Froudist-Walsh

Looking for: iPSC neuronal cultures

Our interests include neuronal development, synaptic specificity in neural circuits, generation of neuronal excitability, neuronal circuits underlying behaviour, neuronal plasticity, and neurodegeneration. We are also interested in better understanding the lifelong consequences of neurodevelopmental, neurological, and neurocognitive conditions including genetic disorders, epilepsy, mitochondrial disorders, neurodegenerative, metabolic disorders, autism, ADHD, Down’s Syndrome, Alzheimer disease-Down syndrome, and intellectual disabilities to improve diagnosis, and treatment. We will also study acquired brain disorders and traumatic insults to the growing central nervous system.

We aim to better understand, quantify, and model the dynamics of complex molecular assemblies, signalling processes, neuronal excitability, and functions of the nervous system and how they evolved. We are interested in the development of brains and behaviour, cognition, and affect, etc in children, as well as how these can be modelled in animals. To achieve this, we perform, and the PhD student will be trained in multi-disciplinary research developing new and diverse technologies including transgenic (including novel CRISPR) model organisms (Drosophila, mice, etc), in vitro models, computational modelling, sequencing human brain tissue and clinical research.

Paediatric NM focus Research: I lead the Paediatric arm of the Bristol Neuromuscular Research Group based at the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children. Thanks to support from charities and University Hospitals Bristol we are able to deliver commercial Trails in NM disorders. We collaborate and contribute data to NIHR, North Star, SMA Reach, 100,000 Genome Project and Neuropathy databases.

In 2021 a Bristol Neuro Fly research group was set up in collaboration with James Hodge and Edgar Buhl. This is a basic science research group which has bought together a group of scientists, mathematicians, neurologists and animal scientists to commence basic science work on neurodevelopmental disorders. This is at the start of the Translational research pipeline which we hope will ultimately result in better treatments for children with neurological conditions.

• Genetic predisposition to cerebral palsy and white matter injury in preterm infants
• Molecular mechanisms of neuronal plasticity: developmental and activity dependent changes in the molecular organisation and function of glutamate receptors in the central nervous system
• The molecular organisation and functional role of ionotropic and metabotropic glutamate receptors in the developing CNS and in islets of Langerhans
• Pharmacological properties and distribution of glutamate receptors
• White matter injury in the immature brain: functional analysis of metabotropic glutamate and GABAB receptors in developing oligodendrocytes
• Development and application of novel subtype selective glutamate receptor antagonists and immunochemical reagents for the study of synaptic plasticity"