Towards a unifying theory of Parkinson's disease: Investigation of the biochemical and genetic role of Rab GTPases
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Dundee
Department Name: School of Life Sciences
Abstract
Mutations in the LRRK2 and PINK1 genes can be inherited in patients with familial forms of Parkinson's. LRRK2 and PINK1 function as a special class of enzymes known as protein kinases whose job is to label target proteins with a chemical phosphate group (in a process known as phosphorylation). Our laboratories have previously made significant advances in understanding the function of LRRK2 and PINK1 and recently identified that these enzymes target a different class of enzymes known as Rab GTPases. We now wish to better understand how LRRK2 and PINK1 controls Rabs and how mutations in these enzymes impact on Rab functioning in cells. Towards this goal we aim to identify the key Rabs controlled by LRRK2 and PINK1 and discover the molecules that Rabs bind to in order to execute downstream communications in the cell. To complement our analysis we will collaborate with genetics researchers to determine if Rabs themselves are mutated in families with Parkinson's. This project will lead to a fundamental understanding of the cellular pathways controlled by LRRK2 and PINK1 and improve our understanding of the critical pathways affected in Parkinson's.
Technical Summary
This proposal builds on our recent exciting discovery that the LRRK2 and PINK1 kinases implicated in Parkinson's, regulate the phosphorylation and activity of Rab GTPases. LRRK2 directly phosphorylates numerous Rab isoforms on a conserved Thr/Ser residue
that lies at the centre of its effector binding motif (Thr72-Rab8A), inhibiting association with known effectors GDIs and Rabin-8 that are required for Rab8A activation. Activation of PINK1 induces phosphorylation of a distinct C-terminal residue of Rab isoforms (Ser111-Rab8A) through an as yet unknown intermediate kinase, which inhibits association with Rabin-8. Our findings therefore provide an opportunity to investigate novel biological roles for LRRK2 and PINK1 and the mechanisms implicated in Parkinson's. We will identify the key Rab isoforms that are phosphorylated by LRRK2 and PINK1 in brain and iPSC derived neurons (Alessi/Muqit/Gasser-labs). We will work on
delineating how Rab phosphorylation influences downstream signalling pathways (Alessi/Muqit-labs). Finally, we will investigate whether genetic variation in Rab GTPases and their effectors and interactors are linked to Parkinson's susceptibility (Gasser-lab). The results and reagents generated in this study together with the integration of biochemical, clinical and genetic analysis will make a major contribution to the assessment of Rab phosphorylation as central mediators of neurodegeneration.
that lies at the centre of its effector binding motif (Thr72-Rab8A), inhibiting association with known effectors GDIs and Rabin-8 that are required for Rab8A activation. Activation of PINK1 induces phosphorylation of a distinct C-terminal residue of Rab isoforms (Ser111-Rab8A) through an as yet unknown intermediate kinase, which inhibits association with Rabin-8. Our findings therefore provide an opportunity to investigate novel biological roles for LRRK2 and PINK1 and the mechanisms implicated in Parkinson's. We will identify the key Rab isoforms that are phosphorylated by LRRK2 and PINK1 in brain and iPSC derived neurons (Alessi/Muqit/Gasser-labs). We will work on
delineating how Rab phosphorylation influences downstream signalling pathways (Alessi/Muqit-labs). Finally, we will investigate whether genetic variation in Rab GTPases and their effectors and interactors are linked to Parkinson's susceptibility (Gasser-lab). The results and reagents generated in this study together with the integration of biochemical, clinical and genetic analysis will make a major contribution to the assessment of Rab phosphorylation as central mediators of neurodegeneration.
Planned Impact
Our proposal aims to determine fundamental new knowledge on the mechanisms that underlie neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease (PD). This is of crucial importance since PD remains incurable and moreover, none of the currently available treatments influence disease progression. We wish to understand the role of a novel signal transduction pathway that we recently uncovered in which we discovered that Rab GTPases, are the downstream target of the protein kinases LRRK2 and PINK1. Both these kinases are encoded by genes that are mutated in Parkinson's highlighting the critical role of this pathway in neuronal survival. All significant discoveries in this proposal will be published in open access journals to ensure the greatest reach and impact of the work and should significantly advance knowledge in the Parkinson's field. Our proposal also employs state-of-the-art methodologies and high quality biochemical tools to study these pathways. These methodologies and tools will be extremely useful to many labs in the field for future work.
This proposal has significant potential in the development of a novel biomarker of PD. We are generating monoclonal antibodies against phosphorylated (activated) forms of Rab enzymes and will be testing their sensitivity and specificity in Parkinson's brains and patient derived cell lines. If successful these antibodies would be a significant boost for biotechnology companies developing biomarkers and could have immediate benefit to researchers conducting clinical trials of potential anti-PD therapies.
The proposal also has potential to advance new therapeutic strategies for PD, which will be of significant benefit to pharmaceutical companies. Our labs have a major advantage in engaging with the pharmaceutical industry since the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit is integrated into the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT), the largest UK academic-industry collaboration involving six of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies namely AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Pfizer and Merck KGaA. All new data arising from my work is made available to these companies prior to publication to enable them to consider the potential of the research for drug discovery. In addition we meet with company representatives three times per year, which gives my work significant exposure and maximises the possibilities for drug discovery and development by one of these companies.
