Astrocytes (s100b marker). Credit: Daniel Clode, Senior Research Technician
iPSC (SSEA4, OCT4 markers). Credit: Daniel Clode, Senior Research Technician
iPSC specialist
Daniel Clode
Senior Research Technician
We have an ever-expanding iPSC division at the centre with a number of groups working to grow that potential. Collectively we have over 15 years of iPSC experience across staff and students, with a collaborative environment that ensures anyone starting up iPSC work has protocols and training available to maintain high-quality cultures. We specialise in differentiations of cell types within the brain, establishing fully defined protocols for cortical neurons, astrocytes, microglia, pericytes and brain endothelial cells. Utilising them for assays, sequencing and creating more complex cell culture systems.
How temperature and circadian rhythms intersect to regulate a protein shown to protect against neurodegeneration
A new study led by Dr Marco Brancaccio (UK DRI at Imperial) and Dr Marieke Hoekstra (former UK DRI at Imperial, now VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research) offers a deeper insight into how a neuroprotective pathway is regulated both by temperature and the body clock. This research, published in the journal PNAS, could open up new therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative disease. Read more on the UK DRI website
Introducing Cynthia Sandor: Pioneering earlier detection of Parkinson’s
Dr Cynthia Sandor, former Emerging Leader at the UK DRI at Cardiff, joins the UK DRI at Imperial as a Group Leader, where she will be tackling early diagnosis of Parkinson’s.
With a background in genetics, Dr Sandor uses computational methods to bring greater understanding to the underlying molecular mechanisms of Parkinson’s. Read more about Cynthia's work on the UK DRI website.
