A/Prof Marco Morsch is the Co-Director of Research in the Macquarie Medical School at Macquarie University.

A/Prof Morsch is a neuroscientist and group leader in the Macquarie Medical School of the Faculty of Medicine and Health, and Human Sciences at Macquarie University. A/Prof Morsch received his PhD from the University of Bonn, Germany, followed by a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Sydney. In 2014 Marco moved to Macquarie University to work at the ‘Centre for MND Research’.

A/Prof Morsch has established one of the first Australian zebrafish platforms to characterise the process of neurodegeneration and monitor the interactions of phagocytosing microglia in real-time in the CNS of a living vertebrate (zebrafish). Over the last years he has made seminal advances in the field of protein aggregation (first in vivo demonstration of TDP-43 phase separation) and engineering vertebrates to remediate toxic substances from the environment (methylmercury bioremediation).

His unique research program allowed him to make important advances in the study of neurological diseases and cell interactions in the healthy and stressed nervous system.

In 2019 he was awarded the ‘Outstanding mid-career researcher’ prize by MND Research Institute of Australia.

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We have PhD and Masters opportunities available in our lab, including one fully funded domestic scholarships:

"Investigating neuron-glia interactions in MND/ALS" - Link here

People with an interest in MND, molecular, biology, and advanced microscopy techniques, please reach out.

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A/Prof Morsch’s research program investigates the molecular & cellular pathways affected in neurodegeneration, using novel visualization techniques, advanced molecular tools, & innovative approaches to enhance drug delivery.

To study the underlying pathological mechanism of disease he has established unique live-imaging and laser-ablation protocols to accurately monitor the degeneration process of motor neurons in the CNS and its impact on surrounding cells.

Overall the zebrafish program closes a critical gap in the field by providing a preclinical animal model that allows real-time characterisation of cellular processes in the CNS.