Overall we strongly believe that this proposal under our direction will lead to significant progress in understanding Parkinson's and ultimately this will lead to improvements in human health.
This proposal has significant potential in the development of a novel biomarker of PD. We are generating monoclonal antibodies against phosphorylated (activated) forms of Rab enzymes and will be testing their sensitivity and specificity in Parkinson's brains and patient derived cell lines. If successful these antibodies would be a significant boost for biotechnology companies developing biomarkers and could have immediate benefit to researchers conducting clinical trials of potential anti-PD therapies.
The proposal also has potential to advance new therapeutic strategies for PD, which will be of significant benefit to pharmaceutical companies. Our labs have a major advantage in engaging with the pharmaceutical industry since the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit is integrated into the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT), the largest UK academic-industry collaboration involving six of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies namely AstraZeneca, Boehringer Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline, Janssen Pharmaceutica, Pfizer and Merck KGaA. All new data arising from my work is made available to these companies prior to publication to enable them to consider the potential of the research for drug discovery. In addition we meet with company representatives three times per year, which gives my work significant exposure and maximises the possibilities for drug discovery and development by one of these companies.
Overall we strongly believe that this proposal under our direction will lead to significant progress in understanding Parkinson's and ultimately this will lead to improvements in human health.
Organisations
- University of Dundee (Lead Research Organisation)
- Max Planck Society (Collaboration)
- Michael J Fox Foundation (Collaboration)
- Stanford University (Collaboration)
- Boehringer Ingelheim (Collaboration)
- GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF DUNDEE (Collaboration)
- Aligning Sciences Across Parkinson's (Collaboration)
- MERCK (Collaboration)
- DZNE Tübingen (Project Partner)
People |
ORCID iD |
Dario Alessi (Principal Investigator) | |
Miratul Muqit (Co-Investigator) |
Publications
Alessi DR
(2018)
LRRK2 kinase in Parkinson's disease.
in Science (New York, N.Y.)
Berndsen K
(2019)
PPM1H phosphatase counteracts LRRK2 signaling by selectively dephosphorylating Rab proteins.
in eLife
Di Maio R
(2018)
LRRK2 activation in idiopathic Parkinson's disease.
in Science translational medicine
Eyers P
(2018)
Back to the future: new target-validated Rab antibodies for evaluating LRRK2 signalling in cell biology and Parkinson's disease
in Biochemical Journal
Fan Y
(2018)
Interrogating Parkinson's disease LRRK2 kinase pathway activity by assessing Rab10 phosphorylation in human neutrophils.
in The Biochemical journal
Fan Y
(2020)
Human Peripheral Blood Neutrophil Isolation for Interrogating the Parkinson's Associated LRRK2 Kinase Pathway by Assessing Rab10 Phosphorylation.
in Journal of visualized experiments : JoVE
Hatcher JM
(2017)
Small-Molecule Inhibitors of LRRK2.
in Advances in neurobiology
Description | 4 x MRC UKRI DRI Small Research Grants (Co-Investigator) |
Amount | £20,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Assessment of LRRK2 activity in G2385R carriers |
Amount | £57,771 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 07/2018 |
End | 07/2019 |
Description | Chemical Screen to identify PPM1H activator |
Amount | £306,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 11/2019 |
End | 12/2020 |
Description | Equipment grant |
Amount | £625,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Equipment grant |
Amount | £260,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Equipment grant |
Amount | £40,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Genome wide screens to uncover novel upstream regulators of LRRK2 |
Amount | £305,944 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | J MacDonald Menzies |
Amount | £177,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | J Macdonald Menzies Charitable Trust |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Lanston Award |
Amount | £17,582 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 01/2018 |
End | 12/2019 |
Description | MJFF (Lead Investigator) Andy Howden |
Amount | £282,582 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MJFF-020421 |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | MJFF (Lead Investigator) Project Grant |
Amount | £49,281 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MJFF-019894 |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | MJFF PPM1H activator grant (Lead Investigator |
Amount | £642,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | MJFF-021159 |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | MRC Project grant |
Amount | £389,075 (GBP) |
Organisation | Network of Centres of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (COEN) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | MRC UKRI DRI Proteomics Project Award (Lead Investigator) |
Amount | £287,000 (GBP) |
Funding ID | DRI-PROT2021-DUN |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | MRC UKRI World Class Labs (Lead Investigator) Cryo-EM contribution |
Amount | £350,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | MRC UKRI World Class Labs (Lead Investigator) Equipment |
Amount | £100,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Project grant |
Amount | £93,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | Project grant |
Amount | £97,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | Project grant |
Amount | £63,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | Project grant |
Amount | £122,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | Project grant |
Amount | £23,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start |
Description | QQ Renewal |
Amount | £25,590,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
Sector | Public |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Rab LEAPs Renewal |
Amount | £332,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 07/2018 |
End | 07/2020 |
Description | Renewal of Division of Signal Transduction Therapy Unit |
Amount | £7,200,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Dundee Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) Consortium |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Studentship |
