Contact information
Research groups
Colleges
Björn Vahsen
StateExamMed MD MSc DPhil
Postdoctoral Researcher and Fulford Junior Research Fellow
Biography
I studied medicine at the Georg-August-University Göttingen, including clinical rotations at King’s College London and the University of Zurich. In parallel, I obtained a research MD (summa cum laude and prize for the best thesis of the year) studying the role of the autophagy-initiating kinase ULK1 in axonal degeneration and regeneration in cellular models (supervised by Prof Paul Lingor). I then completed the MSc in Neuroscience and a DPhil in Clinical Neurosciences at the Oxford Motor Neuron Disease Centre (under the supervision of Prof Kevin Talbot and Prof Martin Turner). During my DPhil, I was a Clarendon Scholar, Lamb & Flag Scholar and North Senior Scholar at St John's College, and an NIHR Academy Member. For my DPhil work, I received the Postgraduate Prize 2023 from the British Neuroscience Association and the Felgenhauer Research Award 2023 for Young Neuroscientists from the German Neurological Society. I am now a Postdoctoral Researcher in the Talbot Lab and Junior Research Fellow at Somerville College.
Research Summary
I am studying the role of microglia in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis using induced pluripotent stem cell models. My project is performed in collaboration with Dr Sally Cowley at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology and funded by the Motor Neurone Disease Association.
Collaborators
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Javier Gilbert-Jaramillo
Postdoctoral Scientist in Motor Neuron Disease
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Elizabeth Dellar
Postdoctoral Researcher
Key publications
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Inhibition of the autophagic protein ULK1 attenuates axonal degeneration in vitro and in vivo, enhances translation, and modulates splicing
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2020), Cell Death & Differentiation, 27, 2810 - 2827
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Non-neuronal cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — from pathogenesis to biomarkers
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2021), Nature Reviews Neurology, 17, 333 - 348
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Human iPSC co-culture model to investigate the interaction between microglia and motor neurons
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2022), Scientific Reports, 12
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C9orf72-ALS human iPSC microglia are pro-inflammatory and toxic to co-cultured motor neurons via MMP9
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2023), Nature Communications, 14
Recent publications
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Neuro‐immune interactions in health and disease: Insights from FENS‐Hertie 2022 Winter School
Journal article
Binder LB. et al, (2024), European Journal of Neuroscience
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C9orf72-ALS human iPSC microglia are pro-inflammatory and toxic to co-cultured motor neurons via MMP9
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2023), Nature Communications, 14
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Human iPSC co-culture model to investigate the interaction between microglia and motor neurons
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2022), Scientific Reports, 12
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Human stem cell models of neurodegeneration: From basic science of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis to clinical translation
Journal article
Giacomelli E. et al, (2022), Cell Stem Cell, 29, 11 - 35
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Non-neuronal cells in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — from pathogenesis to biomarkers
Journal article
Vahsen BF. et al, (2021), Nature Reviews Neurology, 17, 333 - 348