Professor Steve Dunnett

Emeritus

: dunnettsb@cardiff.ac.uk
: +44 (0)29 2087 5541
Fax:: +44 (0)29 2087 6749

: Media commentator

Research overview

Advances in our understanding of mechanisms of cell death, plasticity and regeneration in the central nervous system offer new opportunities for remediation and repair in several of the most distressing neurodegenerative diseases of adulthood, in particular Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. In the Brain Repair Group, we are seeking to develop new strategies for therapy based on a multidisciplinary approach in several converging problems.

Division

Neuroscience

I am a behavioural neuroscientist with a primary research interest in understanding mechanisms of degeneration and repair in the brain, with a particular focus on cell transplantation in models of Parkinson's and Huntington's disease.

With Professor Anne Rosser, I co-direct the Brain Repair group in the School of Biosciences.

Education

1957-68		Eltham College, London SE9
1969-72	BA(hons)	Churchill College, Cambridge	Mathematics
1974-76	DSW, CQSW	North London Polytechnic	Social Work
1976	MA	Churchill College, Cambridge
1978	BSc(hons)	Birkbeck College, London	Psychology
1981	PhD	Clare College Cambridge	Experimental Psychology
1999	DSc	Cambridge University	Neurobiology

Employment

1968-69: Office clerk, Muhlbach Papier, Geneva, Switzerland
1972-78: Social worker, London Borough of Southwark
1981-82: Visiting Research Scientist, University of Lund, Sweden
1982-83: Wellcome Trust Mental Health Research Fellowship, Cambridge University
1983-87: Demonstrator in Experimental Psychology, Cambridge University
1987-95: Lecturer in Experimental Psychology, Cambridge University
1992-99: Director of Scientific Programmes, MRC Centre for Brain Repair, Cambridge
1995-99: Reader in Neurobiology, Cambridge University
2000-05: Professorial Research Fellow, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales
2005- present: Full Professor, School of Biosciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff, Wales

Honours and awards

1969: Open Exhibition to Churchill College, Cambridge.
1978: Alexander Silberfield Prize (for top first) in the Faculty of Sciences, and Elaine Gladstone Prize (for top first) in Psychology, Birkbeck College, London.
1981: Fellowship, Clare College, Cambridge.
1988: Spearman medal of the British Psychological Society.
1989: Fellowship of the Royal Society of Medicine.
1992: Knight Visiting Professorship, University of Miami School of Medicine.
1998: Alfred Mayer medal of the British Neuropathological Society.
2001: Institute of Scientific Information, Philadelphia, 100 Most Highly Cited Researchers in the Neurosciences.
2001: Institute of Authors, London, Best science textbook of 2001 (second).
2002: Honorary Fellowship of the International Behavioural Neuroscience Society.
2003: Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
2008: The NNOXe Pharmaceuticals Award in The Behavioral and Systems Neurosciences, International Behavioural Neuroscience Society.

2010

Dobrossy, M.et al. 2010. Review: Neurorehabilitation With Neural Transplantation. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 24(8), pp. 692-701. (10.1177/1545968310363586)
Brooks, S. P., Jones, L. and Dunnett, S. B. 2010. Frontostriatal pathology in the (C57BL/6J) YAC128 mouse uncovered by the operant delayed alternation task [Meeting abstract]. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 81(1), pp. A9-A10. (10.1136/jnnp.2010.222570.29)
Twohig, J. P.et al. 2010. Age-dependent maintenance of motor controland corticostriatal innervation by death receptor 3. Journal of Neuroscience 30(10), pp. 3782-3792. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1928-09.2010)
Lane, E. L.et al. 2010. Neural grafting in Parkinson's disease: unraveling the mechanisms underlying graft-induced dyskinesia. In: Björklund, A. and Cenci, M. A. eds. Recent Advances in Parkinson’s Disease: Translational and Clinical Research. Progress in Brain Research Vol. 184. London: Elsevier, pp. 295-309., (10.1016/S0079-6123(10)84015-4)
Dunnett, S. B. and Lelos, M. J. 2010. Behavioural analysis of motor and non-motor symptoms in rodent models of Parkinson’s disease. Progress in Brain Research 184, pp. 35-51. (10.1016/S0079-6123(10)84003-8)
Mazzocchi-Jones, D., Döbrössy, M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2010. Environmental enrichment facilitates long-term potentiation in embryonic striatal grafts. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 25(6), pp. 548-557. (10.1177/1545968311402090)
Döbrössy, M.et al. 2010. Neurorehabilitation and neural transplantation. Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair 24(8), pp. 692-701. (10.1177/1545968310377604)
Lane, E. L. and Dunnett, S. B. 2010. Pretreatment with dopamine agonists influences L-dopa mediated rotations without affecting abnormal involuntary movements in the 6-OHDA lesioned rat. Behavioural Brain Research 213(1), pp. 66-72. (10.1016/j.bbr.2010.04.034)
Lane, E. L.et al. 2010. Neural grafting in Parkinsons disease unraveling the mechnisams underlying graft-induced dyskinesia. Progress in Brain Research 184, pp. 295-309. (10.1016/S0079-6123(10)84015-4)
Madete, J. K.et al. 2010. Challenges facing quantification of rat locomotion along beams of varying widths. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers Part H-Journal of Engineering in Medicine 224(11), pp. 1257-1265. (10.1243/09544119JEIM779)
Madete, J.et al. 2010. Quantification of rat locomotion along beams of varying widths. Presented at: 9th International Conference on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Valencia, Spain.
Madete, J. K.et al. 2010. Postural adjustments of an animal model of Parkinson's disease during over-ground locomotion. Presented at: 9th International Conference on Computer Methods in Biomechanics and Biomedical Engineering, Valencia, Spain.
Dunnett, S. B. and Lelos, M. J. 2010. Behavioral analysis of motor and non-motor symptoms in rodent models of Parkinson's disease. Progress in Brain Research 184(4), pp. 35-51. (10.1016/S0079-6123(10)84003-8)

