Institute of Child Health

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Part of the Neurosciences and Mental Health theme

The Goals of the Neural Development Unit are -

To determine the fundamental mechanisms underlying embryonic development using the methods of experimental  embryology, cell biology, biochemistry, molecular biology and genetics

To gain a detailed knowledge of the chain of events, genetic, molecular, cellular and morphogenetic that underlie clinically important birth defects using animal models

To use these sources of information to develop novel therapies for preventing or curing birth defects. Existing links with Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust, enable rapid transfer of basic science findings to the paediatric environment.

The Unit has around thirty five researchers, organised into closely integrated teams

Neural Tube Development - Professor Andrew Copp & Dr Nick Greene

Spinal Cord Neurogenesis and Neural Cancer - Dr Andrew Stoker

Midline Defects - Dr Philip Stanier

Enteric Nervous System Development and Repair - Dr Alan Burns

Enteric Neural Stem Cells - Dr Nikhil Thapar

Forebrain and Pituitary development - Dr Juan Pedro Martinez-Barbera

Stem Cells and the Origins of Childhood Brain Diseases - Dr Thomas Jacques

Craniofacial Biology - Dr Erwin Pauws

The Unit also -

Runs an ES cell/chimera production platform

Runs the London branch of the Human Developmental Biology Resource (HDBR)

Runs the PONTI Study for the prevention of spina bifida by inositol

Has key expertise in areas such as proteomics and stem cell biology