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James N. Sleigh, Lab Head
James received his undergraduate Masters in Biology (MBiol) from the University of Bath (2005-09), which included a year at Harvard Medical School (2007-08) researching spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). He then completed his MRC-funded DPhil at the University of Oxford (2009-12) with Prof. Kevin Talbot, extending his work on SMA and motor neuron biology. From 2012-14, he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Zameel Cader focusing on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). This CMT work was further developed through a Wellcome Trust-funded Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014-18), conducted at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology under the mentorship of Prof. Giampietro Schiavo. Funded by a Career Development Award from the MRC (2019-24), James is now a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, leading a small team of excellent scientists.
David Villarroel-Campos, Postdoctoral Scientist
David arrived in London in 2015 from the Strait of Magellan via Santiago. He then gained his MSc in neuromuscular diseases, followed by his PhD, working on the molecular mechanisms underlying motor neuron disease pathology. David is currently a post-doctoral scientist in the Sleigh Lab at UCL IoN, developing and testing gene therapies for Charcot-Marie-Tooth 2D.
Ellie Rhymes, Postdoctoral Scientist
Ellie graduated with a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Southampton, then received her MSc in Dementia Neuroscience from UCL. She completed her PhD with Prof. Giampietro Schiavo, investigating the interaction between growth factor signalling and axonal transport deficits in ALS. Ellie is currently a postdoctoral scientist in the Sleigh Lab, testing gene therapies in several mouse models of CMT.
Qiuhan Lang, PhD Student
Qiuhan studied at Nankai University, China from 2016 to 2020 and graduated with a BSc in Biological Science. Interested in axonal transport, anatomical dissections and in vivo imaging, she is now pursuing a PhD focusing on the axonal transport of mitochondria in CMT under the co-supervision of James Sleigh and Giampietro Schiavo.
Ji Qu, MSc Student
Ji graduated from the University of Melbourne with a B-BMED Bachelor of Biomedicine (Neuroscience), completing a research project investigating retinal vascular biology and inflammation. Currently, Ji is studying for an MSc in Clinical Neuroscience at UCL IoN, working in the Sleigh Lab on the motor and sensory nervous systems of mice modelling genetic neuropathy.
Former Members
- Léa Cohen
Léa Cohen, MSc Student
2021-2022
Léa completed her MSc research project in the Sleigh Lab, where she assessed the effectiveness of a novel gene therapy in mice modelling amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. As part of the Dual Master in Brain and Mind Sciences, she is now doing a second year of Master at Sorbonne Université in Paris.
- Rebecca Simkin
Rebecca Simkin, MRes Student
2020-2021
Rebecca studied at the University of Bristol from September 2017 and graduated in July 2020 receiving a BSc (Hons) in Pharmacology. Her undergraduate laboratory project involved characterising the pharmacological properties of elinogrel, AZD-1283 and PSB-0739 using an overexpression model of the P2Y12 receptor in HEK293T cells. Currently, Rebecca is studying for an MRes in Translational Neuroscience at UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and has joined the Sleigh Laboratory for the research component of her studies. This exciting project focuses on exploring common pathomechanisms underlying CMT using several different neuropathy models. Rebecca discovered a range of new hobbies during lockdown including baking, HIITs with Joe Wicks and walking. Her greatest achievement this year is completing the 2020 Virtual Virgin Money London Marathon to raise funds for both VICTA and Breast Cancer Now.
- Jose (Jobert) Vargas
Jose (Jobert) Vargas, Postdoctoral Scientist
2020-2021
Jobert completed a short postdoctoral project in the Sleigh Lab working on organelle transport in human axons. He is now in the laboratory of Giampietro Schiavo working to understand the molecular underpinnings of organelle transport in axons. In particular, Jobert is exploring the regulation of the dynein motor complex and exactly how specific metabolic signalling pathways affect the function of dynein within axons.
- Tahmina Aktar
Tahmina Aktar, MRes Student
2019-2020
Tahmina completed her MRes laboratory project in the Sleigh Lab, studying neurotrophic signalling in CMT. After her MRes, she started a PhD at the UCL Institute of Child Health investigating renal lymphatics in diabetic kidney disease. Her research focuses on trying to understand how lymphangiogenesis and associated inflammation develops in diabetic kidney disease using a novel mouse model of the condition.
- Aleksandra Mech
Aleksandra Mech, MSc Student
2018-2019
Aleksandra studied the structure of the NMJ for her MSc laboratory project, and then started her PhD in Genetics of Addiction at Queen Mary University of London. She is now using genetic and developmental analyses of zebrafish to identify novel alleles and molecular mechanisms contributing to drug-seeking and impulse control - core behaviours predictive of vulnerability to drug addiction. Aleksandra is also performing human genetic analysis that will allow her to link her zebrafish findings to human studies. She hopes to be able to identify shared genetic loci affecting both addiction and hypomania.
- Yuxin Zhang
Yuxin Zhang, Undergraduate Student
2018
As an undergraduate at Imperial College London, Yuxin completed a summer project in the Sleigh Lab, studying sensory pathology in mouse models of CMT and ALS. She then completed her BSc degree in 'Biology with a Year in Research' specialising in neuroscience and systems biology. For her undergraduate thesis, she studied snout morphology and feeding ecology of extant crocodilians with Dr. Arkhat Abzhanov. Shortly after graduating in 2019, Yuxin joined the laboratory of Andreas Schaefer at the Francis Crick Institute as a PhD student, where she is studying neural circuits in mouse olfactory bulb using calcium imaging and electron microscopy.