2009

Mazzocchi-Jones, D., Döbrössy, M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2009. Embryonic striatal grafts restore bi-directional synaptic plasticity in a rodent model of Huntington's disease. European Journal of Neuroscience 30(11), pp. 2134-2142. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2009.07006.x)
Brooks, S. P.et al. 2009. Subtle but progressive cognitive deficits in the female tgHD hemizygote rat as demonstrated by operant SILT performance. Brain Research Bulletin 79(5), pp. 310-315. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2009.03.003)
Cunha, C.et al. 2009. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) overexpression in the forebrain results in learning and memory impairments. Neurobiology of Disease 33(3), pp. 358-368. (10.1016/j.nbd.2008.11.004)
Kelly, C. M.et al. 2009. Neonatal desensitization allows long-term survival of neural xenotransplants without immunosuppression. Nature Methods 6(4), pp. 271-273. (10.1038/nmeth.1308)
Monville, C.et al. 2009. Genetic, temporal and diurnal influences on L-dopa-induced dyskinesia in the 6-OHDA model. Brain Research Bulletin 78(4-5), pp. 248-253. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2008.11.007)
Brooks, S. P. and Dunnett, S. B. 2009. Lesions of the premotor and supplementary motor areas fail to prevent implicit learning in the operant serial implicit learning task. Brain Research 1284, pp. 116-124. (10.1016/j.brainres.2009.05.081)
Kelly, C., Dunnett, S. B. and Rosser, A. E. 2009. Medium spiny neurons for transplantation in Huntington's disease. Biochemical Society Transactions 37(1), pp. 323-328. (10.1042/BST0370323)
Paynter, S. J.et al. 2009. Membrane permeability coefficients of murine primary neural brain cells in the presence of cryoprotectant. Cryobiology 58(3), pp. 308-314. (10.1016/j.cryobiol.2009.02.008)
Trueman, R. C.et al. 2009. Rule learning, visuospatial function and motor performance in the Hdh(Q92) knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease. Behavioural Brain Research 203(2), pp. 215-222. (10.1016/j.bbr.2009.05.006)
Brooks, S. P. and Dunnett, S. B. 2009. Tests to assess motor phenotype in mice: a user's guide. Nature Reviews Neurosciences 10(7), pp. 519-529. (10.1038/nrn2652)
Weyrauch, U. M.et al. 2009. A Simple Breeding Protocol for the Procurement of Accurately Staged Rat Donor Embryos for Neural Transplantation. Cell Transplantation 18(4), pp. 471-476. (10.3727/096368909788809802)
Paynter, S. J.et al. 2009. Membrane permeability coefficients of murine primary neural brain cells in the presence of cryoprotectant. Cryoletters 29(1), pp. 84.
Madete, J.et al. 2009. Quantifying voluntary imitation of facial expressions. Presented at: Proceedings of the ISB Congress (ISB2009), Cape Town, South Africa.
Dunnett, S. B. 2009. Neural transplantation. In: Finger, S., Boller, F. and Tyler, K. L. eds. History of Neurology. Handbook of Clinical Neurology Vol. 95. Edinburgh: Elsevier, pp. 885-912., (10.1016/S0072-9752(08)02155-6)

