Thushara Perera
An editor has nominated this article for deletion. You are welcome to participate in the deletion discussion, which will decide whether or not to retain it. |
Thushara Perera | |
---|---|
Nationality | Sri Lankan |
Citizenship | Australian |
Alma mater | La Trobe University |
Known for | The invention of medical devices to quantify symptoms of Parkinson's disease |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Neurology, Neurosurgery, Deep Brain Stimulation, Movement Disorders, Parkinson's disease |
Institutions | Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies, Bionics Institute, Royal Children's Hospital |
Thesis | Measurement of brain activation in anaesthetised children using near-infrared spectroscopy (2013) |
Thushara Perera is an Australian engineer and data scientist at Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies, P. L., and a honorary research fellow at the University of Melbourne.[1][2] He has contributed to a wide range of medical specialities including neurology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, audiology, anaesthesia, and paediatrics.[3]
Education
[edit]- Doctor of Philosophy, La Trobe University (2013)[4]
- Master of Biomedical Engineering, La Trobe University (2008)[5]
- Bachelor of Electronic Engineering (Honours), La Trobe University (2006)[5]
Work
[edit]In 2009, Perera redesigned an ageing free-field audiometer for the Royal Children's Hospital. This audiometer used common sound effects as stimuli instead of the conventional pure or warble tones. Perera was responsible for implementing real-time audio filtering and automating the device calibration.[6]
Perera joined the Bionics Institute in 2012 and developed software for a visual prosthesis (Bionic Eye) manufactured for clinical trials by Bionic Vision Australia.[7][8][9] Three people with vision loss had the prosthesis implanted and the software was successfully used to collect information about the perception of electrically-stimulated vision.[8][10]
Perera's focus then shifted to movement disorders research with an emphasis on quantifying symptoms of Parkinson's disease. He has devised techniques to measure tremor[11], bradykinesia[12], postural instability[13], gait freezing[14], and rigidity[15]. Often, these techniques rely on commercially available motion tracking systems such as the Leap Motion controller. Perera's invention[16] of the electromechanical palm-worn rigidity instrument (BiRD) was able to distinguish between people with and without Parkinson's disease giving it potential diagnostic utility.[17][18]
Under the direction of Professor Hugh McDermott, Perera contributed towards the discovery of Evoked Resonant Neural Activity (ERNA) in 2018.[19][20][21] Recorded from deep brain stimulation electrodes, ERNA has potential applications in neurosurgical guidance and optimisation of postoperative treatment.[22] Perera's specific contribution was the analysis of neuroimaging data to determine the precise location of implanted electrodes with respect to neural structures.[23][24]
Published works
[edit]As of 11 September 2024, Perera has authored or co-authored 30 peer-reviewed journal articles indexed by PubMed.[3] A selection of notable works are tabulated below.
Title | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
Balance control systems in Parkinson’s disease and the impact of pedunculopontine area stimulation[25] | Journal Article | Explores the application of mathematical control models (intermittent and continuous) to quantify balance impairment of people with Parkinson's disease. The significance of this article to the field was highlighted in a prefacing scientific commentary.[26] |
Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation, Chapter 5. DBS imaging methods I: Preprocessing[27] | Book Chapter | This invited contribution to a neuroscience book examines image processing techniques applicable to MRI and CT brain scans to ensure accurate localisation of deep brain stimulation electrodes relative to surrounding anatomy.[28] |
Lead-DBS v2: Towards a comprehensive pipeline for deep brain stimulation imaging[29] | Journal Article | Describes the features of the open-source neuroimaging analysis software Lead-DBS. The article is the culmination of a multi-institutional collaborative effort to develop software to aid deep brain stimulation research. |
An Ambulatory Tremor Score for Parkinson's Disease[30] | Journal Article | Outlines a method to detect hand tremor and its severity from a wristwatch-like wearable device while people with Parkinson's disease perform unrestricted activities of daily living. The wearable device was commercialised by Global Kinetics Corporation and sold as the Personal KinetiGraph (PKG).[31] |
Recognition
[edit]- 2004 recipient of the Wanda Henry Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship, La Trobe University[9]
- 2004-2006 named on the Dean's Honours List (students with an average overall grade of 80% or greater during the year), La Trobe University[9]
- 2007 recipient of the Best Poster Presentation Prize at the Hooper Memorial Research Presentations, La Trobe University[9]
- 2008 recipient of the Tad Szental Prize in Electronic Engineering (awarded to the overall best electronic engineering graduate), La Trobe University[9]
- 2009 recipient of the Australian Postgraduate Awards ($20,427 p.a. for 3 years)[9]
- 2015 recipient of the Harold Mitchell Travelling Fellowship[32]
- 2016 recipient of a Victoria Fellowship in Life Sciences ($18,000)[33][34]
- 2017 recipient of the Leadership in Innovation & Research Translation award, Sri Lankan Study Centre for the Advancement of Technology & Social Welfare[32]
- 2017 finalist for the Emerging Health Researcher Award ($5,000), Bupa Health Foundation[35][36]
- 2019 named AMP Tomorrow Maker ($50,000), AMP’s Tomorrow Fund[37]
References
[edit]- ^ "DBS Tech". Deep Brain Stimulation Technologies Pty. Ltd. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ "Dr Thushara Perera: Find an Expert". The University of Melbourne. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Thushara Perera: PubMed". NIH National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 10 September 2024.
