Rebekah Munro

The food and agriculture industries are primary generators of biomass byproducts. With the vast majority of these byproducts currently being directed into landfill or to low-value applications, identifying valuable applications of this waste biomass is of both environmental and economic advantage. 

My research investigates the alternative use of these biomass waste streams as sources of bioactive compounds for therapeutic applications.  Specifically, my project involves the isolation, characterisation, and screening of bioactive molecules from brewer's spent grain - the principal byproduct of beer production - as inhibitors of protein aggregation in neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's and MND. This aims to identify lead targets for the development of much-needed therapeutics to halt disease progression and improve patient outcomes.