2008

Hodges, A. K.et al. 2008. Brain gene expression correlates with changes in behavior in the R6/1 mouse model of Huntington's disease. Genes, Brain and Behavior 7(3), pp. 288-299. (10.1111/j.1601-183X.2007.00350.x)
Lane, E. L.et al. 2008. Potential cellular and regenerative approaches for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment 4(5), pp. 835-845. (10.2147/NDT.S2013)
Lane, E. L. and Dunnett, S. B. 2008. Animal models of Parkinson's disease and L-dopa induced dyskinesia: How close are we to the clinic?. Psychopharmacology 199(3), pp. 303-312. (10.1007/s00213-007-0931-8)
Zietlow, R.et al. 2008. Human stem cells for CNS repair. Cell and Tissue Research 331(1), pp. 301-322. (10.1007/s00441-007-0488-1)
Bagga, V., Dunnett, S. B. and Fricker-Gates, R. A. 2008. Ascorbic acid increases the number of dopamine neurons in vitro and in transplants to the 6-OHDA-lesioned rat brain. Cell Transplantation 17(7), pp. 763-73. (10.3727/096368908786516774)
Torres, E. M., Dowd, E. and Dunnett, S. B. 2008. Recovery of functional deficits following early donor age ventral mesencephalic grafts in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience 154(2), pp. 631-640. (10.1016/j.neuroscience.2008.03.048)
Torres, E. M.et al. 2008. A rat embryo staging scale for the generation of donor tissue for neural transplantation. Cell Transplantation 17(5), pp. 535-542. (10.3727/096368908785096006)
Workman, V. L.et al. 2008. On-chip alginate microencapsulation of functional cells. Macromolecular Rapid Communications 29(2), pp. 165-170. (10.1002/marc.200700641)
Trueman, R. C.et al. 2008. Time course of choice reaction time deficits in the Hdh Q92/Q92 knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease. Behavioural Brain Research 189(2), pp. 317-334. (10.1016/j.bbr.2008.01.020)
Madete, J. K.et al. 2008. Quantifying voluntary imitation of facial expressions. Presented at: Proceedings of the International Society of Biomechanics, 3D Motion Analysis Meeting (3DMA2008), Santpoort-Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Madete, J. K.et al. 2008. 3D motion capture of Parkinson's and Huntington's disease rat models. Presented at: Proceedings of the International Society of Biomechanics, 3D Motion Analysis Meeting (3DMA2008), Santpoort-Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Döbrössy, M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2008. Environmental housing and duration of exposure affect striatal graft morphology in a rodent model of Huntington's disease. Cell Transplantation 17(10), pp. 1125-1134. (10.3727/096368908787236558)
Lane, E. L.et al. 2008. Animal models of Parkinson's Disease. In: Conn, P. M. ed. 2008 Sourcebook of Models for Biomedical Research. Humana Press, pp. 313-322., (10.1007/978-1-59745-285-4_34)

2007

Kuhn, A.et al. 2007. Mutant huntingtin's effects on striatal gene expression in mice recapitulate changes observed in human Huntington's disease brain and do not differ with mutant huntingtin length or wild-type huntingtin dosage. Human Molecular Genetics 16(15), pp. 1845-1861. (10.1093/hmg/ddm133)
Dunnett, S. B. and Rosser, A. E. 2007. Cell transplantation for Huntington's disease: Should we continue?. Brain Research Bulletin 72(2-3), pp. 132-147. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2006.10.019)
Kelly, C.et al. 2007. Striatal graft projections are influencd by donor cell type and not the immunogenic background. Brain 130, pp. 1317-1329. (10.1093/brain/awm053)
Kelly, C.et al. 2007. Striatal graft projections are influenced by donor cell type and not the immunogenic background. Brain 130(5), pp. 1317-1329. (10.1093/brain/awm053)
Lane, E. L. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Long-term pre-administration of dopamine agonists alters L-dopa induced circling behavior in the 6-OHDA lesioned rat [Abstract]. Movement Disorders 22(S16), pp. S246. (10.1002/mds.21535)
Brooks, S. P., Trueman, R. C. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Striatal lesions in the mouse disrupt acquisition and retention, but not implicit learning, in the SILT procedural motor learning task. Brain Research 1185, pp. 179-188. (10.1016/j.brainres.2007.09.017)
Jay, J. R. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. An operant serial implicit learning task (SILT) in rats: Task acquisition, performance and the effects of striatal lesions. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 163(2), pp. 235-244. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2007.03.008)
Torres, E. M.et al. 2007. Improved survival of young donor age dopamine grafts in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Neuroscience 146(4), pp. 1606-1617. (10.1016/j.neuroscience.2007.03.037)
Döbrössy, M. D. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. The corridor task: Striatal lesion effects and graft-mediated recovery in a model of Huntington's disease. Behavioural Brain Research 179(2), pp. 326-330. (10.1016/j.bbr.2007.02.030)
Björklund, A. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Dopamine neuron systems in the brain: an update. Trends in Neurosciences 30(5), pp. 194-202. (10.1016/j.tins.2007.03.006)
Björklund, A. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Fifty years of dopamine research. Trends in Neurosciences 30(5), pp. 185-187. (10.1016/j.tins.2007.03.004)
Dunnett, S. B. and Dowd, E. 2007. Movement without dopamine: striatal dopamine is required to maintain but not to perform learned actions. Biochemical Society Transactions 35(2), pp. 428-432. (10.1042/BST0350428)
Torres, E. M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Amphetamine induced rotation in the assessment of lesions and grafts in the unilateral rat model of Parkinson's disease. European Neuropsychopharmacology 17(3), pp. 206-214. (10.1016/j.euroneuro.2006.04.009)
Trueman, R. C.et al. 2007. The operant serial implicit learning task reveals early onset motor learning deficits in the HdhQ92 knock-in mouse model of Huntington's disease. European Journal of Neuroscience 25(2), pp. 551-558. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2007.05307.x)
Workman, V. L.et al. 2007. Microfluidic chip-based synthesis of alginate microspheres for encapsulation of immortalized human cells. Biomicrofluidics 1(1), article number: 14105. (10.1063/1.2431860)
Dunnett, S. B. and Rosser, A. E. 2007. Neural transplantation in Parkinson's Disease. In: Halberstadt, C. and Emerich, D. eds. Cellular Transplantation: From Laboratory to Clinic. Amsterdam ; Boston: Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 439-454., (10.1016/B978-012369415-7/50026-0)
Rosser, A. E. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Neural transplantation in Huntington's disease. In: Halberstadt, C. and Emerich, D. eds. Cellular Transplantation: From Laboratory to Clinic. Amsterdam; Boston: Elsevier Academic Press, pp. 417-437., (10.1016/B978-012369415-7/50025-9)
Rosser, A. E., Zietlow, R. and Dunnett, S. B. 2007. Stem cell transplantation for neurodegenerative diseases. Current Opinion in Neurology 20(6), pp. 688-692. (10.1097/WCO.0b013e3282f132fc)
Dunnett, S. B. and Rosser, A. E. 2007. Stem cell transplantation for Huntington's disease. Experimental Neurology 203(2), pp. 279-292. (10.1016/j.expneurol.2006.11.007)

