On 14 November 2025, Professor Simon Lewis (www.profsimonlewis.com) was interviewed by Associate Professor Cara Hildreth as part of Macquarie University’s Giving Minds a Future presentation series. During the discussion, Professor Lewis provided an accessible yet insightful overview of the major challenges posed by neurodegenerative diseases, emphasising that traditional diagnostic labels often obscure shared biological mechanisms. He highlighted the importance of focusing on cellular and molecular pathways, alongside genetic risk factors, that cut across diseases such as Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, and related disorders, giving rise to distinct clinical phenotypes.

Professor Lewis outlined how this pathway-based understanding is directly informing novel disease-modifying clinical trial designs discussing ongoing and planned trials that integrate biomarkers, genetics, and precision medicine approaches aiming to identify those most likely to benefit from targeted interventions at earlier disease stages.

A key theme of the presentation was the need to break down traditional silos, both between research groups and across clinical and basic science disciplines, to accelerate translation from discovery to patient benefit. Professor Lewis also underscored the critical role of caregivers and the wider community, calling for active partnership, advocacy, and engagement to drive sustained investment and progress in neurodegeneration research.