Brain in a Dish

Brain disorders are a global health challenge, with many disorders still not having treatments that adequately cure them or halt their progression. It is acknowledged that astrocytes, the most abundant cell type present in the brain, are important in brain development and function. However, recent evidence suggests that astrocytes also play key roles in CNS disorders. In my talk, I’ll highlight what we currently know about the role that astrocytes play in brain disorders and how increasing our understanding of this may lead to the development of novel therapeutics.

Stroke is devastating. Without new interventions, stroke will continue to be single biggest cause of disability in adults. NHS annual costs of stroke are estimated to reach £10.2 billion by 2035 due to the ever-increasing ageing population. My goal is to help develop treatments that improve recovery after stroke. We have high hopes that stem cells will become a future therapy for stroke. We have created a new formulation of stem cells that overexpress oestrogen to improve stem cell function, aid brain repair and maximise functional recovery after stroke.

Lewy body dementia is the second most common neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's disease, but few people have heard of it! In this talk, we'll discuss what makes Lewy body dementia different, challenges studying it and ways that we are trying to solve these problems in the lab.