Professor Peter Rothwell FMedSci has been appointed the new Action Research Professor of Clinical Neurology in the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, succeeding Professor George Ebers.
Blind mice can see again, after Oxford University researchers transplanted developing cells into their eyes and found they could re-form the entire light-sensitive layer of the retina.
The family of disorders known as ataxias can impair speech, balance and coordination, and have varying levels of severity. A team led by Dr Andrea Nemeth from NDCN has identified a new member of this group of conditions which is connected to Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 5 (SCA5). SCA5 is sometimes known as \u2018Lincoln ataxia,\u2019 because it was first found in the relatives of US President Abraham Lincoln.
Oxford University has recently led a successful bid to establish a \u20ac52M international consortium to develop induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell lines for drug discovery and safety assessment.
UK Biobank is an on-going prospective epidemiological study that has already collected genetics, blood, lifestyle information and other data from a cohort of 500,000 subjects, to be followed over coming decades. The \"UK Biobank Imaging Extension\", which aims to bring back 100,000 of the cohort for multimodal neuroimaging and cardiac MRI (amongst other measures), has just been given the go-ahead. This will be by far the largest neuro/cardiac imaging study carried out to date, and will add very rich phenotyping to the project.
David received his MB PhD qualification from of Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 Medical School London. He undertook an intercalated PhD studying the role of neurotrophic factors in sensory neuronal development and the generation of persistent pain. Sub-speciality training in neurology took place principally in London at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, King\u2019s College Hospital and Guy\u2019s and St Thomas\u2019 NHS Trust.
Hosted by Imperial College London, the LIYSF brings together 300 school students from all almost 60 countries for a series of talks, demonstrations, activities and site visits from all areas of the UK\u2019s leading scientific community. 50 students travelled to Oxford for a day of talks and activities focussed on various aspects of neuroscience hosted by Oxford Neuroscience and the Oxford BRC.
The tenth Cheltenham Science Festival took place between 12th and 17th June. The festival, currently chaired by Oxford\u2019s Professor Russell Foster, brings together some of the World\u2019s most innovative scientists from all fields to engage the public on the science behind today\u2019s news stories, advances and issues.
In recognition of the new links with the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences and the Department of Experimental Psychology, the Oxford Clinical Trials Unit for Mental Illness (OCTUMI) has a new name: the Oxford Cognitive Health and Neuroscience Clinical Trials Unit (OCHNCTU, pronounced oc-n-t\u00fc) and a new logo.
Oxford Neurosciences has been successful in gaining two important Wellcome Trust Strategic Awards in the latest round of funding, with a combined value of over \u00a36m. This round had attracted the most applications the Wellcome Trust had ever received, making the success of the applications that much more outstanding.
Professor Russell Foster, head of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology, has won the BBSRC Social Innovator of the Year award at a ceremony on the 29th March. He received the award, now in its fourth year, for his work in identifying photosensitive retinal ganglion cells and the important role they play in regulating sleep, circadian rhythms and other physiological responses to light. Professor Foster\u2019s work has had major implications in the clinic and social inferences in designing new lighting systems and the use of natural light in building design.
FMRI has long been a useful research tool, providing indirect indications of relative change in brain activity when the subject is presented with different stimuli. It has rarely been used in diagnostics as it does not produce numerical data. Currently, positron emission tomography (PET) scans are used to provide quantitative measurements of blood flow and volume in the brain for use in diagnosis. However, PET is expensive, has poor spatial resolution and exposes the patient to ionising radiation.
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