Murine modelling virus-induced neurodegeneration
An Entry Clinical Fellowship that will develop a structural neuroimaging biomarker of objective cognitive dysfunction in patients one year after COVID-19, to enable quantification of longitudinal recovery or progression trajectory.
Grant Funding
- GUARANTORS OF BRAIN: Entry Clinical Fellowship
- February 2025 -February 2026
- £70,000
Development of a Patient Reported Outcome Measure (PROM) in Infectious Encephalitis: What matters most to patients
Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are important tools in health research and clinical trials. Although used in several neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s, epilepsy and migraine, there are no disease-specific PROMs for encephalitis. As encephalitis is a condition that can affect a patient’s physical & mental health, cognition, behaviour and quality of life, there is the need for the development of a robust PROM to identify the range of issues that can affect patients with encephalitis. This project aims to identify the symptoms and impact on quality of life by interviewing 50 patients.
- RESEARCH ENGLAND: Public Policy Quality-Related Strategic Priorities Award
- November 2024 -July 2025
- £23,426
UK Encephalitis Guidelines: an 11-year review of national clinical guidance for
adults, children and young people with Encephalitis
Working with key stakeholders the team will update the national clinical policy guidelines on Encephalitis first produced in 2012 for adults (Solomon T, Michael BD [joint first], et al J Infect Dis 2012) and for children. (Kneen R, Michael BD [joint first], et al J Infect Dis 2012). Once finalised the project aims to disseminate to service users to ensure maximum visibility and engagement with these new guidelines.
Grant Funding
- RESEARCH ENGLAND: Public Policy Quality-Related Strategic Priorities Award
- December 2023 -July 2024
- £34,170
Maestro Edge Microelectrode Array (MEA) System
A Microelectrode Array (MEA) system enables simultaneous, high-density electrical recordings from multiple neurons or cells. This system will allow the INL team to functionally characterise our in vitro models, study differential neural network activity in models of brain infection and test the effect of compounds of interest on barrier integrity and aberrant neuronal electrical activity.
Grant Funding
- UNIVERSITY OF LIVERPOOL: Capital Equipment Award
- October 2023 - July 2024
- £103,870
Dissemination of clinical guidance and diagnostic tools to improve recognition and management of COVID-19 encephalopathy
Encephalopathy is common among patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 and is associated with worse outcomes. The project aims to disseminate guidelines and tools produced to support clinicians in the diagnosis and management of COVID-19 encephalopathy.
These tools are universal and can be also applied to other infections. For more details see our Neuro Resources Centre.
Grant Funding
- MEDICAL RESEARCH FOUNDATION: Changing Policy & Practice Award
- May 2023 - April 2024
- £30,239.01
Understanding disease mechanisms of postinfectious autoimmunity in herpes simplex virus encephalitis
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis, the most common cause of encephalitis in the UK, is a devastating central nervous system infection with high morbidity and mortality. Around a third of patients who recover from HSV encephalitis later experience an autoimmune relapse.
This study aims to investigate the mechanisms underpinning secondary autoimmunity in encephalitis, to understand how the adaptive immune response contributes to the pathogenesis of HSV encephalitis. Our research will pave the way for targeted immune therapy for HSV encephalitis, and has broad translational implications for other post-viral autoimmune conditions.
Grant Funding
- BRITISH INFECTION ASSOCIATION
- March 2023 - March 2024
- £10,000
- THE WALTON CENTRE NHS FOUNDATION TRUST
- April 2023- April 2024
- £6,959
- ACADEMY OF MEDICAL SCIENCES
- Sept 2023 - August 2025
- £29,778
Global Brain Health Clinical Exchange: An international knowledge exchange, public policy, and capacity building platform
Working with the World Health Organisation (WHO) Brain Health Unit, we were tasked to develop an intersectoral knowledge exchange platform aimed at creating dialogue and promoting collaborative research between policy makers, researchers, and clinicians. Visit the Global Brain Health Clinical Exchange Platform pages to book onto current sessions or watch previous exchanges.
