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Meet The Monument Discovery Award team

The Monument Discovery Award brings together a world-class team of researchers at the University of Oxford, aiming to find a cure for Parkinson's.

The award is our biggest ever research grant at £5million over 5 years.

Dr Richard Wade-Martins

Dr Richard Wade-MartinsHead, Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration,
University of Oxford

Dr Richard Wade-Martins is the Discovery Group Leader and heads the Laboratory of Molecular Neurodegeneration at the University of Oxford.

Richard graduated from the University of Cambridge in 1995 in Natural Sciences. He has since worked at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics in Oxford, and at Harvard Medical School.

Richard's research focuses on understanding what happens inside cells affected by neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's.

His work involves studying human brain tissue, investigating how nerve cells work, and developing better animal models that more closely resemble human conditions.

Richard Wade-Martins - University of Oxford profile

Dr Kevin Talbot

Dr Kevin TalbotConsultant Neurologist,
Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford

Dr Kevin Talbot is the Deputy Leader of the Discovery Award team.

Kevin's clinical focus is on neurodegenerative conditions, and he regularly sees people with Parkinson's and related conditions.

His research interests focus on how nerve cells survive in mouse and fly versions of human conditions.

Kevin also runs clinical trials for neurodegenerative conditions, looking at differences in how people's brains work using imaging.

Kevin Talbot - University of Oxford profile

Professor Chris Ponting

Professor Chris PontingProfessor of Genomics,
MRC Functional Genomics Unit, University of Oxford

Professor Chris Ponting is leading Theme 1 of the Discovery Award - exploring what changes occur inside the nerve cells that are lost in Parkinson's.

Chris's research focuses on understanding how genes work. He was a major participant in the human genome project - an international effort to identify all the genes found in human DNA.

Chris now works to uncover information that tells us about the genetic risks to human diseases. Understanding the genetic basis of disease will provide important pieces to the research puzzle, which - when complete – will lead to improved diagnoses, drugs or therapy.

Chris Ponting - University of Oxford profile

Professor Paul Bolam

Professor Paul BolamProfessor of Neuropharmacology,
University of Oxford

Professor Paul Bolam is leading Theme 2 of the Discovery Award - developing new and better animal models that truly reflect Parkinson's.

Paul's research focuses on how nerve cells work together in complex circuits inside the brain. Each cell can simultaneously communicate with thousands of other cells. Paul studies how these networks function in the normal brain, and how the networks fall apart when nerve cells die.

His work also attempts to understand why some types of nerve cells are more susceptible in Parkinson's than others.

Paul Bolam - University of Oxford profile

Dr Michele Hu

Dr Michele HuConsultant Neurologist,
Department of Clinical Neurology, University of Oxford

Dr Michele Hu is leading Theme 3 of the Discovery Award - studying people with and without Parkinson's to find new ways of diagnosing the condition earlier, before symptoms develop.

Michele's interest in Parkinson's started in 1998 when she was awarded an Action Research Training Fellowship to study brain function in people with Parkinson's.

Since commencing her consultant appointment in 2005, Michele has set up a clinical Parkinson's and movement disorders service in Milton Keynes Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.

Michele Hu - University of Oxford profile

How you can help

We are closer than ever to finding a cure, but we need your help.

Help fund our vital research

Our research is totally dependent on voluntary donations.

Sign up to the Parkinson's Brain Donor Register

One donated brain can be used in up to 50 research studies. Help us make 2010 a breakthrough year by signing up.