2006

Sloan, H. L., Dobrossy, M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2006. Hippocampal lesions impair performance on a conditional delayed matching and non-matching to position task in the rat. Behavioural Brain Research 171(2), pp. 240-250. (10.1016/j.bbr.2006.03.042)
Jones, L.et al. 2006. Assessment of the relationship between pre-chip and post-chip quality measures for Affymetrix GeneChip expression data. BioMed Central Bioinformatics 7(1), article number: 211. (10.1186/1471-2105-7-211)
Pittenger, C.et al. 2006. Impaired bidirectional synaptic plasticity and procedural memory formation in striatum-specific cAMP response element-binding protein-deficient mice. Journal of Neuroscience 26(10), pp. 2808-2813. (10.1523/JNEUROSCI.5406-05.2006)
Sloan, H. L., Good, M. A. and Dunnett, S. B. 2006. Double dissociation between hippocampal and prefrontal lesions on an operant delayed matching task and a water maze reference memory task. Behavioural Brain Research 171(1), pp. 116-126. (10.1016/j.bbr.2006.03.030)
Torres, E. M.et al. 2006. An investigation of the problem of two-layered immunohistochemical staining in paraformaldehyde fixed sections. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 158(1), pp. 64-74. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2006.05.016)
Monville, C., Torres, E. M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2006. Comparison of incremental and accelerating protocols of the rotarod test for the assessment of motor deficits in the 6-OHDA model. Journal of Neuroscience Methods 158(2), pp. 219-223. (10.1016/j.jneumeth.2006.06.001)
Döbrössy, M. D. and Dunnett, S. B. 2006. Morphological and cellular changes within embryonic striatal grafts associated with enriched environment and involuntary exercise. European Journal of Neuroscience 24(11), pp. 3223-3233. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.05182.x)
Farrington, M.et al. 2006. Neural transplantation in Huntington's disease: the NEST-UK Donor Tissue Microbiological Screening Program and review of the literature. Cell Transplantation 15(4), pp. 279-294. (10.3727/000000006783981927)
Rosser, A. E. and Dunnett, S. B. 2006. Cell transplantation for Huntington's disease. The Lancet Neurology 5(4), pp. 284-285. (10.1016/S1474-4422(06)70385-4)
Handley, O. J.et al. 2006. Pharmaceutical, cellular and genetic therapies for Huntington's disease. Clinical Science 110(1), pp. 73-88. (10.1042/CS20050148)
Gates, M. A.et al. 2006. Re-examining the ontogeny of substantia nigra dopamine neurons. European Journal of Neuroscience 23(5), pp. 1384-1390. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2006.04637.x)

