Cell and Developmental Biology, 112, 69-81. doi: 10.1016/j.semcdb.2020.08.012
Prognostic value of weight loss in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Steyn, Frederik J and Ngo, Shyuan T (2020). Prognostic value of weight loss in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 91 (8), 813-813. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2020-323440
Scaricamazza, Silvia, Salvatori, Illari, Giacovazzo, Giacomo, Loeffler, Jean Philippe, Renè, Frederique, Rosina, Marco, Quessada, Cyril, Proietti, Daisy, Heil, Constantin, Rossi, Simona, Battistini, Stefania, Giannini, Fabio, Volpi, Nila, Steyn, Frederik J., Ngo, Shyuan T., Ferraro, Elisabetta, Madaro, Luca, Coccurello, Roberto, Valle, Cristiana and Ferri, Alberto (2020). Skeletal-Muscle Metabolic Reprogramming in ALS-SOD1G93A Mice Predates Disease Onset and Is A Promising Therapeutic Target. iScience, 23 (5) 101087, 101087. doi: 10.1016/j.isci.2020.101087
Nabais, Marta F., Lin, Tian, Benyamin, Beben, Williams, Kelly L., Garton, Fleur C., Vinkhuyzen, Anna A. E., Zhang, Futao, Vallerga, Costanza L., Restuadi, Restuadi, Freydenzon, Anna, Zwamborn, Ramona A. J., Hop, Paul J., Robinson, Matthew R., Gratten, Jacob, Visscher, Peter M., Hannon, Eilis, Mill, Jonathan, Brown, Matthew A., Laing, Nigel G., Mather, Karen A., Sachdev, Perminder S., Ngo, Shyuan T., Steyn, Frederik J., Wallace, Leanne, Henders, Anjali K., Needham, Merrilee, Veldink, Jan H., Mathers, Susan, Nicholson, Garth ... Wray, Naomi R. (2020). Significant out-of-sample classification from methylation profile scoring for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. npj Genomic Medicine, 5 (1) 10, 1-9. doi: 10.1038/s41525-020-0118-3
Monocytes and neutrophils are associated with clinical features in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
McGill, Raquel B., Steyn, Frederik J., Ngo, Shyuan T., Thorpe, Kathryn A., Heggie, Susan, Ruitenberg, Marc J., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Woodruff, Trent M. (2020). Monocytes and neutrophils are associated with clinical features in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Brain Communications, 2 (1) fcaa013, fcaa013. doi: 10.1093/braincomms/fcaa013
Progression and survival of patients with motor neuron disease relative to their fecal microbiota
Ngo, Shyuan T., Restuadi, Restuadi, McCrea, Allan F., Van Eijk, Ruben P., Garton, Fleur, Henderson, Robert D., Wray, Naomi R., McCombe, Pamela A. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2020). Progression and survival of patients with motor neuron disease relative to their fecal microbiota. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 21 (7-8), 1-14. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2020.1772825
Gut microbiota in ALS: possible role in pathogenesis?
McCombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D., Lee, Aven, Lee, John D., Woodruff, Trent M., Restuadi, Restuadi, McRae, Allan, Wray, Naomi R., Ngo, Shyuan and Steyn, Frederik J. (2019). Gut microbiota in ALS: possible role in pathogenesis?. Expert Review of Neurotherapeutics, 19 (9), 1-21. doi: 10.1080/14737175.2019.1623026
Ngo, Shyuan T., Van Eijk, Ruben P. A., Chachay, V. , Van Den Berg, Leonard H., Mccombe, Pamela A., Henderson, Robert D. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2019). Loss of appetite is associated with a loss of weight and fat mass in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 20 (7-8), 1-9. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2019.1621346
Biomarkers of metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Kirk, Siobhan E., Tracey, Timothy J., Steyn, Frederik J. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2019). Biomarkers of metabolism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Frontiers in Neurology, 10 191, 191. doi: 10.3389/fneur.2019.00191
Dysregulation of miRNA biogenesis machinery and miRNA/RNA ratio in skeletal muscle of ALS mice
Russell, Aaron P, Ghobrial, Lobna, Ngo, Shyuan, Yerbury, Justin, Zacharewicz, Evelyn, Chung, Roger and Lamon, Séverine (2018). Dysregulation of miRNA biogenesis machinery and miRNA/RNA ratio in skeletal muscle of ALS mice. Muscle and Nerve, 57 (5), 838-847. doi: 10.1002/mus.26039
Hypermetabolism in ALS is associated with greater functional decline and shorter survival
