Enhancing stem cell-derived motor neuron function as a therapeutic approach in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis

Project Code MRCNMH25Ex Brown Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal neurodegenerative disease, for which there is currently no effective treatment. In this project, you will use human motor neurons…

Understanding the social brain circuits affected in neurodevelopmental disorders

Project Code MRCNMH25Ex Basson Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary The Kdm5b gene is linked to a number of neurodevelopmental disorders, including ADHD, autism, bipolar disorder and intellectual disability. Using a unique mouse model, we recently…

Biomarker discovery of inflammatory pathways linked to mood and autoimmune disorders

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca Szomolay Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary “Mood disorders (MDs), e.g. depression, affect over one billion people worldwide. MDs show a bidirectional relationship with systemicinflammation, a key component in the pathophysiology of autoimmune…

How does DNA damage and mitochondrial dysfunction contribute to Huntington’s disease?

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca Smith Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Huntington’s disease (HD) is an inherited disorder that causes specific neurons in the brain to die. HD patients develop uncontrollable movements as well as cognitive and…

AI-enhanced Quantitative MRI for Multi-Scale Multi-Modal Neuroscience

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca Slator Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary This project will develop advanced machine learning methods for medical imaging to non-invasively characterise brain tissue structure and function. The project focuses on quantitative MRI, which…

Enabling continuous, personalised stress quantification and management with a wearable system

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca Pham Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Nine in ten adults in the UK suffer from high or extreme stress in 2023. Stress-related disorders and burnout cost the UK economy more than £28…

Developing a new therapeutic strategy for brain cancers: getting therapeutics directly to the tumour

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca Newland Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Some brain cancers cannot be surgically removed, and many potent therapeutics cannot reach the tumour site. This project aims to overcome these hurdles by utilizing a…

Unravelling the Pharmacological Activation of PINK1, a Protein Kinase Mutated in Parkinson’s Disease

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca Mehellou Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary “Parkinson’s disease (PD) is the second most common neurological disease in the world. Current PD therapies and medical interventions are limited to addressing the symptoms of…

Using MRI, MEG, and machine learning to better classify severe mental illness

Project Code MRCNMH25Ca McNabb Research Theme Neuroscience & Mental Health Project Summary Download Summary Clinical diagnoses of severe mental illnesses currently rely solely on symptom report and poorly predict long-term outcomes. This PhD project aims to integrate information from brain…