Amount | £92,000 (GBP) |
Organisation | Parkinson's UK |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start |
Description | Tools Development |
Amount | £83,244 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 09/2018 |
End | 09/2020 |
Description | Tools and Animal Models |
Amount | £54,902 (GBP) |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
Country | United States |
Start | 06/2018 |
End | 12/2019 |
Title | Development of novel state of the art phospho-specific Rabbit monoclonal antibodies to studdy LRRK2 mediated phosphorylation of Rab proteins in Parkinson's disease |
Description | Mutations that activate the LRRK2 (leucine-rich repeat protein kinase 2) protein kinase predispose to Parkinson's disease, suggesting that LRRK2 inhibitors might have therapeutic benefit. Our recent work has revealed that LRRK2 phosphorylates a subgroup of 14 Rab proteins, including Rab10, at a specific residue located at the centre of its effector-binding switch-II motif. In the present study, we analyse the selectivity and sensitivity of polyclonal and monoclonal phospho-specific antibodies raised against nine different LRRK2-phosphorylated Rab proteins (Rab3A/3B/3C/3D, Rab5A/5B/5C, Rab8A/8B, Rab10, Rab12, Rab29[T71], Rab29[S72], Rab35 and Rab43). We identify rabbit monoclonal phospho-specific antibodies (MJFF-pRAB10) that are exquisitely selective for LRRK2-phosphorylated Rab10, detecting endogenous phosphorylated Rab10 in all analysed cell lines and tissues, including human brain cingulate cortex. We demonstrate that the MJFF-pRAB10 antibodies can be deployed to assess enhanced Rab10 phosphorylation resulting from pathogenic (R1441C/G or G2019S) LRRK2 knock-in mutations as well as the impact of LRRK2 inhibitor treatment. We also identify rabbit monoclonal antibodies displaying broad specificity (MJFF-pRAB8) that can be utilised to assess LRRK2-controlled phosphorylation of a range of endogenous Rab proteins, including Rab8A, Rab10 and Rab35. The antibodies described in the present study will help with the assessment of LRRK2 activity and examination of which Rab proteins are phosphorylated in vivo These antibodies could also be used to assess the impact of LRRK2 inhibitors in future clinical trials. |
Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
Year Produced | 2017 |
Provided To Others? | Yes |
Impact | All companies and researchers investigating LRRK2 are now using our technology. A company called Denali has just launched the first clinical trials for LRRK2 inhibitors and are using our reagents for their monitoring efficacy of LRRK2 inhibitors. Many other companies are likely to follow suit |
Description | Aligning Science Across Parkinson's: ASAP to probe LRRK2 biology |
Organisation | Aligning Sciences Across Parkinson's |
Country | United States |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | I have set up a new collaborative team consisting of Miratul Muqit (University of Dundee), Suzanne Pfeffer and Monther Abu Remaileh (both Stanford University) to better study the biology of a protein kinase termed LRRK2 that is linked to Parkinson's. I am the team leader for this collaboration and coordinated the grant writing and project when it initiated in September 2020 |
Collaborator Contribution | My lab undertake the mechanistic, biochemical and mass spectroscopy analysis, Miratul Muqit lab studies how PINK1 and LRRK2 impact the mitochondria, Monther Abu Remaileh has set up a new method to isolate lysosomes and Suzanne Pfeffer undertakes the cell biology part of the project The ASAP award will allow the Alessi and Muqit labs to embark on one of the biggest initiatives in history to accelerate understanding of the origins of Parkinson's disease, embracing high quality and fully open and interdisciplinary collaboration. It is also a major step towards our goal of creating a leading Parkinson's Research Centre at the University of Dundee. This ASAP-initiative award will enable us recruit and fund ~10 postdocs and 2 PhD students. |
Impact | Collaboration is multi-disciplinary involving biochemical, physiology and cellular studies |
Start Year | 2020 |
Description | DSTT renewal 2016 |
Organisation | Boehringer Ingelheim |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck-Serono - each company pays £600000 per annum over the four year period. The aim of the collaboration is to help the pharmaceutical companies accelerate the development of drugs that inhibit protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases with therapeutic potential for the treatment of disease. |
Collaborator Contribution | The MRC-PPU benefits in many ways as a result of the DSTT research collaboration. |
Impact | uring the collaboration, the Unit has helped to launch and/or accelerate many drug discovery programmes, some of which have entered human clinical trials. The collaboration led the Unit to develop the technology of protein kinase profiling which has developed into an industry worth over £100 million per annum. It also led to the creation of the European Division of Upstate Incorporated in Dundee which currently employs about 50 people. The Unit's first publication on protein kinase profiling was named in 2009 by the Institute for Scientific Information, Philadelphia as Europe's most cited paper in the field of Cel Biology from 1996-2007, with over 2,200 citations. During the collaboration, the Unit has filed 36 patents and 30 licenses have been taken up by the pharmaceutical industry. The DSTT is widely regarded as a model of how academia and industry should interact for which it received a Queen's Anniversary Award for Higher Education which was presented by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in February 2006. GlaxoSmithKline have announced that their BRAF protein kinase inhibitor Dabrafenib (Tafinlar), has been approved by both the European Commission and the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma associated with the BRAF V600E mutation. Unresectable melanoma is that which cannot be removed by surgery, while metastatic melanoma is that which has spread to other parts of the body. The new drug was developed employing BRAF enzymes generated by researchers in the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) in the College of Life Sciences at Dundee. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | DSTT renewal 2016 |
Organisation | GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) |
