UKDRI
Synapse
A meeting of early career researchers for the synapse theme

People

Members of the UK DRI Synapse theme

The UK DRI Synapse theme was established in May 2020 and is led by Prof Seth Grant (Associate Member at UK DRI Edinburgh) and Dr Samuel Barnes (UK DRI at Imperial).

Strengths and expertise across this theme include:

  • Molecular features of synaptic health (Grant), 
  • Physiology (Barnes, Busche, Gan, Opazo, Beccano-Kelly, Durrant), 
  • Neuronal-glial interactions (Hong, Spires-Jones, Morgan, Connor-Robson), 
  • Bioinformatics (Webber, Skene), 
  • Brain-states (Busche, Dijk, Grossman, Wisden, Jaramillo), 
  • Learning and memory (Krupic, Wiseman)
  • Molecular mechanisms (Avezov, Klennerman) 
  • Human synaptic measures (Durrant, Grant, Jackson, Matthews, Spires-Jones, Zetterberg)
  • Transynaptic spread (Spires-Jones, Duff, Schiavo, Klenerman)
Audience at the synapse symposium 2019

A synapse meeting in London in 2019

Jing Qiu

Dr Jing Qiu

Emerging Leader

UK DRI at Edinburgh

Unravelling microglial signalling in health and disease

Learn more Dr Jing Qiu
Giampietro Schiavo

Prof Giampietro Schiavo

Group Leader

UK DRI at UCL

Restoring axonal transport deficits as a therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative diseases

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Andrea Serio

Dr Andrea Serio

Group Leader

UK DRI at King's

Combining bioengineering, imaging, and stem cell modelling to better understand motor neuron disease and dementia

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Nathan Skene

Dr Nathan Skene

Group Leader

UK DRI at Imperial

Identifying the cell types and intracellular processes affected by the genetic loci which underlie neurodegenerative diseases

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Aitana Sogorb-Esteve profile

Dr Aitana Sogorb-Esteve

Emerging Leader

UK DRI at UCL

Identifying biomarkers to assess synaptic dysfunction in Frontotemporal dementia

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Tara Spires-Jones

Prof Tara Spires-Jones

Group Leader

UK DRI at Edinburgh

Deciphering why synapses and neurons degenerate and whether boosting resilience of synapses can protect the brain

Learn more Prof Tara Spires-Jones
Caleb Webber

Prof Caleb Webber

Director of Data Science & Group Leader

UK DRI at Cardiff

Combining state-of-the-art stem cell models with bioinformatics techniques to boost our understanding of the biological mechanisms underlying Parkinson’s disease

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Portrait of Bill Wisden

Prof William Wisden

Interim Centre Director

UK DRI at Imperial

Investigating how and if good sleep protects against the development of dementia

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Frances Wiseman profile

Dr Frances Wiseman

Group Leader and Programme Leader for Animal Models

UK DRI at UCL

Investigating dementia in people living with Down syndrome

Learn more Dr Frances Wiseman