2005

Brooks, S. P.et al. 2005. Longitudinal behavioural characterisation of the Q92 mouse line. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 76, pp. A48-A48.
Hughes, G. P.et al. 2005. Integrating behaviour and brain gene expression in Huntington's disease transgenic mouse models. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry 76, pp. A41-A41.
Dunnett, S. B., Meldrum, A. and Muir, J. L. 2005. Frontal-striatal disconnection disrupts cognitive performance of the frontal-type in the rat. Neuroscience, pp. 1055-1065. (10.1016/j.neuroscience.2005.07.033)
Brooks, S. P.et al. 2005. Behavioural profiles of inbred mouse strains used as transgenic backgrounds. II: cognitive tests. Genes, Brain and Behavior 4(5), pp. 307-317. (10.1111/j.1601-183X.2004.00109.x)
Morton, A. J.et al. 2005. A combination drug therapy improves cognition and reverses gene expression changes in a mouse model of Huntington's disease. European Journal of Neuroscience 21(4), pp. 855-870. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.03895.x)
Kelly, C.et al. 2005. EGF and FGF-2 responsiveness of rat and mouse neural precursors derived from the embryonic CNS. Brain Research Bulletin 68(1-2), pp. 83-94. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2005.08.020)
Zietlow, R.et al. 2005. The survival of neural precursor cell grafts is influenced by in vitro expansion. Journal of Anatomy 207(3), pp. 227-240. (10.1111/j.1469-7580.2005.00449.x)
Torres, E. M.et al. 2005. Delivery of sonic hedgehog or glial derived neurotrophic factor to dopamine-rich grafts in a rat model of Parkinson's disease using adenoviral vectors. Brain Research Bulletin 68(1-2), pp. 31-41. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2005.08.021)
Dowd, E.et al. 2005. The Corridor Task: A simple test of lateralised response selection sensitive to unilateral dopamine deafferentation and graft-derived dopamine replacement in the striatum. Brain Research Bulletin 68(1-2), pp. 24-30. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2005.08.009)
Monville, C., Torres, E. M. and Dunnett, S. B. 2005. Validation of the l-dopa-induced dyskinesia in the 6-OHDA model and evaluation of the effects of selective dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists. Brain Research Bulletin 68(1-2), pp. 16-23. (10.1016/j.brainresbull.2004.10.011)
Dowd, E.et al. 2005. Lentivector-mediated delivery of GDNF protects complex motor functions relevant to human Parkinsonism in a rat lesion model. European Journal of Neuroscience 22(10), pp. 2587-2595. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2005.04414.x)
Torres, E. M.et al. 2005. In vivo transgene expression from an adenoviral vector is altered following a 6-OHDA lesion of the dopamine system. Molecular Brain Research 137(1-2), pp. 1-10. (10.1016/j.molbrainres.2004.10.046)

2004

Gates, M. A.et al. 2004. Spatially and temporally restricted chemoattractive and chemorepulsive cues direct the formation of the nigro-striatal circuit. European Journal of Neuroscience 19(4), pp. 831-844. (10.1111/j.1460-9568.2004.03213.x)
Dunnett, S. B. and Rosser, A. E. 2004. Cell therapy in Huntington's disease. NeuroRX 1(4), pp. 394-405. (10.1602/neurorx.1.4.394)
Monville, C.et al. 2004. HSV vector-delivery of GDNF in a rat model of PD: partial efficacy obscured by vector toxicity. Brain Research 1024(1-2), pp. 1-15. (10.1016/j.brainres.2004.06.082)

2003

Rosser, A. E. and Dunnett, S. B. 2003. Neural transplantation in patients with Huntington's disease. CNS Drugs 17(12), pp. 853-867. (10.2165/00023210-200317120-00001)
Rosser, A. E.et al. 2003. Staging and preparation of human fetal striatal tissue for neural transplantation in huntington's disease. Cell Transplantation 12(7), pp. 679-686. (10.3727/000000003108747299)
Hurelbrink, C. B.et al. 2003. Long-term hibernation of human fetal striatal tissue does not adversely affect its differentiation in vitro or graft survival:implications for clinical trials in huntington's disease. Cell Transplantation 12(7), pp. 687-695. (10.3727/000000003108747307)

2002

Rosser, A. E.et al. 2002. Unilateral transplantation of human primary fetal tissue in four patients with Huntington's disease: NEST-UK safety report ISRCTN no 36485475. Journal of neurology neurosurgery and psychiatry 73(6), pp. 678-685. (10.1136/jnnp.73.6.678)
Rosser, A. E.et al. 2002. Unilateral transplantation of human primary fetal tissue in four patients with Huntington's disease: NEST-UK safety report (ISRCTN no 36485475). Journal of neurology neurosurgery and psychiatry, pp. 678-685. (10.1136/JNNP.73.6.678)
Armstrong, R. J. E.et al. 2002. The potential for circuit reconstruction by expanded neural precursor cells explored through porcine xenografts in a rat model of Parkinson's disease. Experimental neurology 175(1), pp. 98-111. (10.1006/exnr.2002.7889)
Rosser, A. and Dunnett, S. 2002. New drugs for Huntington's disease. NeuroReport 13(2), pp. A21-A22.