Country | Global |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck-Serono - each company pays £600000 per annum over the four year period. The aim of the collaboration is to help the pharmaceutical companies accelerate the development of drugs that inhibit protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases with therapeutic potential for the treatment of disease. |
Collaborator Contribution | The MRC-PPU benefits in many ways as a result of the DSTT research collaboration. |
Impact | uring the collaboration, the Unit has helped to launch and/or accelerate many drug discovery programmes, some of which have entered human clinical trials. The collaboration led the Unit to develop the technology of protein kinase profiling which has developed into an industry worth over £100 million per annum. It also led to the creation of the European Division of Upstate Incorporated in Dundee which currently employs about 50 people. The Unit's first publication on protein kinase profiling was named in 2009 by the Institute for Scientific Information, Philadelphia as Europe's most cited paper in the field of Cel Biology from 1996-2007, with over 2,200 citations. During the collaboration, the Unit has filed 36 patents and 30 licenses have been taken up by the pharmaceutical industry. The DSTT is widely regarded as a model of how academia and industry should interact for which it received a Queen's Anniversary Award for Higher Education which was presented by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in February 2006. GlaxoSmithKline have announced that their BRAF protein kinase inhibitor Dabrafenib (Tafinlar), has been approved by both the European Commission and the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma associated with the BRAF V600E mutation. Unresectable melanoma is that which cannot be removed by surgery, while metastatic melanoma is that which has spread to other parts of the body. The new drug was developed employing BRAF enzymes generated by researchers in the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) in the College of Life Sciences at Dundee. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | DSTT renewal 2016 |
Organisation | Merck |
Department | Merck Serono Ltd |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Boehringer-Ingelheim, GlaxoSmithKline and Merck-Serono - each company pays £600000 per annum over the four year period. The aim of the collaboration is to help the pharmaceutical companies accelerate the development of drugs that inhibit protein and lipid kinases and phosphatases with therapeutic potential for the treatment of disease. |
Collaborator Contribution | The MRC-PPU benefits in many ways as a result of the DSTT research collaboration. |
Impact | uring the collaboration, the Unit has helped to launch and/or accelerate many drug discovery programmes, some of which have entered human clinical trials. The collaboration led the Unit to develop the technology of protein kinase profiling which has developed into an industry worth over £100 million per annum. It also led to the creation of the European Division of Upstate Incorporated in Dundee which currently employs about 50 people. The Unit's first publication on protein kinase profiling was named in 2009 by the Institute for Scientific Information, Philadelphia as Europe's most cited paper in the field of Cel Biology from 1996-2007, with over 2,200 citations. During the collaboration, the Unit has filed 36 patents and 30 licenses have been taken up by the pharmaceutical industry. The DSTT is widely regarded as a model of how academia and industry should interact for which it received a Queen's Anniversary Award for Higher Education which was presented by the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh at Buckingham Palace in February 2006. GlaxoSmithKline have announced that their BRAF protein kinase inhibitor Dabrafenib (Tafinlar), has been approved by both the European Commission and the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of unresectable or metastatic melanoma associated with the BRAF V600E mutation. Unresectable melanoma is that which cannot be removed by surgery, while metastatic melanoma is that which has spread to other parts of the body. The new drug was developed employing BRAF enzymes generated by researchers in the Division of Signal Transduction Therapy (DSTT) in the College of Life Sciences at Dundee. |
Start Year | 2016 |
Description | Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) Dundee Drug Discovery Unit collaborative Chemical Screens Project Grant to identify enhancer of PPM1H |
Organisation | Michael J Fox Foundation |
Country | United States |
Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
PI Contribution | We identified a new protein phosphatase termed PPM1H that our work suggests that plays a key role in counteracting LRRK2 kinase activity. Our work suggests that enhancers of PPM1H activity could therefore have therapeutic benefit for Parkinson's disease. This collaborative project enables us to undertake a screen to identify such compounds. |
Collaborator Contribution | MJFF have provided the funding, the Dundee Drug discovery Unit are doing the enhancer screen and my lab is providing all reagents and knowledge needed to undertake the screen and will lead with the biological effects that the identified chemical activators have |
Impact | We have identified some enhancer compounds that we are currently characterising |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research (MJFF) Dundee Drug Discovery Unit collaborative Chemical Screens Project Grant to identify enhancer of PPM1H |
Organisation | University of Dundee |
Department | Drug Discovery Unit |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | We identified a new protein phosphatase termed PPM1H that our work suggests that plays a key role in counteracting LRRK2 kinase activity. Our work suggests that enhancers of PPM1H activity could therefore have therapeutic benefit for Parkinson's disease. This collaborative project enables us to undertake a screen to identify such compounds. |
Collaborator Contribution | MJFF have provided the funding, the Dundee Drug discovery Unit are doing the enhancer screen and my lab is providing all reagents and knowledge needed to undertake the screen and will lead with the biological effects that the identified chemical activators have |
Impact | We have identified some enhancer compounds that we are currently characterising |
Start Year | 2019 |
Description | Role of LRRK2 phosphorylating Rab GTPase in Parkinson's |
Organisation | Max Planck Society |
Department | Max Planck Martinsried |