Steyn, Frederik J., Ioannides, Zara A., van Eijk, Ruben P. A., Heggie, Susan, Thorpe, Kathryn A., Ceslis, Amelia, Heshmat, Saman, Henders, Anjali K., Wray, Naomi R., van den Berg, Leonard H., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2018). Hypermetabolism in ALS is associated with greater functional decline and shorter survival. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, 89 (10), jnnp-2017. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-317887
Neuronal Lipid Metabolism: Multiple Pathways Driving Functional Outcomes in Health and Disease
Tracey, Timothy J., Steyn, Frederik J., Wolvetang, Ernst J. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2018). Neuronal Lipid Metabolism: Multiple Pathways Driving Functional Outcomes in Health and Disease. Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience, 11 10, 10. doi: 10.3389/fnmol.2018.00010
McCombe, Pamela A., Ngo, Shyuan T., Guo, Christine Cong, Fazlollahi, Amir, Bollmann, Saskia, Wang, Liting, Hu, Xintao, Barth, Markus, Salvado, Olivier, Davis, Mark, Ceslis, Amelia, Robinson, Gail, Henderson, Robert D. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2018). Patient with ALS with a novel TBK1 mutation, widespread brain involvement, behaviour changes and metabolic dysfunction. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 90 (8), 952-954. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2018-318823
Steyn, Frederik J., Ngo, Shyuan T., Chen, Vicky Ping, Bailey-Downs, Lora C., Xie, Teresa Y., Ghadami, Martin, Brimijoin, Stephen, Freeman, Willard M., Rubinstein, Marcelo, Low, Malcolm J. and Stout, Michael B. (2017). 17α-estradiol acts through hypothalamic pro-opiomelanocortin expressing neurons to reduce feeding behavior. Aging Cell, 17 (1) e12703, 1-6. doi: 10.1111/acel.12703
Endocrine rhythms of growth hormone release: insights from animal studies
Steyn, Frederik J. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2017). Endocrine rhythms of growth hormone release: insights from animal studies. Best Practice and Research: Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, 31 (6), 521-533. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2017.10.009
Benyamin, Beben, He, Ji, Zhao, Qiongyi, Gratten, Jacob, Garton, Fleur, Leo, Paul J., Liu, Zhijun, Mangelsdorf, Marie, Al-Chalabi, Ammar, Anderson, Lisa, Butler, Timothy J., Chen, Lu, Chen, Xiang-Ding, Cremin, Katie, Deng, Hong-Weng, Devine, Matthew, Edson, Janette, Fifita, Jennifer A., Furlong, Sarah, Han, Ying-Ying, Harris, Jessica, Henders, Anjali K., Jeffree, Rosalind L., Jin, Zi-Bing, Li, Zhongshan, Li, Ting, Li, Mengmeng, Lin, Yong, Liu, Xiaolu ... Fan, Dongsheng (2017). Cross-ethnic meta-analysis identifies association of the GPX3-TNIP1 locus with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Nature Communications, 8 (1) 611, 611. doi: 10.1038/s41467-017-00471-1
Ngo, Shyuan T., Mi, Jia D., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2017). Exploring targets and therapies for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: current insights into dietary interventions. Degenerative Neurological and Neuromuscular Disease, 7, 95-108. doi: 10.2147/DNND.S120607
Ioannides, Z. A., Steyn, F. J., Henderson, R. D., McCombe, P. A. and Ngo, S. T. (2017). Predictions of resting energy expenditure in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis are greatly impacted by reductions in fat free mass. Cogent Medicine, 4 (1), 1343000. doi: 10.1080/2331205X.2017.1343000
Anthropometric measures are not accurate predictors of fat mass in ALS
Ioannides, Zara A., Steyn, Frederik J., Henderson, Robert D., Mccombe, Pamela A. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2017). Anthropometric measures are not accurate predictors of fat mass in ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Degeneration, 18 (7-8), 486-491. doi: 10.1080/21678421.2017.1317811
Fogarty, Matthew J., Klenowski, Paul M., Lee, John D., Drieberg-Thompson, Joy R., Bartlett, Selena E., Ngo, Shyuan T., Hilliard, Massimo A., Bellingham, Mark C. and Noakes, Peter G. (2016). Cortical synaptic and dendritic spine abnormalities in a presymptomatic TDP-43 model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Scientific Reports, 6 (1) 37968, 37968. doi: 10.1038/srep37968
Carrasco-Pozo, Catalina, Tan, Kah Ni, Reyes-Farias, Marjorie, De La Jara, Nicole, Ngo, Shyuan Thieu, Garcia-Diaz, Diego Fernando, Llanos, Paola, Cires, Maria Jose and Borges, Karin (2016). The deleterious effect of cholesterol and protection by quercetin on mitochondrial bioenergetics of pancreatic β-cells, glycemic control and inflammation: in vitro and in vivo studies. Redox Biology, 9, 229-243. doi: 10.1016/j.redox.2016.08.007
