Dr Mootaz Salman Awarded MRC Career Development Fellowship

The Fellowship, which is highly competitive, comprises a £1.5m award which will support game-changing research by Dr Salman and his team to better understand the molecular mechanisms underlying blood-brain barrier (dys)function.

“Dementia is a multifactorial and heterogeneous condition and a leading cause of morbidity and mortality,” said Dr Salman. “Our work aims to answer the question: how does inflammation-mediated blood-brain barrier dysfunction lead to the development of neurodegeneration and dementia? Increasing evidence supports the involvement of BBB dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders including Parkinson’s and Alzheimer's. In-depth understanding of the cell-cell interactions and signalling pathways between the core elements of the blood-brain barrier will help in defining therapeutic targets for the prevention of dementia”.

This Fellowship will allow the Salman Group to continue to design and develop innovative and dynamic models to accurately mimic the brain and blood-brain barrier function of a person suffering from a neurodegenerative condition. These models, known as ‘brain-on-a-chip' and brain organoids simulate both the physiology and functionality of the human brain by using patient-derived stem cells, gene editing and other cutting edge technologies.

Dr Salman’s research will be fundamental when it comes to better understanding the signalling pathways involved in blood-brain barrier dysfunction in neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, and the group hopes their research will bring us one step closer to finding a cure.