Professor Anne Rosser, European Huntington’s Disease Network (EHDN) Chair, gives a comprehensive interview on a new era in Huntington’s Disease Research.

Professor Rosser is co-director of the Brain Repair Group at Cardiff University School of Biosciences, Clinical Director of the Cardiff Fetal Tissue Bank and heads the South Wales clinical neurology service for Huntington’s Disease (HD). With a wealth of experience in the field, working with HD patients since 1994, Anne discusses the momentum she has seen building over the years.

In an interview with EHDN, Anne goes into detail on the challenges she faces, how she came to specialise in HD, the current status of transplantation therapies and HD as a model for neurodegenerative diseases in general.

In the article she highlights Cardiff University’s status as an important reference centre for HD and its strength in the field of neuroscience, especially given that Professor Peter Harper a clinical geneticist who worked at Cardiff University for many years, along with Professor Lesley Jones were both part of the consortium that discovered the HD gene.

 

To read the full interview here.

The annual Brain Games event this year took place on Sunday 10 March, marking the beginning of Brain Awareness and British Science week, with a record breaking 3,670 people making their way through the doors of the National Museum Cardiff to join in the fun.

A large selection of interactive games and shows were available to the public throughout the day, explaining various scientific concepts relating to the brain and giving children an opportunity to interact and ask questions to some of Cardiff’s leading scientific community.

Games included an inflatable brain bouncy castle, stroop mat races, guessing animal brains, shrinking chair optical illusions and many more. These were supplemented with a series of shows throughout the day giving children the opportunity to practise Brain Surgery alongside qualified surgeons, learn about super hero stem cells and challenge their curiosity.

Running Cardiff University’s largest public engagement event relies heavily on the time of willing volunteers, all of whom came from varied medical and research backgrounds, offering their insights and knowledge to the budding young scientists in attendance.

Attendees braved the queues and gave us some great feedback on the day:

“I love this event, great activities and friendly, interesting people”

“Well done on a fascinating and educational event. So lovely to see the kids learning without even realising they are!”

We hope those who attended left having learnt more about the diverse research taking place at Cardiff University and feeling inspired to become the neuroscientists of the future.

Dr Emma Yhnell from the Cardiff University will be swapping a lab coat for legislation when she visits Kevin Brennan MP at the House of Commons for a week in Westminster. The week (26 – 30 November) is part of a unique pairing scheme run by the Royal Society – the UK’s national academy of science, with support from the Government Science & Engineering (GSE) profession.

During her visit Emma will shadow Kevin and learn about his work. As well as attending seminars and panel discussions about how evidence is used in policy making, Emma will also attend a mock Select Committee as well as Prime Ministers Questions.The visit will provide Emma with a behind the scenes insight into how policy is formed and how her research can be used to make evidence based decisions. It will also give Kevin the opportunity to investigate the science behind his decisions and improve their access to scientific evidence.

Emma said ‘I am delighted to be taking part in the Royal Society Pairing Scheme. It will provide an important and valuable opportunity to highlight important scientific issues in the political arena. Key areas that I want to discuss include; how new drugs for neurodegenerative diseases are approved for treatment, lack of job stability within academic research and issues related to the funding of research, engagement, innovation and education.

The Royal Society’s pairing scheme, which started in 2001, aims to build bridges between parliamentarians, civil servants and some of the best scientists in the UK.

Kevin Brennan MP will get hands on experience of Emma’s scientific research and outreach and engagement activities when he dons a lab coat to visit Emma at The Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI) in Cardiff University next year.

The Royal Society pairing scheme is in its 18^th year. By the end of this year’s scheme, 456 Scientists will have taken part, shadowing a mixture of MPs, Peers, Civil Servants and Select Committee Staff. That is enough Scientists to fill the Green benches in the House of Commons, and still leave 28 standing. Previous politicians who have participated include Michael Gove, Defra Secretary, Nick Clegg, former Deputy Prime Minister, Chi Onwurah MP, Shadow Minister for Industrial Strategy, Caroline Lucas, Co-leader of the Green Party.

