Nadia Mitchell, PhD, is a neuroscientist at Lincoln University in New Zealand. She leads the Batten disease research group there, concentrating on gene therapies in naturally occurring CLN5 and CLN6 sheep models of NCL and their potential translatability to humans. Based on pre-clinical studies in sheep, a CLN5 gene therapy product was cleared as an investigational new drug by the FDA, prompting the first in-human Phase I/II CLN5 gene therapy clinical trial (https://clinicaltrials.gov/; NCT05228145). Nadia is thrilled to be on the organising committee for the upcoming International Batten disease congress in October 2025 and warmly welcomes Batten disease families, clinicians and researchers to Australasia.