Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
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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Research interests
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.
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- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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FightMND 24: How does TDP-43 stay soluble and functional – Identifying molecular targets for early TDP-43 condensation
Morsch, M., Alberti, S., McAlary, L., Maurel, C., Walker, A. K., Lisowski, L. & Ecroyd, H.
3/03/25 → 2/03/28
Project: Research
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LE24 (Usyd led): Single-molecule Manipulation and Interaction Facility (SMIF)
Ju, L., Kabakova, I., van Oijen, A., Baker, M., Wickham, S., Spenkelink, L., Gu, Z., Su, Q., Shen, Y., Qiao, R., Cho, A. N., Cheng, W., Davis, T., Yong, K., Eggleton, B. & Morsch, M.
11/10/24 → 10/10/25
Project: Research
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Development of ALS gene therapies for targeted protein degradation of TDP-43
Lee, A., Morsch, M., Rayner, S. & Chung, R.
1/09/24 → 31/08/26
Project: Research
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IDEAS 23: TDP-43 nuclear depletion in MND - potential driver of neurodegeneration and therapeutic target
Hogan, A., Maurel, C., Rayner, S., Morsch, M., Williams, K., Walker, A. K. & Lisowski, L.
1/07/24 → 30/06/27
Project: Research
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Critical impact of lysine 136 in TDP-43 phase separation, compartmentalization, and aggregation in living vertebrates
Maurel, C., Scherer, N. M., Luu, L., Radford, R. A., Hogan, A., Merjane, J., Vidal-Itriago, A., Don, E. K., Chapman, T., Cull, S., Vourc’h, P., Lisowski, L., Lee, A., Chung, R. & Morsch, M., 23 May 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: iScience. 112761.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Methylmercury demethylation and volatilization by animals expressing microbial enzymes
Tepper, K., King, J., Manuneedhi Cholan, P., Pfitzner, C., Morsch, M., Apte, S. C. & Maselko, M., 12 Feb 2025, In: Nature Communications. 16, 1, p. 1-10 10 p., 1117.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile1 Citation (Scopus)15 Downloads (Pure) -
Proteomics analysis of the TDP-43 interactome in cellular models of ALS pathogenesis
Cheng, F., Chapman, T., Venturato, J., Davidson, J. M., Polido, S. A., Rosa-Fernandes, L., San Gil, R., Suddull, H. J., Zhang, S., Macaslam, C. Y., Szwaja, P., Chung, R., Walker, A. K., Rayner, S. L., Morsch, M. & Lee, A., May 2025, In: Journal of Neurochemistry. 169, 5, p. 1-21 21 p., e70079.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile12 Downloads (Pure) -
A transient protein folding response targets aggregation in the early phase of TDP-43-mediated neurodegeneration
Gil, R. S., Pascovici, D., Venturato, J., Brown-Wright, H., Mehta, P., Martin, L. M. S., Wu, J., Luan, W., Chui, Y. K., Bademosi, A. T., Swaminathan, S., Naidoo, S., Berning, B. A., Wright, A. L., Keating, S. S., Curtis, M., Faull, R. L. M., Lee, J. D., Ngo, S. T., Lee, A., & 6 others , 19 Feb 2024, In: Nature Communications. 15, 1, p. 1-23 23 p., 1508.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile10 Citations (Scopus)69 Downloads (Pure) -
Cyclin F, Neurodegeneration, and the Pathogenesis of ALS/FTD
Rayner, S. L., Hogan, A., Davidson, J. M., Cheng, F., Luu, L., Morsch, M., Blair, I., Chung, R. & Lee, A., Apr 2024, In: Neuroscientist. 30, 2, p. 214-228 15 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review
7 Citations (Scopus)
Prizes
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Outstanding mid-career researcher MND Research Institute Australia
Morsch, Marco (Recipient), 9 Nov 2018
Prize
Activities
- 1 Participating in a conference, workshop or event series
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Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences 2nd Annual EnCouRage Research Symposium
Dane Turner (Organiser), Angela Laird (Organiser), Emily Don (Organiser), Magdalena Lam (Organiser), Adam Keith Walker (Organiser), Marco Morsch (Organiser), Benjamin Heng (Organiser), Vanessa Tan (Organiser), Esther Lim (Organiser), Marina Junqueira Santiago (Organiser), Hami Shahheydari (Organiser), Luan Luu (Organiser) & Mark Butlin (Poster judge)
27 Oct 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Participating in a conference, workshop or event series
Press/Media
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Outdoor Festival of Science at the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney 2019
18/08/19
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Will see-through fish help cure muscle-killing disease?
12/01/18
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Other
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Making zebrafish glow to better understand motor neuron disease
17/10/17
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities
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Glow in the dark creatures helping scientists identify toxic cells
20/05/17
1 item of Media coverage
Press/Media: Public Engagement Activities