- ^ Perera, Thushara (19 January 2023). Measurement of brain activation in anaesthetised children using near-infrared spectroscopy. Open at La Trobe (Thesis). doi:10.26181/21845688.v1. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
{{cite thesis}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b Richardson, Paul (11 February 2009). "Award of Degrees and Diplomas" (PDF). La Trobe University Academic Board. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Perera, Thushara; Taunton, Peter; Poulis, Christine (12 November 2009). "Engineering and Physical Sciences in Medicine & the Australian Biomedical Engineering College Conference" (PDF). Epsm-Abec 2009. 33: 77. doi:10.1007/s13246-010-0012-x – via Springer.
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Dr Thushara Perera". Bionics Institute. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Bionic Vision Australia Annual Report 2012". Issuu. 16 October 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Peppard, Richard (28 February 2014). "Biographical Sketch: Thushara Perera" (PDF). International Essential Tremor Foundation. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Sinclair, Nicholas C.; Shivdasani, Mohit N.; Perera, Thushara; Gillespie, Lisa N.; McDermott, Hugh J.; Ayton, Lauren N.; Blamey, Peter J.; Bionic Vision Australia Consortium (1 September 2016). "The Appearance of Phosphenes Elicited Using a Suprachoroidal Retinal Prosthesis". Investigative Ophthalmology & Visual Science. 57 (11): 4948–4961. doi:10.1167/iovs.15-18991. ISSN 1552-5783. PMID 27654422.
- ^ Perera, Thushara; Yohanandan, Shivanthan A. C.; Thevathasan, Wesley; Jones, Mary; Peppard, Richard; Evans, Andrew H.; Tan, Joy L.; McKay, Colette M.; McDermott, Hugh J. (September 2016). "Clinical validation of a precision electromagnetic tremor measurement system in participants receiving deep brain stimulation for essential tremor". Physiological Measurement. 37 (9): 1516–1527. Bibcode:2016PhyM...37.1516P. doi:10.1088/0967-3334/37/9/1516. ISSN 1361-6579. PMID 27511464.
- ^ Lee, Wee Lih; Sinclair, Nicholas C.; Jones, Mary; Tan, Joy L.; Proud, Elizabeth L.; Peppard, Richard; McDermott, Hugh J.; Perera, Thushara (1 February 2019). "Objective evaluation of bradykinesia in Parkinson's disease using an inexpensive marker-less motion tracking system". Physiological Measurement. 40 (1): 014004. Bibcode:2019PhyM...40a4004L. doi:10.1088/1361-6579/aafef2. ISSN 1361-6579. PMID 30650391.
- ^ JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) (23 February 2023). Instrumented Pull Test To Characterize Postural Responses l Protocol Preview. Retrieved 10 September 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Improving walking disorders in Parkinson's patients using cueing". Brain Foundation. 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Perera, Thushara; Lee, Wee-Lih; Jones, Mary; Tan, Joy L.; Proud, Elizabeth L.; Begg, Angus; Sinclair, Nicholas C.; Peppard, Richard; McDermott, Hugh J. (1 April 2019). "A palm-worn device to quantify rigidity in Parkinson's disease". Journal of Neuroscience Methods. 317: 113–120. doi:10.1016/j.jneumeth.2019.02.006. ISSN 1872-678X. PMID 30776378.
- ^ EP3787501A1, Perera, Thushara; Sinclair, Nicholas & Begg, David Angus, "Systems and methods for characterisation of joints", issued 2021-03-10
- ^ "Giving Parkinson's 'The Bird'". www.9news.com.au. 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Coxworth, Ben (10 April 2019). "Motorized finger-bender designed to detect Parkinson's disease". New Atlas. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ O'Connell, Brigid (5 May 2018). "Parkinson's surgery fears put to rest". Herald Sun. pp. 6–7. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Perera, Thushara [@tpbionic] (5 May 2018). "Our work has been featured @theheraldsun many thanks to @BrigidOConnell and Geoff Wilkinson" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 September 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ US11278726B2, SINCLAIR, Nicholas; McDermott, Hugh & Fallon, James et al., "Systems and methods for monitoring neural activity", issued 2022-03-22
- ^ Sinclair, Nicholas C.; McDermott, Hugh J.; Lee, Wee-Lih; Xu, San San; Acevedo, Nicola; Begg, Angus; Perera, Thushara; Thevathasan, Wesley; Bulluss, Kristian J. (1 August 2022). "Electrically evoked and spontaneous neural activity in the subthalamic nucleus under general anesthesia". Journal of Neurosurgery. 137 (2): 449–458. doi:10.3171/2021.8.JNS204225. ISSN 1933-0693. PMID 34891136.
