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Musician also a brilliant scientist despite deafness
The 24-year old from Oxford University has recently joined the Howard Florey Institute on an Australian Bicentennial Scholarship after working with the Institute’s expert on Huntington’s disease in the UK. While Helen’s ambition to help find a cure for Huntington’s disease occupies the majority of her time, she is also an accomplished clarinet and piano player, and has played in three orchestras, as well as establishing the Magdalen College Chamber Music Society at Oxford University. Helen believes her deafness should never stop her from doing anything and sees her disability as an advantage rather than a disadvantage. “Some people find it fascinating when they hear I play the clarinet and piano, and quite often people don’t realise how deaf I actually am,” Helen said. “I have played the clarinet for 15 years and the piano for 19 years, although I prefer the clarinet as all of its notes are in the range that I can hear with the help of my hearing aids and I only have to listen to one note at a time, which makes learning pieces a lot easier. “Music has always been part of my life and I grew up playing the clarinet and piano with my brother, who is now the Principal Organist at Kings College in Cambridge,” she said. Helen thanks her speech therapist for her almost perfect speech, as she said her profound deafness would lead most therapists to only consider teaching her sign language. “As a deaf person, being able to speak has certainly opened up more opportunities for me and I never let my disability stop me from doing anything,” she said. “I have studied medicine and am now doing research for my PhD in Physiology at the Howard Florey Institute, and once that is completed, I will go to Cambridge University for clinical training. Helen’s interest in Huntington’s disease and the brain began when she was 12-years old and a school friend was diagnosed with the disease. That year, Helen and her classmates helped raise money for research into the disease. “I have always been interested in the brain as it controls all our functions, but it is still the part of the body we know the least about,” Helen said. “Huntington’s disease, which affects the brain, still has so much mystery surrounding it and extensive research is required to develop treatments and hopefully, one day, a cure. “Whilst at Oxford University, I met The Florey’s Dr Tony Hannan, and his work into Huntington’s disease inspired me to apply for the Bicentennial Scholarship and follow him back to Australia,” she said. During her time at the Howard Florey Institute, Helen will investigate how the provision of a stimulating environment alters the course of Huntington’s disease. This research should help the Florey’s scientists move towards functional analysis of specific molecular changes in Huntington’s disease pathogenesis, which is a crucial step in developing new drug treatments for this devastating disease. Helen said she has been very impressed by the Howard Florey Institute’s emphasis on collaboration and encouragement of its students. “The Florey scientists encourage us to excel, as opposed to just completing the basic requirements of a PhD,” Helen said. “It is refreshing to work in an environment where scientific results are shared amongst different departments to help solve the mysteries of the brain,” she added. Huntington's disease is an inherited disease of the brain that affects the nervous system and inevitably leads to death. The most common symptom is jerky movements of the arms and legs, known as 'chorea'. Chorea usually starts as mild twitching and gradually increases over the years. A person with Huntington’s disease may also have difficulties with speech, swallowing and concentration. There is no cure.
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Being profoundly deaf since birth has not stopped Helen Grote from becoming an accomplished musician and travelling to Australia to investigate Huntington’s disease at the country’s leading neuroscience research institute.