Translational research addressing major challenges in neuroscience
Research in the Division of Neuroscience addresses mechanisms that underpin nervous system functions and diseases. Investigators in the Division are exploring these through combinations of neurophysiological, anatomical, molecular, cellular and computational approaches, using pre-clinical models and in clinical studies.
The integration of research groups of the UK DRI Centre at Imperial into the Division, as well as close collaborations with investigators who are part of the Division of Clinical Neurology, reflects the commitment of the Division of Neuroscience to combine mechanistic with translational research. Disease areas that currently are the focus for these more fundamental mechanistic investigations include Alzheimer’s disease and other late-life dementias, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, glioblastomas, neurodevelopmental disorders and nerve and spinal cord injury.
Research areas and groups include:
- Neuronal circuitry and its plasticity in health and disease
- Cellular clocks in the brain
- Mitochondria neurobiology
- Neurodevelopmental biology
- Molecular and epigenetic mechanisms of ageing and neurodegeneration
- Molecular and cellular mechanisms of neuroinflammation
- Regenerative mechanisms in nerve and spinal cord injuries
- Neuro-oncology
- Gene therapy for brain diseases
- Bioinformatics for neurobiology
- Brain Tumour Research Centre
Research leads
Professor Stephen Gentleman
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Professor Stephen Gentleman
Head of Division and Professor of Neuropathology
Dr Kambiz Alavian
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Dr Kambiz Alavian
Reader in Neuroscience
Dr Samuel Barnes
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Dr Samuel Barnes
Senior Lecturer in Neural Plasticity
Dr Marco Brancaccio
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Dr Marco Brancaccio
Lecturer in Dementia Research and UK DRI Group Leader
Dr Vincenzo De Paola
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Dr Vincenzo De Paola
Reader in Translational Neuroscience
Professor Simone di Giovanni
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Professor Simone di Giovanni
James W Harnett Chair in Restorative Neuroscience
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Professor Vasso Episkopou
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Professor Vasso Episkopou
Emeritus Professor
Professor Richard Festenstein
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Professor Richard Festenstein
Clinical Professor of Molecular Medicine
Dr Nir Grossman
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Dr Nir Grossman
Senior Lecturer
Professor Amin Hajitou
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Professor Amin Hajitou
Professor of Targeted Therapeutics
Dr Johanna Jackson
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Dr Johanna Jackson
Advanced Research Fellow
Dr Anna Mallach
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Dr Anna Mallach
Edmond and Lily Safra Research Fellow
Dr Sarah Marzi
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Dr Sarah Marzi
Honorary Senior Lecturer
Professor Nicholas Mazarakis
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Professor Nicholas Mazarakis
Chair MolBioMedicine and Head of Gene Therapy
Dr Raffaella Nativio
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Dr Raffaella Nativio
Lecturer in Dementia Research
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Professor Richard Reynolds
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Professor Richard Reynolds
Professor of Cellular Neurobiology
Dr Sadra Sadeh
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Dr Sadra Sadeh
Advanced Research Fellow
Dr Cynthia Sandor
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Dr Cynthia Sandor
Edmond J Safra Lecturer in Parkinson's Disease
Professor Magdalena Sastre
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Professor Magdalena Sastre
Professor in Molecular Neuroscience
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Dr Nelofer Syed
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Dr Nelofer Syed
Senior Research Fellow
Dr Yu Ye
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Dr Yu Ye
Senior Lecturer