- ^ Tonroe, Thomas; McDermott, Hugh; Pearce, Patrick; Acevedo, Nicola; Thevathasan, Wesley; Xu, San San; Bulluss, Kristian; Perera, Thushara (2023). "Anatomical targeting for electrode localization in subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation: A comparative study". Journal of Neuroimaging: Official Journal of the American Society of Neuroimaging. 33 (5): 792–801. doi:10.1111/jon.13133. ISSN 1552-6569. PMC 10946722. PMID 37288952.
- ^ Begg, Angus; Louey, Melissa G. Y.; Pearce, Patrick; Bulluss, Kristian; Thevathasan, Wesley; McDermott, Hugh J.; Perera, Thushara (July 2023). "Evaluation of the PaCER Algorithm for Postoperative Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation Electrode Localization *". 2023 45th Annual International Conference of the IEEE Engineering in Medicine & Biology Society (EMBC). Vol. 2023. pp. 1–4. doi:10.1109/EMBC40787.2023.10340555. ISBN 979-8-3503-2447-1. ISSN 2694-0604. PMID 38083396.
- ^ Perera, Thushara; Tan, Joy L.; Cole, Michael H.; Yohanandan, Shivy A. C.; Silberstein, Paul; Cook, Raymond; Peppard, Richard; Aziz, Tipu; Coyne, Terry; Brown, Peter; Silburn, Peter A.; Thevathasan, Wesley (1 October 2018). "Balance control systems in Parkinson's disease and the impact of pedunculopontine area stimulation". Brain: A Journal of Neurology. 141 (10): 3009–3022. doi:10.1093/brain/awy216. ISSN 1460-2156. PMC 6158752. PMID 30165427.
- ^ Xiang, Min; Glasauer, Stefan; Seemungal, Barry M. (1 October 2018). "Quantitative postural models as biomarkers of balance in Parkinson's disease". Brain: A Journal of Neurology. 141 (10): 2824–2827. doi:10.1093/brain/awy250. ISSN 1460-2156. PMC 6158586. PMID 31367748.
- ^ Horn, Andreas (10 September 2021). Connectomic Deep Brain Stimulation. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-821862-4.
- ^ Perera, Thushara [@tpbionic] (16 March 2021). "Huge thanks to @andreashorn_ for driving this forward. It was my pleasure to contribute a chapter" (Tweet). Retrieved 11 September 2024 – via Twitter.
- ^ Horn, Andreas; Li, Ningfei; Dembek, Till A; Kappel, Ari; Boulay, Chadwick; Ewert, Siobhan; Tietze, Anna; Husch, Andreas; Perera, Thushara; Neumann, Wolf-Julian; Reisert, Marco; Si, Hang; Oostenveld, Robert; Rorden, Christopher; Yeh, Fang-Cheng (1 January 2019). "Lead-DBS v2: Towards a comprehensive pipeline for deep brain stimulation imaging". NeuroImage. 184: 293–316. doi:10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.08.068. ISSN 1053-8119. PMC 6286150. PMID 30179717.
- ^ Braybrook, Michelle; O'Connor, Sam; Churchward, Philip; Perera, Thushara; Farzanehfar, Parisa; Horne, Malcolm (19 October 2016). "An Ambulatory Tremor Score for Parkinson's Disease". Journal of Parkinson's Disease. 6 (4): 723–731. doi:10.3233/JPD-160898. ISSN 1877-718X. PMID 27589540.
- ^ "Clinical Evidence". PKG Health. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b Perera, Thushara. "Thushara Perera". LinkedIn. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Victoria Prize for Science & Innovation" (PDF). veski Victoria State Government. 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Victoria's Top Scientists Honoured". Premier of Victoria. 29 November 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Crush, Stephanie (14 February 2018). "Bupa Health Foundation recognises future leaders in health and medical research". Bupa. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ Crush, Stephanie (17 March 2018). "Researcher focused on reducing the threat of antibiotic resistance wins Bupa Health Foundation Award". Bupa. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ "Thushara Perera". AMP Foundation. 2019. Retrieved 11 September 2024.