Experimental Neuroinflammation
Laboratory of Prof. Kenneth Smith, Department of Neuroinflammation, UCL Institute of Neurology
Pre-clinical Research
We pursue a range of projects aimed at understanding the fundamental disease mechanisms in MS so that new and better medicines can be identified, and developed to make them ready for testing in clinical trials. Several such trials directly based on our research are already underway.
Some of our research builds on our finding that cells in the inflamed brain and spinal cord can suffer from an insufficient supply of oxygen to maintain their normal function. The oxygen is combined with glucose to make energy, and we believe that an inadequate supply of cellular energy can help to explain many of the features of MS, including the inflammation, demyelination and degeneration. The oxygen and glucose are supplied by the blood, and some of our research projects are therefore focused on the blood supply.
Within the cells, the oxygen and glucose are turned into energy mainly in small particles called mitochondria. Although mitochondria are minute, they are very complex – indeed they have their own DNA and life cycle, right inside all of the individual cells that make up the brain. Several of our research projects are therefore focused on mitochondria. Other projects examine the cells that produce the insulation (myelin) for nerve fibres – these cells are damaged in MS, resulting in the demyelination that causes so many of the symptoms.
A number of different techniques are employed in our research, including mitochondrial imaging and mobility analysis, electrophysiology, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), immunohistochemistry, and confocal and electron microscopy.
Page updated 12-03-2020.