Country | Germany |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I was the PI of a major MJFF collaboration that lead to the discovery that LRRK2 Parkinson's kinase's phosphorylates and inhibits multiple Rab GTPases. This was very exciting as this was the first physiological substrate for LRRK2 to be identified. Our laboratory coordinated the project and laed on many of the key experiments in this project |
Collaborator Contribution | The group of Matthias Mann undertook all the mass spectrometer experiments in this project and Susan Pfeffer's laboratory is undertaking the cell biology analysis |
Impact | Grant Income that funds research of two postdoctoral researchers in my lab |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | Role of LRRK2 phosphorylating Rab GTPase in Parkinson's |
Organisation | Stanford University |
Department | Department of Biochemistry |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | I was the PI of a major MJFF collaboration that lead to the discovery that LRRK2 Parkinson's kinase's phosphorylates and inhibits multiple Rab GTPases. This was very exciting as this was the first physiological substrate for LRRK2 to be identified. Our laboratory coordinated the project and laed on many of the key experiments in this project |
Collaborator Contribution | The group of Matthias Mann undertook all the mass spectrometer experiments in this project and Susan Pfeffer's laboratory is undertaking the cell biology analysis |
Impact | Grant Income that funds research of two postdoctoral researchers in my lab |
Start Year | 2015 |
Description | 20 Year Celebration of the DSTT |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | During an event at Dundee's recently opened V&A museum to celebrate the 20 year anniversary of the DSTT I gave an interview with STV news. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | 60 years f the Colworth Medal |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On Thursday 14th September I participated in a webinar organised by the Biochemical Society termed "60 years of the Colworth Medal" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | 7 2017 CDKL5 Forum Meeting - Boston, November 29-30 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Stimulate research and understanding into CDKL5 deficiency disease and stimulate new treatments to be developed |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
Description | Attendance at the Scottish Parliament - MRC |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
Results and Impact | Myself, Professor John Rouse and Dr Paul Davies attended an event in the Scottish Parliament on 6th February to support the Medical Research Council's investment in science in Scotland and to present the work that we are doing in the MRC-PPU to MSPs. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Connect and collaborate Parkinson's outreach event in the School of Life Sciences |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | On November 7 of this year, the chief executive team of Parkinson's UK including CEO Caroline Rassell, Deputy director of research Professor David Dexter and the new Scotland director James Jopling visited the Parkinson's research team at the University of Dundee. In the morning, researchers from Dundee including Professor Dario Alessi, Dr. Paul Davies, ProfessorMiratul Muqit, Dr. Andy Howden, Professor Ian Ganley and Dr. Esther Sammler, from Aberdeen Professor Bettina Platt and Julie Jones, from St. Andrews Doris Chen and from Edinburgh, Professor Tilo Kunath gave an overview of their work. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Discovery may help derail Parkinson's 'runaway train |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | The press release that describes the discovery of a new enzyme called PPM1H that inhibits the LRRK2 pathway. Our data suggest that is we could get enhancers of PPM1H catalytic activity this could represent a new strategy to better treat Parkinson's disease in the future |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.dundee.ac.uk/news/2019/discovery-may-help-derail-parkinsons-runaway-train.php |
Description | Discussion with Health reporter from Bloomberg News |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | I spend 1 hour on 8th July 2019 talking with Bloomberg News journalist Robert Langreth about the LRRk2 pathway and Parkinson's disease |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Dolly scientist backs research drive to tackle Parkinson's disease - University of Dundee Press release |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Professor Sir Ian Wilmut - who led the team that created Dolly the sheep - has backed an initiative to tackle Parkinson's disease, after being diagnosed with the condition. The eminent scientist announced his diagnosis today - World Parkinson's Day - ahead of the launch of a major research programme that will see experts at the Universities of Edinburgh and Dundee join forces in the quest to better understand the disease. They will set up infrastructure to enable the first trials in Scotland in a generation for therapies that aim to slow down Parkinson's disease progression. The new Dundee-Edinburgh Parkinson's Research Initiative aims to probe the causes of disease and translate scientific discoveries into new therapies. The ultimate goal is to find new approaches to predict and prevent Parkinson's, and to facilitate clinical testing of therapies aimed at slowing or reversing disease progression. Professor Dario Alessi, of the University of Dundee, said, "All attempts to slow the progression of Parkinson's have thus far failed. Surprisingly today's most widely utilised Parkinson's drug levodopa was first used in the clinic in 1967. "In recent years, our knowledge of the genetics and biology underlining Parkinson's disease has exploded. I feel optimistic and it is not unrealistic that with a coordinated research effort, major strides towards better treating Parkinson's disease can be made." Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition caused by damage to specific cells in the brain. It affects movement and is often associated with involuntary shaking. Therapies that reduce symptoms can help to prolong quality of life, but currently there are no treatments to slow or halt the progression of the disease. At present, Scottish patients seeking to take part in clinical trials of treatments that could delay disease progression are required to travel to centres in England or Wales, or even abroad. Professor Wilmut said, "Initiatives of this kind are very effective not only because they bring more people together, but because they will include people with different experience and expertise. It was from such a rich seedbed that Dolly developed and we can hope for similar benefits in this project." Dolly the sheep was created at The Roslin Institute in 1996 by a multidisciplinary research team led by Professor Wilmut. She was the first clone of an animal from an adult cell and her birth turned scientific thinking on its head. It showed that cells from anywhere in the body could be made to behave like a newly fertilised egg - something that scientists had thought was impossible. This breakthrough paved the way for others to develop a method of using adult cells to produce reprogrammable cells that could develop into any kind of tissue in the body - so called induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPSCs. These cells hold great promise as therapies because of their potential to repair damaged tissues. The first clinical trials of iPSCs for Parkinson's disease are to begin in Japan later this year. Dr Tilo Kunath, of Edinburgh's Medical Research Council Centre for Regenerative Medicine, said, "People with Parkinson's urgently require access to earlier and more accurate diagnosis, better prediction of how their disease will progress, and most importantly, the opportunity to participate in clinical trials of new treatments. This new research partnership aims to make these hopes a reality for people in Scotland." There are more than 12,000 people living with Parkinson's disease in Scotland. Across the UK, the number is expect to double in the next 50 years as the population grows and people live longer. The Dundee-Edinburgh Parkinson's Research Initiative will be formally launched at a public event at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on Friday 13 April. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Dundee Research Interest Group (DRIG) |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | Myself and several members of my lab, including Dr Esther Sammler and Dr Paul Davies participated in a Parkinson's patients event organised by the Dundee Research Interest Group (DRIG) within the SLS on 18th January 2019. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Dundee Research Interest Group meeting |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | I participated at the Dundee Research Interest Group meeting with local Parkinson's patients to provide an update on our research progress |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Edinburgh Parkinson's seminar that was delivered by Giovanni Mallucci |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | PRC PPU Unit co-sponsored the Edinburgh Parkinson's seminar that was delivered by Giovanni Mallucci in which 300 patients and family members attended. Professor Dario Alessi gave the vote of thanks at the end of the seminar. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Interview to discuss LRRK2 and Parkinson's Disease |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Interview with "Tomorrow Edition" to discuss Parkinson's disease and LRRK2. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
URL | https://tmrwedition.com/2018/09/18/interview-with-biochemist-and-lrrk2-expert-prof-dario-alessi/ |
Description | Interview with Bloomberg news journalist |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | I was interviewed by and helped the journalist Robert Langreth prepare the below bloomberg article. https://www.michaeljfox.org/sites/default/files/media/document/Businessweek_Michael%20J.%20Fox%20and%20Sergey%20Brin%20Take%20Their%20Push%20for%20a%20Parkinsons%20Cure%20to%20the%20Next%20Level.pdf |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.michaeljfox.org/sites/default/files/media/document/Businessweek_Michael%20J.%20Fox%20and... |
Description | Interview with Journalist from Bloomberg News |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | On Thursday 19th January, I spent ~90 minutes talking with Robert Langreth, a Journalist from Bloomberg News, on the subject of Pakrinson disease, Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases. Robert was looking to write a story on where the efforts for parkinson's disease modifying drugs stand. Robert was interested in finding out more about lrrk2 and parkinson's disease research. Robert advised he had also spoken with the MJFF and ASAP re how the influx of funding from MJFF/Sergey Brin/Asap is changing things, and how is the approach taken in parkinson's differ from the more single minded focus in Alzheimer's. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Interview with Journalist from Bloomberg News |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | On Thursday 19th July I met with Robert Langreth, via Zoom, from Blomberg Newsroom to discuss research and treatments for Parkinson's disease |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Interview with jounalist from the Herald and Times |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | Myself and Esther Sammler had a zoom interview with Helen Mcardle who is as journalist from the Herald and Times to go over our Parkinson's research. This interview relates an upcoming RSE Curious event on Parkinson's disease and we expect an article to be published to coincide with this event |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.heraldscotland.com/news/23786235.parkinsons-disease-hope-this-exciting-time/?ref=socialf... |
Description | MRC Festical of Medical Research Inside Out Science Open Day 2018 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | MRC Festival of Medical Research Inside Out Science Open day involved researchers from the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC PPU) and MRC Doctoral Training Programme students (from the Schools of Life Sciences and Medicine at the University of Dundee). The MRC Festival aimed to inform, inspire and stimulate thinking about medical research. Our event was held within the School of Life Sciences and involved seven table top engagement activities, five ten-minute accessible science talks given by PhD students and early career researchers, three lab tours and three videos about the scientific work of the Unit on loop with visitors. There were two new activities called Chromatography and Stem Cell Game trialled that were developed by MRC PPU staff and students plus previously developed activities. Prior to the open day event, a primary six class at Glebelands Primary School attended a 90 minute session to give valuable feedback on talks and new activities. Members from my lab who participated were; Elena Purlyte - PhD Student Alexia Kalogeropoulou - PhD Student Jordana Freemantle - PhD Student Overall, 129 members of public (generally family groups) were reached with 103 people visiting on the day, a further 24 Primary Six pupils and their two teachers who gave feedback on the new talks and activities ahead of the event. The event met a number of the objectives and key messages from the 2018 - 2023 MRC Protein phosphorylation and ubiquitination Public Engagement and Communications Plan which were: Communications Objectives 1) Generate interest in science as a career path for young people in Dundee to reveal opportunities and make science accessible. 