School of Medical and Health Sciences

Professor Ralph Martins AO

Ralph is the Foundation Chair in Aging and Alzheimer's Disease within the School of Medical and Health Sciences.

Background

Professor Ralph Martins, Foundation Chair in Aging and Alzheimer’s Disease at Edith Cowan University, was appointed the Director of the Centre.  Ralph Martins graduated from University of Western Australia with a PhD in 1986. In 1987 he won a scholarship to Heidelberg University to work with Konrad Beyreuther. His collaborative seminal research involved isolating and characterising beta-amyloid and its precursor, the amyloid precursor protein (APP), which are now recognized as central to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

He was the first to propose and demonstrate that the Alzheimer brain was under oxidative stress, which is now widely recognized by the Alzheimer research community. In 1989 he joined Professor Masters at Melbourne University where he was the first to isolate and characterize the molecular components of the neuropathological hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease. This led to an international patent and formation of a spin-off company, Alzhyme Pty Ltd. In 2001 he won a Media Fellowship with the ABC and was the first Media Fellow to have his work on the Science Show. In 2002 he won a Biotechnology Innovation Fund grant, which was matched by commercial funding. He established the Sir James McCusker Alzheimer’s Research Unit at Hollywood Hospital, whose research is directed at the cause(s), and development of diagnostics and treatments. He received the UWA "Excellence in Teaching Award - Post Graduate Research" for 2002 and in 2003 was appointed Senior Editor, for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and Editorial Board Member for Current Drug Targets CNS & Neurological Disease.

Edith Cowan University appointed him to the Inaugural Chair, Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease in 2004. He has Adjunct Professorial positions and close ties with clinical academics with both the University of Western Australia and Thomas Jefferson University’s Farber Neurosciences Institute. He is instigator and director of the state government funded Centre of Excellence for Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Care composed of researchers from 4 universities, 3 hospitals and 2 healthcare providers.

• 2004-2006: Professor – Inaugural Chair, Ageing and Alzheimer’s Disease, Edith Cowan University, Western Australia
• 2004: Adjunct Professor School of Psychiatry & Clinical Neurosciences,University of Western Australia, Adjunct Professor, School of Biomedical Science
  Curtin University of Technology
• 2001-2002: Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neurogenetics,University of Western Australia, Hollywood Private Hospital, Western Australia
• 2001-2004: Professor on Staff, Research Centre and Community Services,Universitas Peila Harapan, Karawaci, Tangerang, Indonesia
• 1998-2003: Adjunct Associate Professor, School of Biomedical Science,Curtin University
• 1997-2001: Senior Research Fellow in Surgery, Hollywood Private Hospital, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia
• 1997-1998:Adjunct Teaching Fellow, Curtin University, Western Australia
• 1990-1997: Research Fellow in Surgery, Hollywood Private Hospital, University of Western Australia, Nedlands, Perth, Western Australia
• 1989: Senior Research Officer, Department of Pathology, University of Melbourne
• 1984-1988: Research Scientist, Department of Pathology, University of Western Australia
• 1983-1988: Permanent Part-time Clinical Biochemist, Department of Pathology, King Edward Memorial Hospital for Women
• 1980-1984: Tutor of 2nd and 3rd year   medical students in Biochemistry at the University of Western Australia
• 1979-1983: Demonstrator of 2nd year Biochemistry

Professional Memberships

• 1980-1997; 2000-2004: Australian Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
• 1982-1997: Australian Society for Medical Research
• 1984-2002: Australian Neuroscience Society
• 1984-1991: Australian Nutrition Foundation
• 1991-2002: Surgical Research Society of Australasia
• 1991-2004: Australian Association of Gerontology (WA)
• 1992-2004: Alzheimer’s Association (WA)
• 1996-2004: Society of Neuroscience (USA)
• 2000-2004: The Australian Menopause Society
• 2002-2004: Human Genetics Society of Australia
• 2003-2004: European Society of Human Genetics Dementia & Neurodegenerative DISeases Group (DANDIS)

Research Areas and Interests

Ralph's current research interests are focused on understanding the mechanisms and factor(s) leading to the abnormal release and deposition of βA4 in Alzheimer's disease.