News

UK DRI at Imperial researchers from the Barnes, Grossman, Matthews and Wisden labs inspired public audiences at the Great Exhibition Road Festival 2024. Read more on our outreach page.

Congrats to Professor Bill Wisden and Professor Paul Elliott who have been elected as fellows of the Royal Society! Click here to read more on the Imperial News site.

The main entrance at Imperial College London South Kensington Campus, showcasing an image of a big brain image by the main reception.

Generous gift launches study to support Alzheimer's research

Imperial researchers extend study on exploring markers associated with Alzheimer’s disease thanks to an exceptional donation from Gates Ventures.

Imperial joins Alzheimer's Society Doctoral Training Centre

Imperial becomes part of Alzheimer's Society initiative to encourage early career researchers to work in dementia research

Woman leaning on a fumehood in lab with lab coat on

Ultrasound to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease

Emerging leader Dr Sophie Morse features in new article highlighting her research into using ultrasound as a treatment in Alzheimer's disease

Imperial staff profile: Dr Cynthia Sandor

Read more about Cynthia's research interests and what inspired her to pursue research in Parkinson’s Disease!

Group of people in discussion at a poster session

Student awarded poster prize at Rising Scientist Day 2024

Matteo Vinao-Carl, PhD student in the Grossman lab, wins poster competition at the annual event run for Faculty of Medicine students

Using smartwatch data to monitor Parkinson's Disease

Nature publish a new study into digital PD measures from UK DRI at Imperial group leader Dr Cynthia Sandor and researchers at Cardiff University

Centre researchers awarded new UK DRI funding

The 'Key Questions' programme was introduced to fund bold and boundary pushing research

New research counters dominant view in neuroscience

Study published in Nature Neuroscience, co-led by Prof Bill Wisden, suggests toxin clearance is reduced during sleep, rather than increased

New insights into mechanisms of senescence in Alzheimer's

Study, led by Prof Paul Matthews and Dr Nurun Fancy, could lead to new therapeutic targets for the condition

How sleep and temperature regulate a neuroprotective pathway

New research led by Dr Brancaccio and Dr Hoekstra could open up new therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative disease

Researcher in lab coat holding a pipette

Celebrating Early Career Women in Brain Sciences

Dr Alessia Caramello and Dr Nurun Fancy, two postdocs from the Centre, feature in article highlighting early career women in the Department

UK DRI Group Leader features in Imperial staff blog

Dr Alexi Nott talks about his lab's research focus at the Centre and his role as the Dept LGBTQ+ Champion

New paper on brain vascular inflammation and Alzheimer's

Important new study led by the Matthews' lab indicates that reducing brain vascular inflammation could slow Alzheimer’s progression

Transmission electron micrograph of green virus particles on a purple background

New research on Covid-19 and memory function

New study led by Prof Paul Elliott suggests Covid-19 might impair cognition and memory in a small but lasting way

Woman stands at the front of conference room giving a talk and gesturing to presentation on screen

Dr Jo Jackson awarded Carol Jennings Fellowship

UK DRI Emerging Leader Dr Jo Jackson is the first recipient of the Alzheimer’s Society Carol Jennings Fellowship

Woman delivering talk stands in front of conference hall and gestures to screen

New group leader Cynthia Sandor joins the centre at Imperial

Introducing Dr Cynthia Sandor: Pioneering earlier detection of Parkinson’s

New BBC documentary airs: 'Alzheimer's: The Turning Point?'

Panorama follows patients taking part in clinical trials for two new Alzheimer's drugs shown to slow disease progression

ARUK In Conversation: panel discusses amyloid protein

Alzheimer's researchers discuss the role of amyloid protein in Alzheimer's disease. Watch recording of the event

Ancient DNA reveals reason for high MS and Alzheimer’s rates

Groundbreaking study of ancient genes provides brand new biological understanding of debilitating disorders

Age-linked cognitive decline findings from our UK DRI Centre

Ageing brain fails to control neuronal activity with consequences for cognition, according to a study led by Dr Sam Barnes and Dr Carola Radulescu

Health Minister visits to see pioneering dementia research

The Minister for Health and Secondary Care Andrew Stephenson MP visited the UK Dementia Research Institute at White City.

Professor Paul Matthews appointed Director at the RFI

A huge congrats to Paul, the new Institute Director at the Rosalind Franklin Institute. He will continue as a Group Leader in our centre.

Forging the next generation of AI digital healthcare

A new £28 million UKRI AI Centre for Doctoral Training at Imperial College London will train over 120 researchers to develop patient-ready technology

Deep brain stimulation breakthrough makes national news

Cutting-edge work led by Imperial PI Dr Nir Grossman could provide alternative treatment for brain diseases.

Imperial PhD student wins award at annual UK DRI conference

Eléonore Schneegans wins Computational Reproducibility Prize at Connectome 2023 in Brighton, with Brian Schilder receiving an honourable mention

Research reveals new insights into sleep behaviour in mice

UK DRI researchers discover brain pathways involved in ‘sleep preparatory behaviour’ in mice, which is likely to also apply to humans

Imperial named UK’s best university

Imperial College London is ranked top of a new league table of UK universities

Study reveals new insights into markers of inflammation

Paper, led by Centre Director Prof Paul Matthews, published in Nature Communications

Interview with Dr Alessia Caramello, BNA 2023

Alessia gives an overview of her work studying neuronal vulnerability in Alzheimer's disease

Positive results published from donanemab Phase III trial

UK DRI researchers comment on the breakthrough

UK DRI researcher engages with public at Great Exhibition Road Festival

Centre hosts stalls at The Great Exhibition Road Festival

Researchers across the Centre volunteered to engage the public in our research at the annual festival which welcomed over 50,000 visitors this year

Prof Siddharthan Chandran appointed new Director of UK DRI

Prof Siddharthan Chandran, a world-leading expert in neurodegenerative diseases, will become the new Director of UK DRI from 1 October 2023

UK DRI Centre co-hosts joint dementia symposium

Experts from across Imperial discussed the latest research progress in vascular dementia, the second most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's

PhD student from the Centre wins Rising Scientist prize

Brian Schilder (Skene lab) won a presentation award at the Imperial Rising Scientists Day

UK DRI funding

Imperial’s dementia research institutes secure £30 million funding for the next five years

New interim director of the UK DRI announced

Professor Giles Hardingham has been named Interim Director of the Institute while the process to find a new permanent Director continues

New Alzheimer's drug slows disease by a third

Professor John Hardy, UK DRI UCL, spoke with BBC on the momentous breakthrough

Dr Kjara Pilch awarded BBSRC Discovery Fellowship

Kjara has received the fellowship to study synaptic diversity and dysfunction during aging

Dementia symptoms

New article discusses 6 unusual signs of the disease

How patient participation is shaping our research

18 people affected by dementia joined the Grossman lab to give invaluable insights for the development of novel brain stimulation technology

Building an 'atlas' of the Alzheimer's brain

Project manager of the MAP project, Dr Johanna Jackson, talks through the £2M funded initiative

Industry Minister visits UK DRI at Imperial

Centre Director Prof Paul Matthews welcomes Minister for Industry and Investment Security, Nusrat Ghani MP

LGBTQ+ Brains: new blog launches

LGBTQ+ Allies Network's new initiative to highlight the work of queer scientists, along with their journey into research, via a series of interviews

LGBTQ+ Champion Dr Nott interviewed for LGBTQ+ STEM Day

Dr Alexi Nott discusses his hopes and goals for the LGBTQ+ Allies Network in a new article

Fluorescent image -TAF15 protein forming bubbles filled with RNA, that assemble around the cell nucleus

Centre researchers awarded UK DRI recognition prizes

Dr Michael Morten (Ye lab) and David Miao (Wisden lab) awarded UK DRI recognition prizes at Connectome 2022

Study reveals new insights into Alzheimer's risk gene

New study, led by Prof Paul Elliott, uncovers new biological pathway that could be linked to Alzheimer’s disease

£7.5m gift will advance Alzheimer’s research

Imperial College London announces a £7.5 million gift from the Michael Uren Foundation

Imperial NHS doctor in appointment with older man

NIHR £95 million investment

Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London have been awarded more than £95 million to develop and improve care for patients

Screenshot of Jeremy Paxman documentary on ITV webpage

Prof Steve Gentleman featured in new Parkinson's documentary

Paxman visits the Imperial College Brain Bank in new documentary

New report on health inequalities

The UK DRI have published a new report, detailing the impact of scientific research on health inequalities for people affected by dementia

Graphic illustration of red blood cells in vessels

Genetic link between heart health and vascular dementia

A new study led by Prof Paul Matthews has identified a genetic link between heart health and vascular dementia

Report highlights link between air pollution and dementia

Imperial researchers to collaborate with UK DRI to investigate growing link between air pollution and dementia

New research intro sleep triggered by stress

UK DRI Group Leader Bill Wisden describes how sleep triggered by stress can help mice cope with later anxiety

Alzheimer's blog for Dementia Action Week

Kitty Murphy, PhD student at the Centre, shares the complex nature of Alzheimer’s disease and why there’s more to it than just our genes

Imperial research is best in UK, finds REF 2021

Imperial has a greater proportion of world-leading research than any other UK university, according to the Research Excellence Framework

UK DRI Researchers smiles for photo with MP

Building bridges with MPs

Dr Sarah Marzi, UK DRI Emerging Leader, was one of 30 scientists to participate in The Royal Society Pairing Scheme this year

Lasting brain impacts of severe COVID-19

The lasting mental impacts of severe COVID-19 on areas like memory, attention, or problem solving, may be equivalent to 20 years of ageing

Imperial's impact on our understanding of Dementia

To mark Dementia Action Week, we look at how Imperial College London is making an impact on our understanding of dementia

CUT&Tag recovers up to half of ENCODE ChIP-seq peaks

New workflow will facilitate future efforts to apply CUT&Tag in human tissues and single cells

Single brain scan can diagnose Alzheimer’s disease

A single MRI scan of the brain could be enough to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease, according to new research by Imperial College London.

Two students from the Centre awarded UK DRI prize

Winners announced for UK DRI’s first 'Prize for Computational Reproducibility in Dementia Research'

‘Landmark’ biomedical engineering hub launches in London

New research facility will drive advances in life-changing medical technologies and treatments.

Discovering hope for dementia

UK DRI leading the journey of discovery in dementia

New book published, co-edited by Dr Marco Brancaccio

In this recently published book, leading experts in the field review how circadian rhythms impact the brain

Two women sit at table outside in the sun and fill out form

College receives Race Equality Charter award

Imperial’s commitment to action recognised with Race Equality Charter award

Imperial named University of the year

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide has named Imperial College London as University of the Year 2022

A transformative roadmap for neurotechnology in the UK

KTN are calling for multi-million pound investment in ground-breaking treatments for disorders of the brain and nervous system

£1.5 million funding to Alzheimer's

£1.5 million funding to investigate how genes impact brain cells in Alzheimer’s

Professor Paul Elliott given President's 2021 award

Professor Paul Elliott given President's 2021 awards and medals for excellence In Research

Dr Sarah Marzi on The Genomics Lab Podcast

Epigenetic regulation in neurodegenerative diseases with Dr Sarah Marzi

Professor Paul Elliott awarded CBE

Professor Paul Elliott is awarded a CBE for services to scientific research in Queen's Birthday Honours

Riad photographed in the Arab Hall at Leighton House Museum.

Shifting the Lens - An interview with Riad Yagoubi

A series celebrating staff and students from ethnic minority backgrounds at Imperial - this week featuring one of our postgraduate researchers

New Research on Type 2 Diabetes and Dementia

New research may help explain why people with type 2 diabetes are more likely to develop dementia.

Professor Kivipelto receives 2020 Ryman Prize

-recognising more than 20 years of research into Alzheimer's Disease and dementia

Blog Post - What starts Alzheimer’s disease?

Paul Matthews, our Centre Director, discusses...

UK DRI Emerging Leaders Announced

Emerging Leaders: initiative launched to support bright new research talent

Grossman Lab's work on tremor suppression

On BBC Inside Science: 'rogue brain waves' (16:30-21:30)

Interview with Professor Charlene Gamaldo

‘Diversity must come with inclusion and placing a high value in providing a supportive environment for diverse voices to be heard’

Epigenetics and Alzheimer’s

Epigenetics and Alzheimer’s: A Conversation with Raffaella Nativio

UK Biobank on avoid impacts

Scientists from UK Biobank have embarked on a major study to determine Covid-19's long-term health impacts.

A new website for our MAP

Visit the new website for the Multi-o'mics Atlas Project

Non-invasive brain stimulation helps to ease tremors

UK researchers have used electrical pulses to help suppress the tremors typically found in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease.

LEAF award for new UK DRI labs

New UK DRI Imperial labs in the new Sir Michael Uren building achieve bronze LEAF award in sustainability

LifeTime Strategic Research Agenda

Implementing cell-based interceptive medicine in Europe within the next decade

Dr Nir Grossman leads new Alzheimer's Association trial

$1.5M for new non-invasive deep brain stimulation therapy for people with Alzheimer’s disease

Big virtual pub quiz supports Alzheimer's Research UK

Dr Ash Venkataraman explains Alzheimer's disease during the Guinness World Record pub quiz

Genetic Database for Parkinsons Clues

Creation of the world's largest open access database for pathology-related variants

Gut may play a role in development of Parkinson’s disease

UK DRI researcher part of team to discover that the gut may play a role in development of Parkinson’s disease

Alzheimer's brain 'atlas' may help identify new treatments

£2m initiative to create multi-'omics atlas of the Alzheimer's brain

UK-Japan Neuroscience Symposium

The impact of lifestyle on dementia prevention

Edmond and Lily Safra Research Fellows

Rising research stars bolster Imperial’s dementia research mission

Protein tangles linked with dementia

seen after single head injury

Brain’s 'support cells' help mammals to keep time

Astrocytes are star-shaped nerve cells found in the brain and spinal cord that were thought to support neurons in regulating circadian rhythms

Researcher wins prize

for method that reaches into the brain, without surgery

New tissue technique

gives stunning 3D insights into the human brain

Can you sleep your way to a healthier brain?

Experts researching the science of sleep turn their attention to dementia for the first time.

Proteins behaving badly

Misfolded proteins, amyloid diseases and the path to treatments for Alzheimer’s

New Year's Resolutions

We look back at the past year to see how Imperial’s researchers could provide inspiration

Major donation to accelerate reseach

will support fellowships for rising stars in Parkinson's Disease research

For other news from our sister Centres in the UK DRI

How temperature and circadian rhythms intersect to regulate a protein shown to protect against neurodegeneration

A new study led by Dr Marco Brancaccio (UK DRI at Imperial) and Dr Marieke Hoekstra (former UK DRI at Imperial, now VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research) offers a deeper insight into how a neuroprotective pathway is regulated both by temperature and the body clock. This research, published in the journal PNAS, could open up new therapeutic avenues for neurodegenerative disease. Read more on the UK DRI website

Introducing Cynthia Sandor: Pioneering earlier detection of Parkinson’s

Dr Cynthia Sandor, former Emerging Leader at the UK DRI at Cardiff, joins the UK DRI at Imperial as a Group Leader, where she will be tackling early diagnosis of Parkinson’s.

With a background in genetics, Dr Sandor uses computational methods to bring greater understanding to the underlying molecular mechanisms of Parkinson’s. Read more about Cynthia's work on the UK DRI website.

Principal funder:

Medical Research Council