Ioannides, Z. A., Ngo, S. T., Henderson, R. D., McCombe, P. A. and Steyn, F. J. (2016). Altered metabolic homeostasis in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: mechanisms of energy imbalance and contribution to disease progression. Neurodegenerative Diseases, 15 (5-6), 382-397. doi: 10.1159/000446502
Tefera, Tesfaye W., Wong, Yide, Barkl-Luke, Mallory E., Ngo, Shyuan T., Thomas, Nicola K., McDonald, Tanya S. and Borges, Karin (2016). Triheptanoin protects motor neurons and delays the onset of motor symptoms in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Plos One, 11 (8) e0161816, e0161816. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0161816
Li, Rui, Steyn, Frederik J., Stout, Michael B., Lee, Kevin, Cully, Tanya R., Calderon, Juan C. and Ngo, Shuyan T. (2016). Development of a high-throughput method for real-time assessment of cellular metabolism in intact long skeletal muscle fibre bundles. The Journal of Physiology, 594 (24), 7197-7213. doi: 10.1113/JP272988
Effect of deletion of ghrelin-o-acyltransferase on the pulsatile release of growth hormone in mice
Xie, T. Y., Ngo, S. T., Veldhuis, J. D., Jeffery, P. L., Chopin, L. K., Tschop, M., Waters, M. J., Tolle, V., Epelbaum, J., Chen, C. and Steyn, F. J. (2015). Effect of deletion of ghrelin-o-acyltransferase on the pulsatile release of growth hormone in mice. Journal of Neuroendocrinology, 27 (12), 872-886. doi: 10.1111/jne.12327
Ngo, S. T., Steyn, F. J., Huang, L., Mantovani, S., Pfluger, C. M. M., Woodruff, T. M., O'Sullivan, J. D., Henderson, R. D. and McCombe, P. A. (2015). Altered expression of metabolic proteins and adipokines in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 357 (1-2), 22-27. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2015.06.053
Ngo, S. T. and Steyn, F. J. (2015). The interplay between metabolic homeostasis and neurodegeneration: insights into the neurometabolic nature of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Cell Regeneration, 4 (5) 5, 1-14. doi: 10.1186/s13619-015-0019-6
Palamiuc, Lavinia, Schlagowski, Anna, Ngo, Shyuan T., Vernay, Aurelia, Dirrig-Grosch, Sylvie, Henriques, Alexandre, Boutillier, Anne-Laurence, Zoll, Joffrey, Echaniz-Laguna, Andoni, Loeffler, Jean-Philippe and René, Frédérique (2015). A metabolic switch toward lipid use in glycolytic muscle is an early pathologic event in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. EMBO Molecular Medicine, 7 (5), 526-546. doi: 10.15252/emmm.201404433
Gender differences in autoimmune disease
Ngo, S. T., Steyn, F. J. and McCombe, P. A. (2014). Gender differences in autoimmune disease. Frontiers in Neuroendocrinology, 35 (3), 347-369. doi: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2014.04.004
Ngo, S.T., Steyn, F.J. and McCombe, P.A. (2014). Body mass index and dietary intervention: Implications for prognosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Journal of the Neurological Sciences, 340 (1-2), 5-12. doi: 10.1016/j.jns.2014.02.035
Steyn, F. J., Lee, Kevin, Fogarty, M. J., Veldhuis, J. D., McCombe, P. A,, Bellingham, M. C., Ngo, S. T. and Chen, C (2013). Growth hormone secretion is correlated with neuromuscular innervation rather than motor neuron number in early-symptomatic male amyotrophic lateral sclerosis mice. Endocrinology, 154 (12), 4695-4706. doi: 10.1210/en.2013-1570
Steyn, F. J., Xie, T. Y., Huang, L., Ngo, S. T., Veldhuis, J. D., Waters, M. J. and Chen, C. (2013). Increased adiposity and insulin correlates with the progressive suppression of pulsatile GH secretion during weight gain. Journal of Endocrinology, 218 (2), 233-244. doi: 10.1530/JOE-13-0084
Ngo, S. T., Baumann, F., Ridall, P. G., Pettitt, A. N., Henderson, R. D., Bellingham, M. C. and McCombe, P. A. (2012). The relationship between Bayesian motor unit number estimation and histological measurements of motor neurons in wild-type and SOD1(G93A) mice. Clinical Neurophysiology, 123 (10), 2080-2091. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2012.01.028
Huang, L., Steyn, F. J., Tan, H. Y., Xie, T. Y., Veldhuis, J. D., Ngo, S. T. and Chen, C. (2012). The decline in pulsatile GH secretion throughout early adulthood in mice is exacerbated by dietary-induced weight gain. Endocrinology, 153 (9), 4380-4388. doi: 10.1210/en.2012-1178