Cardiff University has formed a drug discovery collaboration with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) to identify new approaches for treating schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

The collaboration will combine the University’s large scale genomic data, and world-class expertise in psychiatric genetics, genomics and neuroscience, with Takeda’s extensive drug discovery and clinical development capabilities.

“Recent developments in psychiatric genetics and genomics, combined with advances in neuroscience, mean there is now a real prospect of overcoming the obstacles that have held back progress in developing new drugs for psychiatric disorders,” said Professor Lawrence Wilkinson, Scientific Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute (NMHRI) who will co-lead the partnership at Cardiff.

“Takeda’s expertise in successful drug discovery will enable our ambition to use our research to find better treatments for common brain disorders with high levels of unmet need.”

Professor Jeremy Hall, Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute and co-lead, commented:

“We are committed to translating our basic and clinical research into safer and more effective treatments for patients.”

The collaboration will allow Takeda access to world-leading biological psychiatry research and the related infrastructure across the University, including the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetic and Genomics, NMHRI, National Centre for Mental Health, and the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics Unit.

“By working in partnership with world-leading scientific and clinical neuropsychiatric experts at Cardiff University we have a unique opportunity to create a new wave of medicines, that are grounded in the genomic understanding of the disease, for patients suffering from schizophrenia and related psychiatric disorders,” said Ceri Davies, Head of the Neuroscience Drug Discovery Unit at Takeda.

Major psychiatric disorders, including depression, schizophrenia, autism and bipolar disorder, collectively represent an enormous unmet health need, accounting for approximately 20% of all years lost to disability globally, according to the World Health Organization.

Professor Sir Michael Owen, Director of the Medical Research Council Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics said:

“Therapeutic progress for these conditions has been limited by a lack of understanding of their primary causes, however major genetic advances in the last decade, many of which have been led by Cardiff University, have provided new and reliable insights into their biological causation. With our partner Takeda we have an unprecedented opportunity to develop novel therapeutic approaches for neuropsychiatric disorders.”

The success marks the third consecutive year that the BRAIN Unit has won this prize for their engagement initiatives, following Operation Brain and the ‘Splodge on the Brain’ art project receiving the most votes from delegates at the previous two events.

The TRIDENT Cup

The TRIDENT Cup, was a game re purposed from PhD student Zoe Noakes’ Stem Cell Mini Golf, following a hugely successful run at the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (MRC CNGG) Cardiff’s Summer Fair. Inspired by the TRIDENT trial, the game was meant to symbolise obstacles encountered in order to complete clinical trials and the practical challenges of reaching specific areas of the brain for treatment of neurological conditions.

With the golf ball symbolising fetal cells, the aim was to guide the ball, navigating through the obstacles on the course in order to reach the striatum. Each obstacle symbolised different challenges within the trial such as ethics approval, regulatory, and participant availability and eligibility. If the ball rolled off the course the trial would fail.

Participants were invited to play a game of golf and attempt to get a hole in one, overcoming obstacles to get the ball into the striatum at the end, recording how many shots it took to sink the ball into the hole.

The competition had a steady flow of inquisitive and competitive participants, attracting health professionals, academics and lay representatives from across Wales, with players practising their best swings in order to win the top prizes.

A team of Cardiff University neuroscientists united with members of a care home in Bridgend to celebrate the importance of public involvement in research.

Researchers from the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit visited Fieldbay’s private care home in Pen y Bont Court, Bridgend, on Friday 15 September to speak with members affected by a range of neuro-conditions.

BRAIN Involve community

The event, organised by Manager of the BRAIN Unit Dr Laura Bunting, featured two presentations followed by networking and an opportunity for Q&A. Members were invited to learn more about BRAIN Involve, a community that enables people with neuro-diseases and carers to get involved and shape the future of the Unit’s work.

