Jade Lucas
Thesis title: Assessing the molecular mechanisms that confer resilience in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis
Clinical Brain Sciences PhD
Year of study: 3
- Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences
- UK Dementia Research Institute
- Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic and the Euan MacDonald MND Centre
Contact details
- Email: jade.lucas@ed.ac.uk
- Web: Jade Lucas - LinkedIn
PhD supervisors:
Address
- Street
-
Chancellor’s Building - 49 Little France Crescent
- City
- Edinburgh
- Post code
- EH16 4SB
Background
Jade Lucas is a Clinical Brain Sciences PhD student in the laboratory of Prof. Siddharthan Chandran and Dr. Bhuvaneish Selvaraj at the University of Edinburgh. Her work focuses on trying to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that determine disease duration in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND). It is hoped that a better understanding of this will enable better care planning for patients, inform the development of novel therapeutics that will alter disease trajectory, and aid the identification of novel molecular biomarkers to predict survival, transforming clinical trial designs. One of the activities Jade enjoys the most is public engagement – interacting with members of the public to increase awareness of ALS and communicating with people living with the condition, and clinicians, to bridge the gap between the lab and the clinic, facilitating ‘Bench to Bedside’ research.
Jade graduated with a first-class MSci degree in Neuroscience from University College London (UCL). As part of her Master’s Project, Jade worked in the laboratory of Prof. Adrian Isaacs (UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL), studying the role of a recently identified ALS risk gene.
Qualifications
2019 - 2023: MSci Neuroscience - University College London
Undergraduate teaching
BMTO tutor on Cells to Organisms 2
Postgraduate teaching
Lecturer on MSc Stem Cells and Translational Neurology
Current project grants
British Neuropathological Society (2024 - present): Assessing the cellular and pathological determinants of disease duration in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis using multiparametric Imaging Mass Cytometry
Conference details
July 2025 - MNDEncourage (run by the MND Association). Here, I presented a lay audience presentation on "Why do some people with MND survive longer than others?"
October 2025 - Euan MacDonald Memorial Conference. Here, I will present an academic paper on the findings from my multiparametric assessment of long vs short ALS survivors. I will also give a public talk on my work.