News
Neurology Research Showcase at the IDRM
Over 70 members of IDRM staff joined the Neurology research showcase on the 21st of June.
The morning event held talks from IDRM’s Neurology theme lead, Prof Matthew Wood, Dr Stephan Sanders, Dr Thomas Roberts, A. Prof Carlo Rinaldi, and Dr Susan Morris from Sarah Gilbert's group. Attendees also heard from laboratory experts working in the Neurology theme.
Professor Matthew Wood started the morning talks by giving a brief overview of the Wood Group and the Neurology theme. He discussed the development of gene-based treatments for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, as well as the progress and strategic aims of the Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre and MDUK Oxford Neuromuscular Centre.
Professor Stephan Sanders continued the talks by introducing the guests to his group based at Oxford University and the University of California, San Francisco. He explained the way developmental disorders affect the lives of patients and why there is a need to understand the aetiology of developmental disorders using genomics and bioinformatics.
Research Fellow Thomas Roberts, DPhil, introduced his research group, which works under the overall theme of ‘RNA Medicine’. He discussed how different approaches can be applied in a disease context and mentioned recent developments centered around a 'Bench-to-bedside' approach via commercialisation.
Associate Professor Carlo Rinaldi introduced the research of his group, describing it as a 'Neuro-Translational Lab'. He discussed the importance of intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs) and their association with human diseases. The Rinaldi lab aims to understand how IDPs regulate cellular functions, and how we can target IDP's for therapy.
After a brief panel discussion, Dr Susan Morris, representing Sarah Gilbert's group, introduced the Gilbert group, which is part of the Pandemic Sciences Institute.
Attendees also heard talks on the topic of lab expertise and equipment, such as NanoFCM and Oligosynthesis, from Ioulia Vorobieva, Francois Halloy, Yahya Jad, and Nick Edwards.