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Information on research conducted by our Consultant Neurosurgeons.
Brain Surgery with Robotics, Artificial Intelligence and Neuronavigation (BRAIN)
The BRAIN lab is an interdisciplinary collaboration between surgeons at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and engineers at the Wellcome ESPRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences (WEISS). Our aim is to develop and apply novel technology to make neurosurgery safer and more effective for patients, simpler for surgeons, and more efficient for healthcare systems, including those in resource-limited settings.
Visit the BRAIN lab page.
Neural Circuits for Movement
In many neurological diseases, quality of life is impaired due to disruptions to normal movement. The Neural Circuits for Movement lab investigate how normal movement is produced by neural circuits, and how disruption to these circuits in disease impairs movement. Our goal is to lay foundations for new strategies aimed at improving movement in people with neurological diseases.
Visit the Neural Circuits for Movement lab page.
Molecular Neurobiology of Glioblastoma
Glioblastoma, the most common and aggressive type of adult brain tumour, also contains subpopulations of cancer cells with neural stem cell properties, termed glioma stem cells or GSCs. GSCs drive tumour growth, give rise to more differentiated tumour bulk cells and underlie resistance to therapy. Increasing evidence suggests that GSCs promote tumourigenesis by hijacking the transcriptional and signalling networks that control normal neurogenesis. Studying stem cell biology and its links to GSC malignancy will therefore increase understanding of this devastating disease and lead to the development of more effective therapeutic strategies.
We aim to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that control glioma cell behaviour including tumour initiation, growth, spread, and treatment resistance. To address these questions, the group use a combination of experimental approaches, including cell biology, gene editing, proteomics, high throughput sequencing and advanced intravital microscopy in mouse models and patient-derived cells.
Visit the Samantha Dickson Brain Cancer Unit lab page.
Roles of Pericytes and Neighbouring Cells in Ischaemia and Dementia
By collaborating with basic neuroscientists, we as a team are helping to reveal important roles for capillary pericytes in causing reductions of cerebral blood flow in human ischaemia and dementia.
Visit the Roles of Pericytes and Neighbouring Cells in Ischaemia and Dementia lab page.