2001

Hurelbrink, C. B.et al. 2001. Death of dopaminergic neurons in vitro and in nigral grafts: reevaluating the role of caspase activation. Exp Neurol 171(1), pp. 46-58., article number: 11520120.
Baunez, C.et al. 2001. Effects of STN lesions on simple vs choice reaction time tasks in the rat: preserved motor readiness, but impaired response selection. European Journal of Neuroscience 13(8), pp. 1609-1616. (10.1046/j.0953-816x.2001.01521.x)
, . and , . 2001. Latency associated promoter transgene expression in the central nervous system after stereotaxic delivery of replication-defective HSV-1-based vectors. Gene Therapy 8(14), pp. 1057-1071. (10.1038/sj.gt.3301497)

2000

Bucher, K.et al. 2000. The T cell oncogene Tal2 is necessary for normal development of the mouse brain. Developmental Biology 227(2), pp. 533-544. (10.1006/dbio.2000.9920)
Besret, L.et al. 2000. Antioxidant strategy to counteract the side effects of antipsychotic therapy: an in vivo study in rats. European Journal of Pharmacology 408(1), pp. 35-39. (10.1016/S0014-2999(00)00747-0)
Brasted, P. J.et al. 2000. Behavioral recovery after transplantation into a rat model of Huntington's disease: Dependence on anatomical connectivity and extensive postoperative training. Behavioral Neuroscience 114(2), pp. 431-436. (10.1037//0735-7044.114.2.431)

1999

Eagle, D. M.et al. 1999. Effects of regional striatal lesions on motor, motivational, and executive aspects of progressive-ratio performance in rats. Behavioral Neuroscience 113(4), pp. 718-731. (10.1037/0735-7044.113.4.718)
Eagle, D. M.et al. 1999. Differential effects of ventral and regional dorsal striatal lesions on sucrose drinking and positive and negative contrast in rats. Psychobiology 27(2), pp. 267-276.
Carter, R. J.et al. 1999. Characterization of progressive motor deficits in mice transgenic for the human Huntington's disease mutation. The Journal of Neuroscience 19(8), pp. 3248-3257.
Kiernan, B. W.et al. 1999. Myelination and behaviour of tenascin-C null transgenic mice. European Journal of Neuroscience 11(9), pp. 3082-3089. (10.1046/j.1460-9568.1999.00729.x)
Henderson, J. M.et al. 1999. Subthalamic nucleus lesions induce deficits as well as benefits in the hemiparkinsonian rat. European Journal of Neuroscience 11(8), pp. 2749-2757. (10.1046/j.1460-9568.1999.00692.x)

1998

Dunnett, S. B.et al. 1998. Effects of surgical anaesthesia on the viability of nigral grafts in the rat striatum. Cell Transplantation 7(6), pp. 567-572. (10.1016/S0963-6897(98)00038-4)
Eagle, D. M.et al. 1998. A progressive ratio study of response to reward following striatal damage [Abstract]. European Journal of Neuroscience 10(S), pp. 418.
Dunnett, S. B.et al. 1998. Striatal transplantation in a transgenic mouse model of Huntington's Disease. Experimental Neurology 154(1), pp. 31-40. (10.1006/exnr.1998.6926)
Kendall, A. L.et al. 1998. Functional integration of striatal allografts in a primate model of Huntington's disease. Nature Medicine 4(6), pp. 727-729. (10.1038/nm0698-727)
Dunnett, S. B., Torres, E. M. and Annett, L. E. 1998. A lateralised grip strength test to evaluate unilateral nigrostriatal lesions in rats. Neuroscience Letters 246(1), pp. 1-4. (10.1016/S0304-3940(98)00194-3)
Henderson, J. M.et al. 1998. Behavioural effects of subthalamic nucleus lesions in the hemiparkinsonian marmoset (Callithrix jacchus). European Journal of Neuroscience 10(2), pp. 689-698. (10.1046/j.1460-9568.1998.00077.x)

1997

Brasted, P. J.et al. 1997. Unilateral lesions of the dorsal striatum in rats disrupt responding in egocentric space. The Journal of Neuroscience 17(22), pp. 8919-8926.
Annett, L.et al. 1997. Survival of nigral grafts within the striatum of marmosets with 6-OHDA lesions depends critically on donor embryo age. Cell Transplantation 6(6), pp. 557-569. (10.1016/S0963-6897(97)00079-1)
Fricker, R. A., Torres, E. M. and Dunnett, S. B. 1997. The effects of donor stage on the survival and function of embryonic striatal grafts in the adult rat brain: I. Morphological characteristics. Neuroscience 79(3), pp. 695-710. (10.1016/S0306-4522(96)00656-2)
Fricker, R. A.et al. 1997. The effects of donor stage on the survival and function of embryonic striatal grafts in the adult rat brain. Neuroscience 79(3), pp. 711-721. (10.1016/S0306-4522(96)00657-4)