2) Share the unit's research expertise with non-scientific communities to raise awareness of the importance of basic research in understanding health and disease. Key Messages 1) Basic research is vital - before we can develop new medicines we first need to understand how the body works in health and disease. 2) MRC PPU is an outstanding environment to pursue phosphorylation or ubiquitylation research. 3) As scientists we value new ideas and are open to sharing our work with all who have an interest in it. Feedback The visitors to the event were a mixture of ages which included family groups (children under 16 years) and adults up to 70 years of age. Feedback indicated that they enjoyed themselves overall and said they would come to a similar event again. Highlights included a game developed on the topic of Stem Cells and the laboratory tours. Around a third of visitors polled had not attended a University of Dundee event before indicating we were reaching new audiences. The talks in particular stimulated a number of questions from the audience such as: • How long does it take for a cell to divide? • What would happen if you lost all your amino acids? • Is it only older people who get Parkinson's? • What is it about not being obese that helps protect you from Alzheimer's? • What does wildtype mean? Participants reported having a positive experience, they all said they'd do it again and that they'd recommend a colleague take part too. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2016,2018 |
Description | Meeting with Juvenescence Ltd & AI - California Life Sciences company |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | I met with Charles Roberts, the Chief Data Science Advisor of the Juvenescence Ltd & AI a California Life Science company. He is an entrepreneur who has founded numerous companies. I told him about our Units research and he was particularly interested in the work we are doing on Parkinson's disease |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Meeting with UoD alumni |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Myself, and other members of SLS, participated in an event which welcomed medics who graduated from Dundee University in 1977. I discussed with them the current research that is taking place in our Unit and beyond in Dundee. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
Description | Parkinson's Patient/Parkinson's Uk organised event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Gave a talk on LRRK2 in Parkinson's at a Parkinson's Patient/Parkinson's Uk organised event. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Parkinson's UK Supporters Event |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Discussing mine and the units research and projects to Parkinson's supporters at the Parkinson's UK Supporters Event on 2nd July 2018 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Parkinson's UK West of Scotland Research Interest group |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | I gave a general public talk today 15th June to the Parkinson's UK West of Scotland Research Interest group and answered their question on Parkinson's disease. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Parkinsons Fund-raisoing |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On Wedensday 30th November I spent 1 hour talking with James Moreland and Romualda Zabityte who work for the Enotrac company about our research on LRRK2 and Parkinson's disease. Colleagues of James Moreland have undertaken a cycling race from lands end to john ogroats to raise over £5000 for our LRRK2 research. there efforts are recorded on this blog |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.enotrac.com/en/news/meldungen/ENOTRAC-completed-a-1000-miles-cycle-journey-across-the-UK... |
Description | Participated in a Michael J Fox Research podcast |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | I recently participated in a Michael J Fox Research podcast, to talk about our research on Parkinson's-see below link. The interview was conducted by Marie McNeely, PhD Managing Partner Unfold Productions marie@unfoldnow.com unfoldnow.com. https://www.michaeljfox.org/podcast/episode-4-elucidating-pathobiology-lrrk2-parkinsons-disease-dr-dario-alessi?em_cid=mc-a1bVL000000DzP3 |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
URL | https://www.michaeljfox.org/podcast/episode-4-elucidating-pathobiology-lrrk2-parkinsons-disease-dr-d... |
Description | Patient visit and generous donation by Kiltwalk fundraiser Moira Cardosi towards Parkinson's disease research |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | Moira Cardosi, Barbara Lynch and Liz Haughey visited the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit to meet with myself and other members of the team to hear about our exciting research into Parkinson's disease. They also presented us with a cheque in excess of £3,000 - funds that Moira Cardosi had raised during the 2019 Kiltwalk in memory of Mrs Lynch's late husband who had suffered from the condition. During a tour of the MRC PPU laboratory our visitors also gained a first-hand impression of our work and why we believe that better understanding the causes of Parkinson's disease will eventually lead to finding a cure. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ppu.mrc.ac.uk/news/generous-donation-kiltwalk-fundraiser-moira-cardosi-towards-parkinson... |
Description | Pioneer of Digital Blood Glucose Meter Technology visits MRC-PPU |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Professor Ian Shanks FRS and his daughter Dr Emma Shanks visited the MRC Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (PPU) on January 23rd to hear about the research being undertaken at the PPU. Ian Shanks is a pioneer of liquid crystal display (LCD) and adapted this to develop the first digital blood glucose sensor in the 1980s which has transformed the management of diabetes and benefitted millions of patients worldwide. During their visit, they met with Dario Alessi and Miratul Muqit to hear about the latest research developments into better understanding Parkinson's disease and Philip Cohen who undertook seminal work in diabetes research to elucidate the function of insulin and delineate its signalling pathway. Finally they met with Mike Ferguson to hear how about the work of the Drug Discovery Unit and the university's links to industry. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
