A first mixer event bringing together researchers from across The MRC London Institute of Medical Sciences (LMS) and The Institute of Clinical Sciences (ICS) with the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) Centre at Imperial and the Department of Brain Sciences.
Following an introduction from Professor Petra Hajkova and our Centre Director Professor Paul Matthews, we heard a series of talks throughout the afternoon showcasing some of the most exciting current research at the institutes.
Speakers
Dr Raffaella Nativio (UK DRI)
'Epigenetic Pathways in Healthy Aging and Neurodegeneration'
View Dr Nativio's profile on the UK DRI website
Dr Mikhail Spivakov (LMS)
'The regulatory logic and variation of gene enhancers'
View Dr Mikhail Spivakov's professional web page
Dr Alexi Nott (UK DRI)
'Brain cell-type regulatory landscapes and associations with disease'
View Dr Nott's professional web page
Dr Andre Brown (LMS)
'Large scale computational ethology: disease models and phenotypic screens'
View Dr Brown's professional web page
Dr Swathi Sudhakar (LMS)
'How condensing compacts chromatinised DNA'
View Dr Sudhakar's Google Scholar page
Dr Sarah Marzi (UK DRI)
'Cell-type specific epigenetic regulation in Alzheimer's disease'
View Dr Marzi's professional web page
Dr Vicki Metzis (ICS)
'Regional identity in the nervous system'
View Dr Metzis' professional web page
Professor Simone Di Giovanni (Brain Sciences)
'Regenerative signalling after axonal injuries'
Event organisers
Dr Alexi Nott
E: a.nott@imperial.ac.uk
Prof Juanma Vaquerizas
E: j.vaquerizas@lms.mrc.ac.uk
Dr Vicki Metzis
E: v.metzis@lms.mrc.ac.uk
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.