1996

Fricker, R. A.et al. 1996. The placement of a striatal ibotenic acid lesion affects skilled forelimb use and the direction of drug-induced rotation. Brain Research Bulletin 41(6), pp. 409-416. (10.1016/S0361-9230(96)00083-4)

1995

Annett, L. E.et al. 1995. A comparison of the behavioural effects of embryonic nigral grafts in the caudate nucleus and in the putamen of marmosets with unilateral 6-OHDA lesions. Experimental Brain Research 103(3), pp. 355-371. (10.1007/BF00241495)

1994

Torres, E. M.et al. 1994. Behavioural, histochemical and biochemical consequences of selective immunolesions in discrete regions of the basal forebrain cholinergic system. Neuroscience 63(1), pp. 95-122. (10.1016/0306-4522(94)90010-8)

1993

Annett, L. E.et al. 1993. Conditioning versus priming of dopaminergic grafts by amphetamine. Experimental Brain Research 93(1), pp. 46-54. (10.1007/BF00227779)

1992

Abrous, D. N.et al. 1992. Intrastriatal dopamine-rich grafts induce a hyperexpression of Fos protein when challenged with amphetamine. Experimental Brain Research 91(2), pp. 181-190. (10.1007/BF00231653)

Models of disease

We require valid models of disease in order to evaluate novel treatments. We compare neurochemical, excitotoxic, metabolic and transgenic strategies, both in vitro and in vivo, for their accuracy in reproducing the specific patterns of neuropathology and mechanisms of cell death observed in human disease, and for their reliability in providing stable models within which to compare different treatments strategies.

Neural transplantation

Improving the yield of surviving cells has turned out to be a key factor in viability of neural transplantation in Parkinson's disease, and this is likely to be of equal importance when applied to other neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington's disease or multiple sclerosis. We are working to refine the methods for neural transplantation into the nervous system to yield optimal survival and growth of the implanted cells. Critical factors involve identification, dissection and handling of embryonic donor cells, and the surgical implantation protocols that maximise accuracy of placement and minimise trauma both to the host and to the implants.

Alternative cells for therapy

The successful clinical trials of transplantation have to date all used embryonic donor tissues. However, whereas surgeries based on using human embryonic tissues can provide a 'proof of principle' the long term development and wider availability of neural transplantation is critically dependent on the identification of more readily available alternative sources of cells. We are actively exploring expanded populations of human stem cells, xenografts, and genetically manipulated cells and cell lines for their ability to provide safer and more readily available alternative to primary embryonic neurones for transplantation.

Neuroprotection

A complementary approach to cell transplantation (which involves replacing cells once already lost) is to protect damaged or traumatised neurones of the host brain from the assault of injury or disease. A wide number of compounds have been identified which have the potential to block processes of cell death and to promote regrowth of damaged cells, including growth factors, antiapoptotic agents, antioxidants and transcription factors. However a common problem for their use is that they don't get into the brain when injected or ingested peripherally. We are developing ways to deliver neuroprotective agents into precise sites in the brain both by engineering cells for transplantation ('ex vivo gene therapy') and by using viral vectors for direct intracerebral delivery ('in vivo gene therapy').

Neurological assessment

The viability of each strategy needs to be evaluated in functional models of the disease. This requires development of behavioural and other functional models of assessment that are both sensitive to the neuroanatomical systems under investigation and relevant to the specific diseases targeted. A key component of our programme is to refine methods of functional analysis according to these dual goals, with a particular focus on objective operant tests of motor and cognitive function. We are also actively developing new strategies for imaging neurodegeneration and cell-based therapies in vivo, using the School's new 9.4T high field MR scanner.

Tissue engineering and repair expertise

Experimental and clinical cell transplantation in the brain. Development of animal models of Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease for assessing cell transplantation repair, with a focus on anatomical reconstruction and behavioural recovery of function. We are interested in providing the research basis for clinical trials of cell transplantation in PD and HD, and co-ordinate the first UK clinical trial of fetal striatal cell transplantation in HD. A large proportion of the experimental work in the lab is (a) developing and refining genetic animal models of human disease (b) developing and refining behavioural assessment protocols for use in animal models that are valid to the pathology and symptoms of human disease (c) identifying alternatives to human fetal cells as a source for clinical transplantation, with a substantial interest in stem cells (incl. neuronal embryonic precursors, ES cells and adult stem cells) and in using viral vectors for gene therapy, and a supplementary interest in xenotransplantation.

