A Keele University neuroscientist has secured a share of a £6.7 million national funding pot to advance research into the causes of nerve cell degeneration.
Dr Muriel Desbois, a molecular neuroscientist in Keele’s School of Life Sciences, has been awarded a Springboard grant from the Academy of Medical Sciences to investigate the molecular pathways behind neural cell degeneration.
The research aims to improve understanding of how conditions such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease develop, with the long-term goal of enabling earlier detection and more effective treatment options.
Muriel’s work focuses on neural cells in the worm C. elegans, which has a simple nervous system that makes it ideal for studying axons – the extensions of nerve cells responsible for carrying electrical impulses. Damage or abnormalities in axons can impair their function, a change also observed in human nerve cells affected by dementia and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Using the funding, Muriel and her team will examine the molecular processes that lead to these changes, with the aim of identifying how and why they occur at an early stage. This could help clinicians identify patients at risk sooner and intervene earlier.
She said: “Those long, connecting neuronal filaments, called axons, are essential for the nervous system to function. They develop at the beginning of our life, and they must be protected during its entirety, but we don’t fully understand how this protection works.
“The AMS Springboard award will help us understand that process better by exploring which genes are important for the morphological integrity of the axons.”
The Academy of Medical Sciences has awarded £6.7m funding to 55 early-career researchers across 38 UK institutions, supporting projects aimed at improving understanding of major health challenges including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, infectious diseases and chronic pain.
Now in its 11th year, the Springboard programme is designed to support scientists at a pivotal stage in their careers, helping them establish independent research and pursue ambitious projects that may struggle to attract early commercial investment.
UK Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “To tackle cruel diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and chronic pain, and ultimately save lives, we must help researchers to take their ambitious discovery-stage work to the next level.
“This support is backing researchers at a stage where attracting commercial investment can be a challenge and builds on the Government’s record investment in research – unlocking more discoveries that benefit people across the UK and beyond.”