Grant Funding
- RESEARCH ENGLAND: Public Policy Quality-Related Strategic Priorities Award
- February 2022 -July 2022 and
- January 2023 - July 2023
- £56,045
Development of a Global Brain Health Clinical Exchange Platform
Within the WHO Department of Mental Health and Substance Use (MSD), the Brain Health Unit (BRH) aims to promote optimal brain development, cognitive health and well-being for all.
The WHO's BRH and Neurology & COVID-19 Global Forum supported the development of a Global Brain Health Clinical Exchange mechanism with regular monthly meetings, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the Global Health Network.
Grant Funding
- WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION
- February 2022 - July 2022 and
- December 2022 - May 2023
- $8,000
Immunosuppressants for prevention of COVID-19 neurological complications
Neurological complications affect a significant amount of children and adults with COVID-19.
This project aims to use pre-clinical modelling to understand the indirect effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection on the brain and investigate immune modulatory therapeutic strategies.
Grant Funding
- MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
- August 2022 - March 2023
- £19,995.36
Understanding cerebral inflammation in viral encephalitis - how does neuron-glial signalling drive blood-brain barrier permeability?
Brain inflammation, termed 'encephalitis', is a devastating disease commonly caused by the cold-sore virus (herpes simplex virus-HSV). Inflammation occurs due to breakdown of the natural barrier with the bloodstream and the migration of immune-cells in. Immune-cells are attracted by inflammation-proteins; I identified several such proteins in patients with the greatest blood-brain barrier (BBB) breakdown and worst outcome, and developed a mouse-model to study this by visualising immune-cell movement in the brain.
To what extent BBB breakdown leads to immune cell migration or vice versa is not clear and it is not known how infected nerves communicate with other brain cells, and BBB cells.
Understanding this network of interactions is critical to develop targeted immune therapy which reduces brain inflammation and improves patient outcome, without increasing the amount of virus.
Grant Funding
- MEDICAL RESEARCH COUNCIL
- January 2021 - January 2026
- £1.3 million
The COVID-19: Clinical Neuroscience Study (COVID-CNS)
Addressing the urgent need to understand the biological causes of neurological and neuropsychiatric complications in hospitalised COVID-19 patients.
Jointly led by researchers at the University of Liverpool and King's College London. Patients are recruited as part of the COVID-19 section of the NIHR BioResource. For further information see the COVID-CNS website.
Grant Funding
- UK RESEARCH AND INNOVATION
- October 2020 - October 2022
- £2.3 million
Intravenous Immunoglobulin in Autoimmune Encephalitis in Adults (A Randomised Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled Trial).
The ENCEPH-IG trial is a study led by investigators from the University of Liverpool looking at whether or not early treatment with Intravenous Immunoglobulin improves recovery in autoimmune encephalitis. Autoimmune encephalitis is inflammation and swelling of the brain caused by the body’s own immune defence system. It affects about 1 in 100,000 people per year in the UK.
Autoimmune encephalitis is treated with steroids, which reduce inflammation and swelling. If patients are not improving, intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) is often also given, usually after a couple of weeks. The ENCEPH-IG trial is a study looking at whether or not early treatment with IVIG improves recovery.
Grant Funding
- NIHR: Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation Programme
- April 2020 - April 2026
- £3.5 million
Chemokine receptor-ligand interactions in herpetic encephalitis
Herpes simplex virus (HSV) encephalitis is a devastating condition of brain inflammation characterised by the early neutrophil migration, blood-brain-barrier (BBB) permeability, and significant morbidity and mortality.
This project will determine the relative contribution of key neutrophil-chemokine receptors which, whilst pivotal in other organs, remain poorly understood in brain inflammation.
Grant Funding
- WELLCOME TRUST: Institutional Strategic Support Fund
- June 2018 - March 2023
- £24,945
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