Grants

2013

EU FP7 cooperation grant (E Cattaneo, Milano, coordinator with SB Dunnett as partner). FP7–HEALTH–2013–INNOVATION–602245-2. NeuroStemcellRepair: € 6,000,000 (Cardiff: €385,000) over 4 years from 1 Sept 2013.
EU FP7 cooperation grant (AE Rosser & SB Dunnett, coordinators). FP7–HEALTH–2013–INNOVATION–602245-2. Repair-HD: Human pluripotent stem cell differentiation, safety and preparation for therapeutic transplantation in Huntington's disease € 6,000,000 (Cardiff: €1,900,000) over 4 years from 1 Oct 2013.
National Institute of Social Care and Health Research (NISCHR), Senior faculty award to S B Dunnett. £!5,000 p.a. 3 years commencing June 2013.

2012

MRC Centenary awards (Z Bayram-Weston & SB Dunnett). Longitudinal characterisation of neuropathology in transgenic and knock-in Huntington's disease mouse lines, £18,500. 6 months commencing Oct 2012.
Welsh Office or Research & Development (WORD) Translational Health Research Platform programme. (SB Dunnett & AE Rosser). TRP08-007. Quality-assured human tissues for clinical trials of novel cell transplantation therapies in Wales. £65,000 extension to grant ,12 months commencing Jan 2013.
CHDI research contract (SP Brooks, L Jones & SB Dunnett). Comparative behavioural, anatomical and molecular changes in mouse models of Huntington's disease. £904,000. 3 years commencing Jan 2012.
Society of Catholic Mothers (Llandaff branch). Donation to Parkinson's disease research in the Brain Repair group. £1,000. 25 March 2012.
Parkinson's UK. Project grant (AE Rosser, SB Dunnett & P Kemp) G1105. Are astrocytes required for dopaminergic neuron graft survival? £184,787. 3 years commencing June 2011.
EHDN. Pilot study grant (SP Brooks, SB Dunnett, AE Rosser & M Busse). A translational study on the beneficial effects of exercise on HD symptomatology. € 50,000 (£41,015). 1 year commencing Feb 2011.

2010

Medical Research Council. Project grant (SB Dunnett & AE Rosser) G1001257. Cell transplantation for basal ganglia disorders: Basic science and preclinical development. £1,119,161. 3 years commencing Feb 2011.

2009

EHDN network contract (AE Rosser & SB Dunnett). Euro HD Network. £845,414. 5 year commencing 01 Jan 2010.
Welsh Office or Research & Development (WORD) Translational Health Research Platform programme. (SB Dunnett & AE Rosser). TRP08-007. Quality-assured human tissues for clinical trials of novel cell transplantation therapies in Wales. £249,934 5 years commencing April 2009.
MRC Centre grant (MJ Owen et al). G0801418. The MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics. £2,434,604. 1^st April 2009 for 5 years.
EU FP7 large collaborative research project HEALTH-2009-1.4-1 (RA Barker, SB Dunnett and others) HEALTH-F5-2008-222943. TRANSEURO: Neural transplantation in the treatment of patients with Parkinson's disease. €1,180,414 (£873,507) over 4 years from 1 Jan 2010.

2008

EU FP7 large collaborative research project HEALTH-2007-1.4-6 (E Cataneo, SB Dunnett and others). HEALTH-F5-2008-222943. NeuroStemCell: Stem cell lines for cell-based therapies. €675,000 (£516,093). 4 years commencing Dec 2008.
EU FP7 small and medium collaborative research programme (P Calabresi, SB Dunnett and others) HEALTH 2007-2.2.1-7. REPLACES: Restorative plasticity and corticostriatal excitatory synapses. €443,568 (£338,975). 4 years commencing Sept 2008

2006

EU FP6 specific targeted research project (Z Kokaia, A Smith, M Hoehn, L Minicello, SB Dunnett & L Wikström) LSHB-CT-2006-037526. Towards a stem cell therapy for stroke. €385,797 (£262,342) over 3 years, starting 1 Jan 2007.

Collaborations

International

Prof Anders Björklund & Dr Deriiz Kirik, University of Lund, Sweden.
Drs Marc Peschanski & Philippe Hantraye, INSERM/CNRS, Paris, France.
Prof Deniz Kokaia & O Lindvall, University of Lund, Sweden.
Prof Patrik Brundin, University of Lund, Sweden.
Profs I Mendez and H Robertson, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Prof Elena Cataneo, University of Milan, Italy.
Prof Paulo Calabresi, University of Rome, Italy.
Prof Bernhard Landwehrmeyer, University of Ulm, Germany.
Prof Guido Nikkhah & M Döbrössy, University of Freiburg, Germany.

Professor Steve Dunnett

Research overview

Division

Education

Employment

Honours and awards

Professional memberships

2019

2018

2017

2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003

2002

2001

2000

1999

1998

1997

1996

1995

1994

1993

1992

Articles

Book sections

Conferences

Models of disease

Neural transplantation

Alternative cells for therapy

Neuroprotection

Neurological assessment

Tissue engineering and repair expertise

Grants

2013

2012

2010

2009

2008

2006

Collaborations

International

UK

Areas of expertise