Ngo, Shyuan T., Cole, Rebecca N., Sunn, Nana, Phillips, William D. and Noakes, Peter G. (2012). Neuregulin-1 potentiates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering through muscle-specific kinase phosphorylation. Journal of Cell Science, 125 (6), 1531-1543. doi: 10.1242/jcs.095109
Steyn, F. J., Ngo, S. T, Lee, J. D., Leong, J. W., Buckley, A. J., Veldhuis, J. D., McCombe, P. A., Chen, C. and Bellingham, M. C. (2012). Impairments to the GH-IGF-I axis in hSOD1(G93A) mice give insight into possible mechanisms of GH dysregulation in patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Endocrinology, 153 (8), 3735-3746. doi: 10.1210/en.2011-2171
Development of a method for the determination of pulsatile growth hormone secretion in mice
Steyn, F. J., Huang, L., Ngo, S. T., Leong, J. W., Tan, H. Y., Xie, T. Y., Parlow, A. F., Veldhuis, J. D., Waters, M. J. and Chen, C. (2011). Development of a method for the determination of pulsatile growth hormone secretion in mice. Endocrinology, 152 (8), 3165-3171. doi: 10.1210/en.2011-0253
Muscle Specific Kinase: Organiser of synaptic membrane domains
Ghazanfari, Nazanin, Fernandez, Kristine J., Murata, Yui, Morsch, Marco, Ngo, Shyuan T., Reddel, Stephen W., Noakes, Peter G. and Phillips, William D. (2011). Muscle Specific Kinase: Organiser of synaptic membrane domains. The International Journal of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, 43 (3), 295-298. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2010.10.008
Cole, R. N., Ghazanfari, N., Ngo, S. T., Gervasio, O. L., Reddel, S. W. and Phillips, W. D. (2010). Patient autoantibodies deplete postsynaptic muscle-specific kinase leading to disassembly of the ACh receptor scaffold and myasthenia gravis in mice. Journal of Physiology, 588 (17), 3217-3229. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2010.190298
Muttenthaler, Marcus, Nevin, Simon T., Grishin, Anton A., Ngo, Shyuan T., Choy, Peng T., Daly, Norelle L., Hu, Shu-Hong, Armishaw, Christopher J., Wang, Ching-I. A., Lewis, Richard J., Martin, Jennifer L., Noakes, Peter G., Craik, David J., Adams, David J. and Alewood, Paul F. (2010). Solving the alpha-conotoxin folding problem: Efficient selenium-directed on-resin generation of more potent and stable nicotinic acetylcholine receptor antaqonists. Journal of the American Chemical Society, 132 (10), 3514-3522. doi: 10.1021/ja910602h
Brockhausen, J., Cole, R. N., Gervasio, O. L., Ngo, S. T., Noakes, P. G. and Phillips, W. D. (2008). Neural agrin increases postsynaptic ACh receptor packing by elevating rapsyn protein at the mouse neuromuscular synapse. Developmental Neurobiology, 68 (9), 1153-1169. doi: 10.1002/dneu.20654
Neural agrin: A synaptic stabiliser
Ngo, Shyuan T., Noakes, Peter G. and Phillips, William D. (2007). Neural agrin: A synaptic stabiliser. International Journal of Biochemistry & Cell Biology, 39 (5), 863-867. doi: 10.1016/j.biocel.2006.10.012
Rapsyn interaction with calpain stabilizes AChR clusters at the neuromuscular junction
Chen, F, Qian, L, Yang, ZH, Huang, Y, Ngo, ST, Ruan, NJ, Wang, J, Schneider, C, Noakes, PG, Ding, YQ, Mei, L and Luo, ZG (2007). Rapsyn interaction with calpain stabilizes AChR clusters at the neuromuscular junction. Neuron, 55 (2), 247-260. doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2007.06.031
Neuregulin potentiates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering in myotubes
Ngo, S. T., Balke, C., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, P. G. (2004). Neuregulin potentiates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering in myotubes. Neuroreport, 15 (16), 2501-2505. doi: 10.1097/00001756-200411150-00014
Comparison of Faecal Microbe Diversity Between Motor Neurone Disease (Mnd) and Control Participants
Steyn, Frederik J., Restuadi, Restuadi, Ioannides, Zara, Ngo, Shyuan T., McRae, Allan, Wray, Naomi R., Henderson, Robert and McCombe, Pamela (2017). Comparison of Faecal Microbe Diversity Between Motor Neurone Disease (Mnd) and Control Participants. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian-and-New-Zealand-Association-of-Neurologists (ANZAN), Gold Coast, Australia, 9-12 May 2017. London, United Kingdom: BMJ. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-316074.81