URL | https://www.ppu.mrc.ac.uk/news/pioneer-digital-blood-glucose-meter-technology-visits-mrc-ppu |
Description | Press Release regarding Parkinson's story |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | National media releases include; Daily Telegraph, Time, Daily Mail, Times and the Daly Telegraph |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Pursuing a breakthrough for Parkinson's |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Pursuing a breakthrough for Parkinson's |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://www.dundee.ac.uk/stories/pursuing-breakthrough-parkinsons |
Description | Radio interview with Tay fm |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
Results and Impact | Conducted a Radio interview with local station Tay FM to discuss the recent press release by University of Dundee, titled "Dolly scientist backs research drive to tackle Parkinson's disease" |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2018 |
Description | Rallying to the Challenge - a general discussion |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | On Wednesday 8th September, myself, Miratul Muqit and Esther Sammler held a recorded a general discussion with Marc Van Greiken and Helen Matthews for the Cure Parkinson's trust on the research that we are doing in Dundee. This talk will be shown at a special 2021 conference for people with Parkinson's called "Rallying" that will have a worldwide audience. Rallying is a meeting for people with Parkinson's with the agenda designed by and with people living with Parkinson's. It is based on the Grand Challenges which were in person meetings held at the Van Andel Institute in Michigan. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
URL | https://cureparkinsons.org.uk/rallying-to-the-challenge-2021/ |
Description | School Visit |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Schools |
Results and Impact | Post doc in lab helps out at local secondary school, 10 days a year, in giving a Science lesson |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2015,2016 |
Description | Seminar to the Nigerian Biochemical Society |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | On Wednesday 6th September I presented a zoom seminar to the Nigerian Biochemical society on the Importance of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the 21st Centaury |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | Solicitors Dinner - 31st October 2019 |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Myself and members of my lab, Pawel Lis and Kerryn Berndsen, showed solicitors around our lab and discussed the research that we were doing on Parkinson's disease. I participated in a video that was made to describe our Parkinson's research and attended a dinner with the solicitors that also included people with Parkinson's to explain to them our research and why it was important. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | That's TV |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | In June 2023 I gave a short interview to Petra Kotkova, a news reporter from That's TV, with regards to me receiving an OBE. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | That's TV |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Regional |
Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
Results and Impact | In November 2023, I gave a short interview to Emma McAndrew, News Reporter for That's TV, with regards to me receiving The Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson's Research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | The Great Scottish run - Glasgow, 10k |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Other audiences |
Results and Impact | Myself and other members of the MRC PPU participated in the Glasgow 10K race as part of Marc van Grieken's "Shaky Team from Shaky Tou. This was to rais awareness of Parkinsons disease. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://www.ppu.mrc.ac.uk/news/great-scottish-run-mrc-ppu-support-marc-van-griekens-fundraising-effo... |
Description | Visit from Annie MacLeod, Scotland Director for Parkinson's UKs |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | Local |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | Annie MacLeod, Scotland Director for Parkinson's UK visit our lab on Thursday 7th March. The purpose of Annie's visit was to find out more about our research. Annie also had a tour of our labs as well as meeting with myself, Miratul Muqit and Esther Sammler. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
Description | Visit from the Scottish Chinese consulate to the MRC PPU |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | National |
Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
Results and Impact | In December 2019 I welcomed Consul General Mr Qiang Ma, as well as Mr Wei Zen and Mr Wenbin Xiao, of the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Edinburgh to the MRC PPU where I gave them a tour of our unit and talked to them about the Chinese collaborations that our Unit has and the increasing number of Chinese staff working in our Unit. They also got the chance to meet with many Chinese MRC PPU researchers. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2019 |
URL | https://twitter.com/mrcppu/status/1207971823176032256 |
Description | WPC Barcelona update call with Parkinson's patients |
Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | On Monday 11th September, I had a call with Parkinson's patients who attended the WPC in Barcelona in the summer of 2023 to reflect on our experiences in attending the conference. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
Description | World Parkinson's Conference |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Patients, carers and/or patient groups |
Results and Impact | I attended the World Parkinson's Conference in Barcelona 4-7 July 2023 in which there were more than 2000 people impacted with Parkinson's at this event. I talked with many patient groups and took all Dundee patients + a few others from other places from the UK for dinner on two of nights about the importance of scientific research and the work that we are undertaking at the University of Dundee. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |