CURRENT PROJECTS:
Our ground-breaking collaborative network of leading research centres aims to step up the pace of PSP & CBD research in the UK.
Read more about the different research projects we are currently funding below.
FELLOWSHIPS:
The development of young researchers is essential for the future of PSP & CBD research. Fellowships enable young doctors to undertake a clinical research project, providing them with the skills and experience to bridge the gap between the lab and clinic in their future careers. This will be essential to enable them to facilitate the development of treatments.
PSPA Research Fellowship
Commitment: £260,000
Start date: 2023
Duration: 3 years
Fellow: Dr Robert Durcan, University of Cambridge
This 3 year project will focus on a chemical called noradrenaline. It is the brain’s natural form of adrenaline, our “fight or flight” hormone. Noradrenaline is necessary for many aspects of thinking and behaviour including motivation, attention, decision-making, multi-tasking, and sleep amongst other things. It is produced in a small area in the base of the brain called the locus coeruleus. This bit of the brain is badly damaged by PSP where faulty tau builds up early, causing up to 90% of this region to be lost in the final stage of the illness. It is thought that damage to noradrenaline production causes personality changes such as increase apathy and impulsivity. This project will investigate how noradenaline production differs between people with PSP and what symptoms they experience, as well as if a repurposed ADHD medication called Atomoxetine can help apathy and impulsivity.
PROJECT GRANTS:
In 2023, the PSPA invited researchers to apply for funding for larger projects. These larger grants allow for longer and more extensive research projects to be carried out. The following projects were funded.
Dr Boyd Ghosh (University Hospital Southampton)
Commitment: £58,000
Start date: 2024
Duration: 2 years
Study: Comparing utilisation of health services and quality of life between centres
SMALL RESEARCH GRANTS:
The PSPA Small Research Grants were launched in 2021 to help fund small pilot studies or sections of studies into PSP & CBD.
Since then we have awarded 11 of these Small Research Grants.
Dr Negin Hollan (University of Cambridge), NIHR Neurology Clinical Lecturer and Honorary Neurology Specialist Registrar
Commitment: £10,000
Start date: 2025
Study: Characterising survival heterogeneity in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy and Corticobasal Syndrome.
Dr Ruth Lewis-Morton (University Hospital LLandough), Highly Specialised Clinical Psychologist
Commitment: £4930
Start date: 2025
Study: Understanding the Psychological Needs of Care Partners of people with PSP and CBD
Davi Schramm Vontobel (University of Cambridge), PhD Student
Commitment: £3580
Start date: 2025
Study: Tau and Glial Interactions in the Progression of PSP
Dr Boyd Ghosh (University Hospital Southampton), Consultant Neurologist
Commitment: £4940
Start date: 2025
Study: Fracture risk in Atypical Parkinsonian Syndromes
Dr William Scotton (New Cross Hospital, Wolverhampton), Consultant Neurologist
Commitment: £9,137
Start date: 2025
Study: Understanding the impact of ethnic diversity on the natural history of the 4-repeat tauopathies PSP and CBD: A West Midlands Initiative for Neurodegeneration (We-MIND) population study
Dr Mansoureh Fahimi Hnazaee (UCL), Research Fellow
Commitment: £9,800
Start date: 2024
Study: Non-invasive neurophysiological assessment of the human brainstem in vivo
Dr Patrick Cullinane (UCL), Clinical Research Fellow
Commitment: £5,000
Start date: 2024
Study: Nanopore sensing of tau post-translational modifications
Dr Boyd Ghosh (University Hospital Southampton), Consultant Neurologist
Commitment: £2,900
Start date: 2022
Study: A pilot study to assess the benefits of specialist multidisciplinary team (MDT) support within a specialist clinic for patients with progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal syndrome
COMPLETED PROJECTS & FELLOWSHIPS
Read below about the past projects and fellowships the PSPA has funded.
FELLOWSHIPS:
Scottish Research Fellowship (co-funded by Scottish Chief Scientist Office)
Commitment £97,500
Start date: 2016
Duration: 3 years
Fellow: Dr Diane Swallow, University of Aberdeen
Sara Koe Research Fellowship
Commitment £210,000
Start date: 2016
Duration: 3 years
Fellow: Dr Edwin Jabbari, University College London
PROJECT GRANTS:
Dr Edwin Jabbari (UCL)
Commitment: £75,000
Start date: 2024
Duration: 1 year
Study: Using a novel 4-repeat tau seed amplification assay to enhance the diagnosis and predict
SMALL RESEARCH GRANTS:
Dr Maura Malpetti (University of Cambridge), Research Fellow
Commitment: £9,279
Start date: 2022
Study: To support her study, looking into the application of neuroimaging techniques (PET and MRI scans) to investigate the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases (how they develop).
Dr Annelies Quaegbeur (University of Cambridge), Consultant Neuropathologist
Commitment: £4,700
Start date: 2023
Study: Characterising neuroinflammation in Progressive Supranuclear Palsy brains with high-plex spatial protein profiling
Dr Boyd Ghosh (University Hospital Southampton), Consultant Neurologist
Commitment: £2,700
Start date: 2024
Study: Use of feeding tubes in a-typical Parkinsonian syndromes
PROSPECT Research Network
Commitment: £673,458
Start date: 2015
Duration: 8 years
Chief Investigator: Prof Huw Morris, University College London
The network’s first major study, PROSPECT, is now well underway. As well as creating a bank of data and samples, it will dramatically increase understanding of disease progression and markers. Ultimately this should create a clear disease model that can be used as a benchmark in future clinical trials.
Development of a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biobank and CSF biomarkers for PSP
Commitment: £184,697
Start date: 2017
Duration: 2 years
Chief Investigator: Prof Huw Morris, University College London
This funding will support the collection and analysis of spinal fluid samples from PROSPECT study participants (see Research Network). The project aims to identify biological markers of disease in spinal fluid, which will help secure more rapid diagnosis and better tracking of disease progression. This, in turn, will assist patient monitoring in future clinical trials.
PSP Research Network neuroimaging core
Commitment: £300,000
Start date: 2016
Duration: 3 years
Chief Investigator: Prof James Rowe, University of Cambridge
This funding will allow the integration of a brain imaging study with the PROSPECT project (see Research Network). Using cutting-edge brain scanning technology and analysis, the researchers will be able to use images alongside the rest of the data collected from PROSPECT participants to improve understanding of how PSP and CBD arise and spread through the brain. It will also develop the use of brain scans as a tool for diagnosis and monitoring.
CONTACT US
For more information about our research activity, contact us on:
Tel: 01327 322418