Ioannides, Zara A., Ngo, Shyuan T., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Steyn, Frederik J. (2017). Hypermetabolism in Motor Neurone Disease Is Associated with a Greater Functional Decline But Not Weight Loss. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian-and-New-Zealand-Association-of-Neurologists (ANZAN), Gold Coast, Australia, May 09-12, 2017. LONDON: BMJ PUBLISHING GROUP. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-316074.18
Ioannides, Zara A., Steyn, Frederik J., Henderson, Robert D., McCombe, Pamela A. and Ngo, Shyuan T. (2017). The risk of overestimating fatness in motor neurone disease: longitudinal assessments of body composition. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australian-and-New-Zealand-Association-of-Neurologists (ANZAN), Gold Coast, Australia, 9-12 May 2017. London, United Kingdom: B M J Group. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2017-316074.35
Neurodegeneration: an endocrine and metabolic perspective
Ngo, Shyuan (2016). Neurodegeneration: an endocrine and metabolic perspective. Annual Scientific Meeting of the Endocrine Society of Australia, Adelaide, Australia, 23-26 August 2015. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing. doi: 10.1111/cen.13010
Peripheral immune complement activation in neurodegenerative disease
Mantovani, S., Gordon, R., Ngo, S., Pfluger, C., O'Sullivan, J., Noakes, P., Henderson, R., McCombe, P. and Woodruff, T. (2015). Peripheral immune complement activation in neurodegenerative disease. 25th Biennial Meeting of the International-Society-for-Neurochemistry Jointly with the 13th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific-Society-for-Neurochemistry in Conjunction with the 35th Meeting of the Australasian-Neuroscience-Society, Cairns Australia, 23-27 August 2015. Chichester, West Sussex, United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell. doi: 10.1111/jnc.13188
Tefera, T., Yide, W., Ni, T. K., Tanya, M., Shyuan, N. and Karin, B. (2015). Triheptanoin delays symptom onset in the superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1G93A) mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. 25th Biennial Meeting of the International-Society-for-Neurochemistry Jointly with the 13th Meeting of the Asian-Pacific-Society-for-Neurochemistry in Conjunction with the 35th Meeting of the Australasian-Neuroscience-Society, Cairns Australia, 23-27 August 2015. Chichester, West Sussex United Kingdom: Wiley-Blackwell .
McCombe, P., Ngo, S., Bellingham, M., Pettitt, A. and Henderson, R. (2011). Comparison of Motor Units Number Estimation by Bayesian Statistical MUNE with Histological Counting of Motor Unit Numbers: Validation of the Method. 63rd AAN Annual Meeting, Honolulu, HI, United States, 9-16 April 2011.
McCombe, Pamela, Ngo, Shuyan, Bellingham, Mark, Pettitt, Anthony and Henderson, Robert (2011). Comparison of Motor Units Number Estimation by Bayesian Statistical MUNE with Histological Counting of Motor Unit Numbers: Validation of the Method. 63rd Annual Meeting of the American-Academy-of-Neurology, Honolulu, HI, U.S.A., APR 09-16, 2011. Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Ngo, S. T., Bellingham, M. C., Pettitt, A. N., Ridall, P. G., Henderson, R. D. and McCombe, P. A. (2011). Comparison of motor unit number estimation by Bayesian statistical MUNE with histological counting of motor unit numbers. 22nd International ALS/MND Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 30 November - 2 December 2011.
Estimation of Motor Unit Loss in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Ngo, S. T., Baumann, F., Pettitt, A. N., Ridall, P. G., Henderson, R. D., McCombe, P. A. and Bellingham, M. C. (2011). Estimation of Motor Unit Loss in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Australian Neuroscience Society 31st Annual Meeting, Auckland, New Zealand, 31 January -3 February 2011.
Pulsatile Growth Hormone Secretion in the SOD1G93A Mouse Model of ALS
Steyn, F.J., Ngo, S.T., Buckley, A.J., Leong, J.W., Veldhuis, J.D., McCombe, P.A., Chen, C. and Bellingham, M.C. (2011). Pulsatile Growth Hormone Secretion in the SOD1G93A Mouse Model of ALS. Endocrine Society of Australia Annual Scientific Meeting, Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, Perth, Western Australia, 28-31 August.
Ngo, S. T., Steyn, F. J., Buckley, A. J., Leong, J. W., Veldhuis, J. D., Chen, C., McCombe, P. A. and Bellingham, M. C. (2011). Pulsatile growth hormone secretion in the SOD1G93A mouse model of ALS resembles growth hormone deficiency in ALS patients. 22nd International ALS/MND Symposium, Sydney, Australia, 30 November - 2 December 2011.
