Applications are invited for a Postdoctoral Research Assistant to develop novel biomarkers for the early detection of Parkinson’s disease at the Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration, a multidisciplinary laboratory focused on elucidating the molecular mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases.

Our aim is to identify and validate biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease to enable earlier diagnosis and to monitor disease progression and treatment response in early disease. It is estimated that 70% of the dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra have already degenerated by the time motor symptoms emerge. The development of novel biomarkers will allow identification of at-risk individuals and would facilitate early initiation of neuroprotective agents, aimed at preventing the onset of motor symptoms. In this project we will access patient biosamples from one of the largest well-characterised cohorts of Parkinson’s patients worldwide here in Oxford to develop cellular biomarkers based on deficits in autophagy. Deficits in autophagy are central to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders and a here we propose a method to measure autophagic function in patient cells to monitor disease progression.

The post will be held in Dr Richard Wade-Martins’ Molecular Neurodegeneration Laboratory within the highly collaborative and multidisciplinary setting of the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre (OPDC; www.opdc.ox.ac.uk), a unique translational research program focused on understanding the earliest pathways to PD.

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