Projects per year
Personal profile
Biography
Prof Thomas Fath is Deputy Director of the Dementia Research Centre and Professor in the Department of Biomedical Sciences of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at Macquarie University. Previous to this, he was the Head of the Neurodegeneration and Repair Unit (NRU) and Head of the Neuronal Culture Core Facility (NCCF) at UNSW. He received his PhD in 2002 from the University of Heidelberg, where he worked on the functional role of Tau phosphorylation in Alzheimer's disease. He then moved to The Scripps Research Institute at La Jolla (2003-2005, USA), shifting his research focus to the study of the actin cytoskeleton in neuronal function and morphogenesis. After this, Dr Fath continued his work on the actin cytoskeleton in neurons at the Children's Hospital at Westmead (2005-2008). In 2009, he took on a Research & Teaching position in the School of Medical Sciences at UNSW Sydney, where he established an ARC and NHMRC-funded research program, investigating cytoskeleton-associated patho-mechanisms of Neurodegenerative diseases and mechanisms of neurite regeneration.
Research interests
The primary research focus of the lab is on the regulation of the cytoskeleton in injury and diseases of the central nervous system, including brain trauma, Alzheimer's Disease and motor neuron disease. For this, we employ cell and tissue cultures and genetically modified mice, combined with advanced imaging technologies. Recent outcome from our work demonstrates that distinct isoforms of the tropomyosin protein family regulate early processes of neuronal morphogenesis and that these proteins are key regulators of the cellular architecture in sub-cellular compartments of neuronal cells such as the growth cones of extending neurites in the developing and synaptic connections in the mature nervous system. Our research team investigates the actin cytoskeleton as potential drug target to provide protection and promote regeneration in the injured or diseased nervous system. Current projects include:
Functional charachterisation of the synaptic actin cytoskeleton in Alzheimer's disease
Develop actin cytoskeleton targeting therapies for neurodegenerative diseases
Deciphering the functional role of the actin cytoskeleton in neuronal morphogenesis
Education/Academic qualification
Data Science, Graduate Diploma in Data Science (Applied), The University of Adelaide
2021 → 2022
Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, Graduate Certificate of University Learning and Teaching, The University of New South Wales
1 Jul 2014 → 1 Jun 2016
Neurobiology, PhD, Heidelberg University
1998 → 2002
Neurobiology, Diplom (BSc), Heidelberg University
1998
Medical Biochemistry, University of Wales
1 Sep 1996 → 1 Aug 1997
External positions
Chair, 'Cell Architecture' Special Interest Group, Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
2018 → …
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Unravelling the molecular mechanism of tau spread in Alzheimer's disease
Fath, T., Van Eersel, J., Przybyla, M. & Ittner, L.
1/01/21 → 31/12/24
Project: Research
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Novel mechanisms of neurodegeneration induced by dysfunctional actin dynamics in MND
10/02/20 → 9/02/21
Project: Research
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NBR: Defining the spatial and temporal regulation of neurite branching
Fath, T., Gunning, P., Brandt, R., Klotzsch, E., Karl, T. & Delerue, F.
18/12/18 → 17/12/21
Project: Other
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Restoring Neuroprotective Sphingosine 1-phosphate Signalling in Alzheimer's Disease
Don, A., Fath, T. & Karl, T.
1/01/16 → 31/12/16
Project: Research
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Tau target identification reveals NSF-dependent effects on AMPA receptor trafficking and memory formation
Prikas, E., Paric, E., Asih, P. R., Stefanoska, K., Stefen, H., Fath, T., Poljak, A. & Ittner, A., 15 Sep 2022, In: EMBO Journal. 41, 18, p. 1-24 24 p., e10242.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
2 Citations (Scopus) -
Deletion of the actin-associated tropomyosin Tpm3 leads to reduced cell complexity in cultured hippocampal neurons: new insights into the role of the C-terminal region of Tpm3.1
Tomanic, T., Martin, C., Stefen, H., Paric, E., Gunning, P. & Fath, T., 23 Mar 2021, In: Cells. 10, 3, p. 1-21 21 p., 715.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile6 Citations (Scopus)34 Downloads (Pure) -
Overexpression of tropomyosin isoform tpm3.1 does not alter synaptic function in hippocampal neurons
Chaichim, C., Tomanic, T., Stefen, H., Paric, E., Gamaroff, L., Suchowerska, A. K., Gunning, P. W., Ke, Y. D., Fath, T. & Power, J., 1 Sep 2021, In: International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 22, 17, p. 1-16 16 p., 9303.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile33 Downloads (Pure) -
Rapid initiation of cell cycle reentry processes protects neurons from amyloid-β toxicity
Ippati, S., Deng, Y., Hoven, J. V. D., Heu, C., Hummel, A. V., Chua, S. W., Paric, E., Chan, G., Feiten, A., Fath, T., Ke, Y. D., Haass, N. K. & Ittner, L. M., 23 Mar 2021, In: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 118, 12, p. 1-9 9 p., e2011876118.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
12 Citations (Scopus) -
Syntaxins 6 and 8 facilitate tau into secretory pathways
Lee, W. S., Tan, D. C. S., Deng, Y., van Hummel, A., Ippati, S., Stevens, C., Carmona-Mora, P., Ariawan, D., Hou, L., Stefen, H., Tomanic, T., Bi, M., Tomasetig, F., Martin, A., Fath, T., Palmer, S., Ke, Y. D. & Ittner, L. M., 16 Apr 2021, In: Biochemical Journal. 478, 7, p. 1471–1484 14 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open AccessFile4 Citations (Scopus)8 Downloads (Pure)
Prizes
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Vice Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning
Fath, Thomas (Recipient), Dec 2015
Prize: Honorary award
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Joint meeting: 6th Cell Architecture in Development and Disease Symposium (CADD)AND 11th Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease Symposium (APD)
Thomas Fath (Organiser)
30 Nov 2017 → 1 Dec 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising a conference, workshop or event series
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37th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Australasian Neuroscience Society
Thomas Fath (Chair)
3 Dec 2017 → 6 Dec 2017Activity: Participating in or organising an event › Organising a conference, workshop or event series
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Molecular and Cellular Neuroscience (Journal)
Thomas Fath (Member of editorial board)
2017 → …Activity: Peer-review and editorial of research outputs › Editorial work
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Scientific Reports (Journal)
Thomas Fath (Member of editorial board)
2017 → …Activity: Peer-review and editorial of research outputs › Editorial work
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Brain Research Bulletin (Journal)
Thomas Fath (Member of editorial board)
2016 → …Activity: Peer-review and editorial of research outputs › Editorial work