Sleep and Circadian Research

Sleep and Circadian Research

Sleep and Circadian Research Group

The Sleep and Circadian Research Group is focused on understanding the impact of sleep disorders on health and well-being, and developing new diagnostic and therapeutic pathways to improve sleep health. The Group’s work spans several key research areas including: Neurobiology, Neurodegeneration and Sleep; Insomnia and Behavioural Sleep Medicine; Chronic Respiratory Disease and Sleep; Cardiometabolic Diseases and Sleep; and Epidemiology and Clinical Trials. The Woolcock has a suite of state-of-the-art research facilities including high-density electroencephalography and the ‘Australian Centre for Chronobiology, Endocrinology and Sleep Sciences Laboratory’ – a sleep lab which can be operated in time isolation mode, with varying light intensity and light spectra and controlled noise exposure.

Current examples of some of the research studies include: An app-delivered sleep therapy for older individuals with insomnia; severe obstructive sleep apnea and changes in certain markers of dementia; effects of an orexin agonist in people with narcolepsy (with and without cataplexy) and idiopathic hypersomnia; a weight loss drug trial for excess weight in people with Diabetes Type 2 with or without obstructive sleep apnea; and investigating the brain’s waste management system in patients with severe OSA.

Click here to participate in current research studies.

CIRUS: The Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology

CIRUS, the Centre for Sleep and Chronobiology conducts patient-centred translational research across a broad spectrum of sleep disorders at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research, University of Sydney and at partner sites within Sydney, across Australia and internationally. 

CIRUS is a sophisticated network of organisations, clinical services, research leaders and facilities which conducts research in a range of areas through a multi-site collaborative approach, utilising the strengths of each partner. Its collective capacity and interdisciplinary methodology fosters new discoveries in science and medicine which are then translated to improved sleep healthcare.