Dr Peter Connick

Consultant Neurologist & Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer

Biography

Background

I'm an academic neurologist who trained in Cambridge and London before taking my current position at the University of Edinburgh, Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic.

Qualifications

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Cambridge:Autologous mesenchymal stem cells as a neuroprotective therapy for secondary progressive multiple sclerosis

Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery, University of Glasgow

Bachelor of Science, University of Glasgow

Research summary

The big challenge in 21st century neurology is to develop treatments that can slow, stop, or reverse the loss of brain cells in neurodegenerative diseases like the dementias, motor neurone disease, and MS.

Part of the reason why we don't already have these treatments is because we lack the tools to measure neuroprotection and brain repair in clinical trials. My work aims to develop the measurement tools we need.

Separately, by defining diseases through their symptoms rather than through the underlying (patho)biology, most patients in any regenerative neurology trial will have little prospect of benefit. I also work on methods to ""stratify" neurodegenerative diseases so that the right person gets the right treatment at the right time.

Research Interests

Regenerative neurology spanning two principal themes. First: developing and improving existing techniques to measure the impact of regenerative therapies in brain diseases, and second: developing techniques to stratify phenomenologically defined patient groups according to the undelying pathology - i.e. stratified medicine in the neurodegenerative disorders.

Related links

Research into neurodegenerative conditions at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences

Clinical research & trials at the Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences

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