Our research

We invest in more than six distinct themes across our research program.

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Biomarkers View

Our biobank is a specialized repository that collects, stores, and manages biological samples — such as blood, tissue, DNA, and CSF — along with associated health and demographic data. Currently it contains over 250 samples.

The biobank provides a crucial tool to provide comprehensive assessment of biomarkers with rigorous clinical outcomes. Through a series of high throughput analyses, we anticipate that we will discover differentially expressed protein signatures that are associated with different AE subtypes and disease activity . This study will provide novel biomarker insights into the underlying biological causes (pathophysiology) of autoimmune encephalitis and future drug discovery efforts.

Seizure identification with electroencephalogy (EEG) View

We know that up to 70-80% of cases of AE can present with seizures, and in 10-20% of cases the seizures can be drug resistant. Identification of an immune basis to a seizure disorder is important because adjunctive immunotherapy may slow, halt, or even reverse the epileptogenic process in these patients.

This study would delineate the type of seizures occurring in AE subsets, their response to treatment and effectiveness of treatment, the type of EEG patterns and linked with patient clinical outcomes.

Brain Imaging View

This component of our study aims to identify differing MRI and PET abnormalities across various subtypes of Autoimmune Encephalitis (AE), and to explore how these imaging findings correlate with seizure control, cognitive deficits, and overall patient outcomes. By characterizing the neuroimaging profiles associated with AE we hope to improve early recognition and stratification of disease severity.

In our preliminary analysis, structural MRI abnormalities were observed in 35% of patients, while functional PET abnormalities were present in 46% of cases. Ongoing analysis will investigate whether specific imaging patterns are predictive of clinical trajectories, including seizure burden, neurocognitive recovery, and long-term functional outcomes.

Cognition (Neuropsychology) View

A key aspect of the consortium is to evaluate acute and long-term cognitive and psychiatric sequelae of AE. In some cases, individuals are commenced on antipsychotics or mood stabilizers when the underlying disease mechanism is autoimmune and the diagnosis of AE has not been evaluated effectively. The affected individual suffers not only from the actual illness itself but also due to the diagnostic uncertainty, wrong diagnosis as well as the many side effects that are associated with antipsychotics and mood stabilizers.

This study will provide the largest and most comprehensive cognitive and psychopathology outcome data in AE to date and correlate that with disease prognostic markers. By profiling these patients in such detail this will enable the detection of cognitive deficits that can assist with diagnosis of disease subtype, flareup, and to tailor treatment decisions.

Treatment response and outcomes View

As part of our collaborative efforts, we have shown that early initiation of immunotherapy is important to reduce the odds of worse patient outcomes. Treatment with higher efficacy disease modifying therapies can provide disease control in some cases, but immunosuppressive therapies can be associated with adverse effects and side effects. On the other hand, treatment with less potent agents (and therefore less risk of adverse effects) may cause harm from preventable disease-related complications. Treatments used are also generally not specifically indicated for autoimmune encephalitis and may be very expensive.

This part of the program aims to understand how patients respond to various treatments, and which treatments are likely to be more effective in relieving disease symptoms and improving function.

Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) View

To assess patient reported outcomes, quality of life questionnaires will be completed by recruited patients. In time we will produce active self-monitoring tools, capturing the challenges faced by consumers and their caregivers in the initial phases of the illness, current challenges in the chronic state of the illness, impact of disease on their quality of life, the level of caregiver burden, mobility, personal care, usual activities (work, study, housework, family or leisure activities), pain/discomfort, anxiety / depression, and access to disability services (NDIS) and other resources.

We use multiple facilities and resources through our national coordinating centre

Bioinformatics platform
Flowcore
Micromon
Monash Micro Imaging
STM Community and Researcher Engagement (CaRE) program