Bayesian Motor Unit Number Estimation in the SOD1G93A mouse
Ngo, S.T., Bellingham, M.C., Baumann, F., Pettitt, A.N., Ridall, P.G., Henderson, R.D. and McCombe, P.A. (2010). Bayesian Motor Unit Number Estimation in the SOD1G93A mouse. Forum of European Neuroscience, AMSTERDAM NETHERLANDS, 3/7/2010-7/7/2010.
Ghazanfari, N., Gervasio, O. L., Ngo, S. T., Reddel, S. R. and Phillips, W. D. (2009). Anti-MuSK-positive myasthenia gravis patient antibody causes aberrant activation of MuSK and disassembly of acetylcholine receptor clusters. ANS 2009: 29th Annual Meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society, Canberra, ACT, Australia, 27-30 January 2009. Australian Neuroscience Society.
Neuregulin Modulates Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering via Non-transcriptional Mechanisms
Shyuan, N., Cole, R. N., Sunn, N., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, P. G. (2009). Neuregulin Modulates Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering via Non-transcriptional Mechanisms. ANS 29th Annual meeting 2009, Canberra, ACT, 27 - 30 January, 2009. Online: Australian Neuroscience Society.
Neuregulin Modulates Agrin-Induced Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering via MuSK Phosphorylation.
Ngo, Shyuan T., Cole, R. N., Sunn, Nana, Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, Peter G. (2009). Neuregulin Modulates Agrin-Induced Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering via MuSK Phosphorylation.. Neuroscience 2009, SfN's 39th annual meeting, Chicago, IL, U.S., 17-21 October 2009.
Ngo, S.T., Cole, R.N., Sunn, N., Phillips, W.D. and Noakes, P.G. (2009). Neuregulin potentiates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering via a non-transcriptional mechanism in skeletal muscles. 9th Hunter Valley Cellular Biology Meeting, Hunter Valley, NSW, Australia, 23-25 September 2009.
Ngo, S. T., Cole, R. N., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, Peter G. (2008). Molecular mechanisms underlying the regulation of the clustering and dispersal of acetylcholine receptors in skeletal muscle. ComBio 2008, Canberra, Australia, 21-25 September, 2008. Kent Town, South Australia: Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
Nerve to Muscle Signalling in Myasthenia Gravis
Ngo, S. T., Cole, R. N., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, P. G. (2008). Nerve to Muscle Signalling in Myasthenia Gravis. Australian Society for Medical Research, PA Hospital, Brisbane, Australia, May 2008.
Selenocysteine in peptide drug design
Adams, D. J., Alewood, P. F., Choy, P. T., Craik, D. J., Daly, N. L., Grishin, A. A., Hu, S-H., Martin, J. L., Muttenthaler, M., Nevin, S. T., Ngo, S. T. and Noakes, P. G. (2008). Selenocysteine in peptide drug design. Royal Australian Chemical Institute (RACI) Annual Scientific Meeting: Drug Discovery and Development, Couran Cove Island Resort, Queensland, Australia, 13 - 17 July 2008.
Selenocysteine in peptide folding and drug design
Muttenthaler, M., Nevin, S. T., Grishin, A. A., Ngo, S. T., Choy, P. T., Daly, N. L., Hu, S-H., Martin, J. L., Noakes, P. G., Craik, D. J., Adams, D. J. and Alewood, P. F. (2008). Selenocysteine in peptide folding and drug design. XXth International Symposium on Medicinal Chemistry (EFMC-ISMC 2008), Vienna, Austria, 31 August - 4 September 2008.
Neuregulin modulates postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular synapse
Ngo, S. T., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, P. G. (2007). Neuregulin modulates postsynaptic acetylcholine receptors at the neuromuscular synapse. ComBio 2007, Sydney , Australia, September 22-26 2007.
Regulatory Role of Neuregulin in Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering at the Neuromuscular Synapse
Ngo, S.T., Phillips, W.D. and Noakes, P.G. (2007). Regulatory Role of Neuregulin in Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering at the Neuromuscular Synapse. Annual Meeting of the Society for Neuroscience 2007, San Diego, CA, U.S.A., 3-7 November, 2007.
Signaling underlying postsynaptic differentiation at the neuro-muscular junction
Chen, Fei, Qian, Lei, Yang, Zhi-hua, Huang, Ying, Ngo, Shyuan T., Ruan, Nan-jie, Wang, Jia, Schneider, Claudio, Noakes, Peter G., Ding, Yu-qiang, Mei, Lin and Luo, Zhen-ge (2007). Signaling underlying postsynaptic differentiation at the neuro-muscular junction. The 19th Federation of Asian and Oceanian Biochemists and Molecular Biologists Inc. (FAOBMB) Meeting, Seoul, Korea, 27-31 May, 2007.
