Dr Maya Hanspal University positionResearch Associate DepartmentsInstitutesAlzheimer’s Research UK Cambridge Drug Discovery Institute Home pagehttp://www.cwsdevelopmentarea.com/dobson/... Research ThemeInterestsI am interested in the role that protein misfolding plays in neurodegenerative diseases. In recent years, much attention has been drawn to the concept of 'prion-like' aggregation and spatiotemporal spread of misfolding protein in neurodegenerative diseases. My PhD project focuses on determining the disease mechanisms underlying amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a form of motor neuron disease (MND), with particular emphasis on the disease-associated protein TDP-43. Currently I am investigating spreading of TDP-43 in the central nervous system using a cell model to observe whether cell-to-cell transfer of the protein takes place. In addition, I am undertaking an array of biophysical and biochemical assays to complement this work.  GFP-expressing neuron-like cells. Click image to view full-size Research Focus
EquipmentCell culture Confocal microscopy Fluorescence microscopy Immunohistochemistry Collaborators
Associated News ItemsPublicationsin pressHanspal MA, Dobson CM, Yerbury JJ and Kumita JR. (in press), “The relevance of contact-independent cell-to-cell transfer of TDP-43 and SOD1 in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis” BBA- Molecular Basis of Disease 2017Zeineddine R, Whiten DR, Farrawell NE, McAlary, Hanspal MA, Kumita JR, Wilson MR, Yerbury JJ (2017), “Flow cytometric measurement of the cellular propagation of TDP-43 aggregation. ” Prion 2015Nicholas RS, Kostadima V, Hanspal M, Wakerley BR, Sergeant R, Decuypere S, Malik O, Boyton RJ, Altmann DM. (2015), “MS in South Asians in England: early disease onset and novel pattern of myelin autoimmunity.” BMC Neurol 3;15:72. |