Dr Hugo Fernandes

Interests

I am interested in understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying neuronal cell loss in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. In particular, we are exploring the role of oxidative stress and ER stress in human (iPSC-derived) dopamine neurons using CRISPR screens. In addition, I am focused on the contribution of the ageing process associated with metabolic dysregulations related to ER function and lipid metabolism in human neurons.

I have vast experience in the derivation of multiple neuronal subtypes from human iPSCs, with a particular focus on dopaminergic neurons for advancing the understanding of Parkinson’s. We are currently employing a range of high-throughput and deep phenotyping tools in human neurons, ranging from genome wide CRISPR-Cas9 screens to single cell transcriptomics and metabolomics. Using these complementary and novel approaches we aim at identifying critical targets for neurodegeneration to expand into future clinical therapeutics.

Research Focus

Keywords

Parkinson's Disease

Neurodegeneration

Ageing

iPSC-Neurons

Crispr-Cas9 screens

Clinical conditions

Alzheimer's disease

Dementia

Genetic disorders

Movement disorders

Parkinson's disease

Equipment

Cell culture

Confocal microscopy

Crisp-Cas9 screens

Enzyme assays

Fluorescence microscopy

Gene Editing

Immunohistochemistry

Microscopy

Recombinant protein expression

Collaborators

Cambridge

Gabriel Balmus

Andrew Bassett

United Kingdom

Sally Cowley

Viktor Korolchuk

Brent Ryan

Richard Wade-Martins

International

Mark Cookson

Sergio Pablo Sardi

Associated News Items