Neuregulin as a Regulator of Acetylcholine Receptor Clusters at the Neuromuscular Synapse
Ngo S. T., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, P. G . (2006). Neuregulin as a Regulator of Acetylcholine Receptor Clusters at the Neuromuscular Synapse. 4th Congress of Federation of Asian-Oceanian Neuroscience Societies, Hong Kong, November 30 - December 2.
Neuregulin is a regulator of acetylcholine receptor clusters at the neuromuscular synapse
Ngo, S. T., Noakes, P. G. and Phillips, W. D. (2006). Neuregulin is a regulator of acetylcholine receptor clusters at the neuromuscular synapse. Kent Town, South Australia, 2006.
Neuregulin-1 Modulates Agrin-induced Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering
Shyuan, Ngo, Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, Peter G. (2006). Neuregulin-1 Modulates Agrin-induced Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering. The 26th annual meeting of the Australian Neuroscience Society, Sydney, Australia, 31 Jan - 3 Feb 2006. Amsterdam: Elsevier/North-Holland.
Differential Expression of MRNA in MuSK-Deficient Mice
Caudron, A. J., Lichanska, A. M., Ngo, S. T., Cooper, H. M. and Noakes, P. G. (2005). Differential Expression of MRNA in MuSK-Deficient Mice. ComBio 2005, Adelaide, SA Australia, 25 - 29 September 2005.
Neuregulin modulates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering in myotubes
Ngo, S. T., Phillips, W. D., Lavidis, N. A. and Noakes, P. G. (2005). Neuregulin modulates agrin-induced acetylcholine receptor clustering in myotubes. ComBio 2005, Adelaide, 25-29 September, 2005. Canberra, ACT: The Society for Biochemisty and Molecular Biology.
Regulation of Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering and Dispersal
Ngo, S.T., Noakes, P.G. and Phillips, W.D (2005). Regulation of Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering and Dispersal. 6th Hunter Valley Cellular Biology Meeting, The Sebel-Kirkton Park, Pokolbin, NSW, Australia, 6-8 April, 2005.
Agrin and Heregulin induction of acetylcholine receptor clustering in C2C12 myotubes
Ngo, S. T., Nguyen T. T., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes, P. G. (2004). Agrin and Heregulin induction of acetylcholine receptor clustering in C2C12 myotubes. Proceedings of the Australian Neuroscience Society, Melbourne, 2004.
The regulatory role of neuregulin in acetylcholine receptor clustering at the neuromuscular synapse
Ngo, S. T., Phillips, W. D. and Noakes P. G. (2000). The regulatory role of neuregulin in acetylcholine receptor clustering at the neuromuscular synapse. Society for Neuroscience Annual Meeting 2000, New Orleans, Louisiana, 4-9 November, 2000. Online: Society for Neuroscience.
Skeletal muscle and blood RNA-seq counts in motor neurone disease cases and controls
Anna Freydenzon, Allan F. McRaee, Shyuan Ngo, Naomi R. Wray, Leanne Wallace, Anjali K. Henders, Pamela A. McCombe, Robert D. Henderson and Frederik J. Steyn (2023). Skeletal muscle and blood RNA-seq counts in motor neurone disease cases and controls. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/b722f1f
Ngo, Shyuan, Power, Dominique, Andersen, Stacey, Taherian Fard, Atefeh, Chang, Jeryn and Steyn, Frederik (2022). snrRNA-seq_muscle_dataset. The University of Queensland. (Dataset) doi: 10.48610/0106c8e
Neuregulin Modulation of Agrin-Induced Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering
Shyuan Ngo (2009). Neuregulin Modulation of Agrin-Induced Acetylcholine Receptor Clustering. PhD Thesis, School of Biomedical Sciences, The University of Queensland.
Untangling mechanisms of energy impairment across the ALS-FTD spectrum of disease
(2023–2024) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc Innovator Grant
Spatial Transcriptomics studies on human tissues
(2023) Research Donation Generic
(2022–2025) IRCCS - Istituto di Ricerche Farmacologiche Mario Negri
(2022–2023) MNDRIA Innovator Grants
(2021–2023) Advance Queensland Women's Research Assistance Program
Macimorelin as a treatment for ALS/MND
(2021–2023) Aeterna Zentaris GmbH
Scott Sullivan Research Program
(2021–2023) The MND and ME Foundation
(2021–2022) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
N-acetyltransferase 1, a modifier of disease outcome in patients with Motor Neurone Disease (MND).