Joining Dr Bunting was Professor Monica Busse, who is Director of Mind, Brain and Neuroscience Trials at the BRAIN Unit, Communications Officer Rachel Smith, and Research Associate Dr Susanne Clinch, creator of the Clinch Token Test (C3t).

Presentations aimed to make projects currently being developed by the BRAIN Unit accessible to the people they are designed to support. This includes gaining feedback on a wearable technology device that monitors exercise in people with Huntington’s disease.

The care home is one of eight hubs managed by Fieldbay, a local care provider which specialises in supporting individuals living with varying stages of neurological and neurodegenerative disorders.

Empowering the public

“We would like to thank Fieldbay’s fantastic team for welcoming us into their centre and providing the platform to host a conversation about research and why public involvement is so important to us,” said Dr Bunting.

“It is only by getting out into the community and speaking with people living with these conditions that we as researchers can hope to understand their real needs and develop more effective treatments and therapies.

“Public involvement is about so much more than simply taking part in research. We hope that, through our BRAIN Involve community, anyone wishing to input on research grants or get involved with our events feels empowered to do so.”

Representatives from other organisations included Richenda Leonard, who is Senior Project Officer for the Wales School for Social Care Research in the College of Human and Health Services at Swansea University, and Emma Langley from the Health and Care Research Wales’ Involving People Network.

The Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit is a research group based at Cardiff University. Funded by Welsh Government via Health and Care Research Wales, the Unit works to develop new therapies for brain diseases.

Pioneering research and treatments

A big part of public involvement is helping to shape and inform not only research, but also the pioneering treatments delivered by the BRAIN Unit.

In March 2016, the Unit’s Professor William Gray performed the first ever robot-assisted epilepsy procedure in Wales with patient Denise Casey, who was diagnosed with epilepsy when she was 31 and suffered up to six fits every day for the past 20 years.

With the robotic arm, created by technology company Renishaw, it took Professor Gray 55 minutes to accurately identify and operate on the epileptogenic zone in a procedure that would normally take four hours. Denise, who has not suffered any seizures since her two procedures, recently hailed the neurosurgery as ‘wonderful’ in a BBC Wales interview.

BRAIN has also been awarded research funds to undertake the first trial in Wales assessing the impact of neural transplantation in people with Huntington’s’ Disease. BRAIN Involve input from the outset will help support and develop this vital trial to understand the possible treatments for this currently incurable and devastating condition.

Case study: Peter Roberts

Former deputy head teacher Peter Roberts had been shaving in the bathroom when he suffered his first epileptic seizure and his wife Christine found him lying unconscious on the floor. Although Peter made a good recovery, he went on to suffer four more epileptic fits and quickly began to realise the value of providing patient insight for epilepsy research.

Now BRAIN Involve members, Peter and Christine delivered a talk at the Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) to share their personal understanding of epilepsy and stress the importance of research into neurological conditions.

“My original motivation for getting involved with BRAIN Involve was actually my mother’s experience of Parkinson’s disease,” Peter explained.

“In the later stages of her life, my mother suffered greatly with PD – the last three years of her life were hell. This is one of the many reasons why the BRAIN Unit’s research is so vitally important. If there is anything at all I can do to support or progress Cardiff University’s treatments in PD or epilepsy – I will do so!”

How do I get involved?

As a member of BRAIN Involve, core activities may range from attending meetings with the research team, writing/reviewing research grants, or helping to organise, chair and attend meetings with other members.

“The importance of public involvement in our neuro-research and development of novel therapies cannot be overstated,” said BRAIN Unit Manager, Laura Bunting.

“Being a member of BRAIN Involve is not about taking part in research, but about using your experiences to help inform and develop research ideas and projects that are relevant to your condition.”

If you are interested in playing a role in shaping neuroscience research, contact the BRAIN Unit team on brainunit@cardiff.ac.uk, or visit BRAIN Involve.

The British Neuroscience Association (BNA) is urging neuroscientists to apply for a range of prizes that recognise, promote and support neuroscientific excellence.

