The UK DRI and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) are delighted to announce the appointment of Dr Rikesh Rajani, as the first of four new Group Leaders joining the BHF-UK DRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research (CVDR). The flagship £9M joint centre, established last year under the leadership of Prof David Attwell, is the first in the UK dedicated to research into vascular dementia, the second most common type of dementia.
Dr Rajani joins the centre from the Busche Lab at the UK DRI at UCL, where he is investigating the role of oligodendrocytes, the myelin-producing support cells in the brain, in Alzheimer’s. At the CVDR, the newly formed Rajani Lab will investigate how the protective myelin sheath around brain cells is damaged in small vessel disease – the leading cause of vascular dementia. The Lab will begin its work in April and will be based in Edinburgh.
Dr Rajani explained: “One of the key hallmarks of small vessel disease is loss of white matter – the nerve fibres that are coated in myelin – in the brain. But we don’t really know what causes this. It’s important because the white matter damage actually correlates with cognitive decline. My lab at the BHF-UK DRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research aims to work out exactly what is causing this white matter damage, and how brain activity levels are affected."
After completing his PhD in Edinburgh, studying how endothelial cell dysfunction affects myelin and brain cell function in sporadic small vessel disease, Dr Rajani moved to Inserm, in Paris, to study a genetic form of small vessel disease. There, he spent time looking at whether changes in the white matter are caused by blood-brain barrier damage. At the UK DRI at UCL, Dr Rajani recently discovered that oligodendrocytes are responsible for producing a significant proportion of toxic amyloid beta protein in Alzheimer’s. Now, he is turning his focus back to vascular dementia.
Dr Rajani added: “I’ve always wanted to go back to vascular dementia research, and this new centre presented an ideal opportunity, as there aren’t many places that focus purely on the disease. It’s fantastic to be joining a community of people with a singular focus, with the added bonus of having access to the various platforms within the UK DRI, as well as the strong collaborative ethos that runs through the institute.”
David Attwell said: “Rikesh is a very talented scientist who has already made important contributions to dementia research. I look forward to seeing how his studies develop in the new Centre funded by the BHF and UK-DRI, which aims to apply results from basic science research to underpin new clinical approaches to treating dementia.”
Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: “We're delighted to welcome Rikesh to the BHF-UKDRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research. As one of the Centre’s four group leaders, he will bring invaluable expertise in Alzheimer’s disease and white matter changes in the brain to study vascular dementia. The Rajani lab will shed light on the causes and drivers of vascular dementia and help to progress the Centre’s search for new treatments for this devastating but little-known condition.”
Three more new Group Leaders will join Prof Attwell and three affiliated researchers already working on vascular dementia within the UK DRI.