(2021–2022) Metro North Hospital and Health Service
Targeting NAT1 to improve metabolism and slow disease progression in MND
(2021–2022) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc Innovator Grant
(2020–2023) NHMRC IDEAS Grants
(2020–2023) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
Safety and tolerability of Trimetazidine for the treatment of ALS
(2020–2023) Cure for MND Foundation - Drug Development Grants
Targeting metabolic flexibility as a therapeutic approach for ALS (METALS)
(2020–2023) Cure for MND Foundation
(2020–2022) Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital
(2020–2022) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2020–2021) Metro North Hospital and Health Service
(2020–2021) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2019–2022) Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital Foundation
(2019–2022) Cure for MND Foundation - Impact Grants
EATT for MND: Exposing mechanisms of impaired appetite regulation in MND
(2018–2021) Wesley Medical Research Ltd
Investigating endocrine causes and consequence of loss of appetite in MND patients
(2018–2019) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2018–2019) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2017–2021) The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health
Assessment of metabolic health in neurodegeneration: studies in motor neurone disease (MND)
(2017–2020) Wesley Medical Research Ltd
Cell-free DNA and ALS; insight into disease mechanisms and progression
(2017–2018) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2017–2018) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2017) UQ Early Career Researcher
Bioenergetic deficit in neurodegeneration: studies in motor neuron disease (MND)
(2016–2019) NHMRC Project Grant
(2016) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
Instrumentation for the analysis of cellular and metabolic phenotypes
(2016) UQ Major Equipment and Infrastructure
Metabolic and gut dynamics in MND: Identifying novel strategies to meet energy needs in patients
(2016) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
The Scott Sullivan Research Fellowship
(2015–2020) The MND and ME Foundation
(2015–2016) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
Investigating the consequences of increased fat catabolism in motor neurone disease (MND)
(2014–2015) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
Investigating the causes and consequences of growth hormone dysfunction in motor neuron disease
(2013–2014) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
(2012–2015) Motor Neurone Disease Research Institute of Australia Inc
Investigating the role of fat metabolism in motor neuron disease
(2012–2013) UQ New Staff Research Start-Up Fund
Investigating the mechanisms underlying defective energy metabolism in motor neuron disease (MND)
(2012) AAS - France-Australia Science Innovation Collaboration (FASIC) Program Early Career Fellowships
Deciphering the spatio-temporal landscape of cell-autonomous and non-cell-autonomous drivers of motor neuron death in MND
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Targeting metabolic flexibility as a therapeutic approach for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (METALS)
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Exploring cellular bioenergetics in skeletal muscle in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Fine tuning metabolic flux: Modulating substrate oxidation as a therapeutic strategy in motor neuron disease (MND)
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Targeting metabolic flexibility as a therapeutic approach for ALS (METALS)
Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Use of bioinformatics to decode disease heterogeneity in motor neuron disease
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
MINDE: A patient-centred study on Metabolism, Individualised Nutrition & Daily Eating
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
NAT1 as a regulator of the metabolic response to disease
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Redefining digital technology to provide patient centric platform to meet the need of patients with Motor Neuron Disease
Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
(2020) Doctor Philosophy — Principal Advisor
Other advisors:
Stem Cell Derived Models to Investigate Age-Related Diseases
(2023) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Systems biology of motor neurone disease
(2022) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
(2018) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
(2018) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
(2018) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
(2017) Master Philosophy — Associate Advisor
(2017) Doctor Philosophy — Associate Advisor
Other advisors:
Note for students: The possible research projects listed on this page may not be comprehensive or up to date. Always feel free to contact the staff for more information, and also with your own research ideas.
Metabolic dysfunction in Motor Neuron Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Motor Neuron Disease/Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MND/ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterised by the degeneration of both upper and lower alpha motor neurons. The irreversible loss of neurons in the brain and spinal cord results in progressive skeletal muscle paralysis and death within 2-5 years of diagnosis. There is no known cure for the disease, and treatments are of limited benefit. In the absence of a cure for MND/ALS, there is a pressing need to lessen the severity of symptoms associated with, and to slow the progression of disease, whilst enhancing quality of life.
While the fundamental mechanisms that underlie the development of MND/ALS remains unknown, recent studies suggest that defective regulation of energy homeostasis may exacerbate the degenerative process throughout the course of disease. In the last 7 years, our team has made novel observations of metabolic dysfunction and altered metabolic flexibility in mouse models of MND, and paradigm-shifting discoveries that for the first time, highlight the impact of increased energy use (hypermetabolism) in patients with MND on disease progression and prognosis. In this time, our team have also successfully generated induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived motor neurons (including CRISPR-Cas9 TDP-43 iPSCs with isogenic controls), and to our knowledge the only directly reprogrammed motor neurons from MMD patients in Australia.
All PhD projects fall under a broader research program that investigates how altered glucose and fatty acid metabolism contributes to the progression of MND/ALS. Projects span the clinical and basic research settings, and involve working with patients living with MND, or mouse and human-derived models of MND. Projects focus on identifying the mechanisms that cause metabolic dysfunction in MND, and identifying treatments to alleviate metabolic perturbations.