Each year, BNA awards prizes to UK neuroscientists in the following categories:

• Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience
• Public Engagement of Neuroscience
• Postgraduate Prize
• Undergraduate Prize

If you know someone that is deserving of a neuroscience prize nomination, please submit an application to office@bna.org.uk before Tuesday 31 October.

For more details about each award, please visit www.bna.org.uk/about/our-prizes.

A creative engagement activity developed by the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit has won the Best Interactive Stand award at this year’s Health and Care Research Wales Conference.

The success marks the second year running that the BRAIN Unit has claimed this particular accolade for their engagement initiatives, with their ‘Splodge on the Brain’ art project similarly receiving the most votes from delegates at last year’s event.

Operation Brain game

‘Operation Brain’, which was presented by the BRAIN Unit at the full-day annual conference at Cardiff’s SWALEC Cricket Stadium on Thursday 5 October, is a quirky take on the mainstream board-game ‘Operation’. Participants were invited to try their hand at brain surgery by removing all parts of the ‘brain’ structure to learn how each area controls different functions within the body.

But there’s a catch! The task must be completed in under 30 seconds while the participant endeavours to cause minimal brain trauma by not allowing their metal tweezers to touch the sides of the holes, which would trigger vibrations and a light to appear, signalling brain injury had been caused and points lost.

The competition got heated at the event, which attracted health professionals, academics and lay representatives from across Wales, as participants battled it out on the leader board to win chocolate brains and foam brain prizes.

Steady-handed winner, Kirsty, took home the top prize (a custom brain mug!) by being the only budding ‘neurosurgeon’ out of 37 participants to remove all seven brain pieces without causing any unnecessary ‘trauma’.

“We are absolutely delighted to win the Best Interactive Stand award two years running,” said Manager of the BRAIN Unit Dr Laura Bunting, who delivered a talk at the conference celebrating the importance of public involvement in research.

“The conference is a fantastic opportunity to get delegates thinking about how the brain areas control different parts of the body, and how our lives can be significantly challenged if our brain is injured or the system goes awry.

“Whether it be frontal lobe damage affecting a person’s executive functions or neuro-disorders such as Parkinson’s disease impacting movement – it is our aim to stress the importance of research in finding more effective therapies for these conditions.

“It is so rewarding to see our fun and competitive Operation Brain game helping people engage and understand more about our most vital organ – bring on next year’s competition!”

Find out more about the BRAIN Unit here: https://brainwalesprd.wpengine.com/

A neurosciences doctor based at the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) Unit has won the National Anatomical Society’s Postgraduate Neuroanatomy Competition 2017.

Ronak Ved, a Neurosciences Doctor at Cardiff and Vale Neurosciences Directorate in the University Hospital of Wales, was awarded first prize after competing in the UK-wide event hosted at The University Hospital of Southampton.

The competition saw doctors representing neuroscience departments from across the country compete across three examinations. Participants took on a neuroimaging assessment, a challenge involving dissected brain specimens and a clinical-based written exam.

Top accolade

As the only entrant representing a Welsh Hospital, Ronak did the region proud and claimed the top accolade after securing the highest score in every component of the contest.

“It is a real privilege to be recognised for this national honour,” said Ronak, whose role is funded by Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

“In my job, it is essential to integrate neuroscience knowledge with effective clinical care to deliver high quality treatment and instil confidence in our patients.

“This competition put all of these skills to the test, and I’m delighted to help place a spotlight on the BRAIN Unit as a centre of excellence in neurosurgery and neuro-therapeutic development, both on a local and national level.”

Well-respected

Jessica Castle, Director of Operations for the Specialist Services Clinical Board said: “We were really pleased to learn that Ronak won this national event and we would all like to congratulate him on this fantastic achievement.

“He is a well-respected and valued member of the Neurosciences team who has worked for the department for some time and has recently taken up the post of Neurology Teaching Fellow with us.”

For more information about the NRU and the (BRAIN) Unit, based at Cardiff University, please visit: https://brainwalesprd.wpengine.com/neuroscience-research-unit/