Research

We apply a systems biology approach to this significant health issue, bringing together different biological disciplines, applying new technological approaches and developing computational models to model biological complexity, disease risk and trajectory.

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The challenge

Human behaviour is highly complex. It is dependent upon dynamic interactions between many different biological systems ranging from genes to cells, from neural circuits to behaviour.

This complexity makes understanding the cause of detrimental cognitive changes associated with ageing, the hallmark of dementia, equally complex and challenging. We still do not know what increases risk of dementia, what makes some people prone to one form of dementia compared to others, and what biological changes are the earliest markers of dementia onset.

Without knowing answers to these questions, it is virtually impossible to develop new therapies for dementia or to understand how changes in our behaviour might help reduce our dementia risk.

Working towards solutions

The areas we focus our study on include:

• The critical biological pathways dementia risk genes regulate
• The key cellular and molecular events these risk genes may trigger
• How these cellular networks influence neural networks in the brain
• How these, in turn, impact our cognition and behaviour
• The way in which these biological systems change across the lifespan as we age.

Our systems biology approach allows us to understand the causal sequence of key events linked to disease onset, and identify new markers of dementia risk and pathways for the development of potential therapies.

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