Darragh O'Brien

Aerial view of the University of Oxford, showcasing its historic buildings and spires under a clear sky at sunset. Text overlay states "Oxford named best university in the world for a record tenth consecutive year".

NEW: We’re honoured to be ranked number one in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for the tenth consecutive year. 👏

Many thanks for the spotlight! "Trasna na dTonnta" (Across the Waves) is a great initiative from @drni.bsky.social for the Irish dementia research diaspora – a global community linking Irish dementia researchers on the island of Ireland to those undertaking research abroad #brainwaves 🧠🌊

Research Associate: Extracellular Vesicle Biomarkers University of Oxford seeks Research Associate to study extracellular vesicles and biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease using blood samples and iPSC based models.

University of Oxford seeks Research Associate to study extracellular vesicles and biomarkers in Parkinson’s disease using blood samples and iPSC based models. Closing date: 3rd October

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/job/research...

Excited contribute to this year’s lunch hour lecture program! It’s a free event and accessible to a non-specialist audience so please come and join me :)

Trans-synaptic tau propagation in progressive supranuclear palsy Nature Reviews Neurology, Published online: 05 August 2025; doi:10.1038/s41582-025-01129-zNew evidence supports trans-synaptic propagation of tau pathology in the neurodegenerative disease progressive supranuclear palsy.

ICYMI: New online! Trans-synaptic tau propagation in progressive supranuclear palsy

YouTube video by Dementia Researcher Blood Biomarkers & Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease

Blood Biomarkers: Testing for Alzheimer’s Disease

Professor Jonathan Schott @jmschott.bsky.social (UCL) explains how blood tests are reshaping Alzheimer’s diagnosis. Clear, current and clinically relevant.

Recorded at the Wessex Dementia Research Conference

youtu.be/3fLl1Mzwbsk

Tracking tau and cellular responses in human iPSC-microglia from uptake to seedable secretion in extracellular vesicles The templated spread of tau aggregates in tauopathies has been attributed to neuron-to- neuron spread, but microglia have also been implicated through mouse studies. Here we examine in detail the upta...

A great story to be part of! Kudos to Mária, Anna, Anne, Sally and all of the team🧠

Encaenia 2025 @ox.ac.uk with my 🧠 buddy @stephfowler.bsky.social. It was great to see fellow Enniscorthy native Colm Tóibín receive the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters for his contribution to literature and journalism 💜💛

Fantastic start to the day here at the 3rd "Human Proteome and Health" Symposium at Rhodes House where Dr Katerina Gospodinova from the ARUK-ODDI and @cmd.ox.ac.uk discussed proteomic profiling of the #matrisome for use a novel therapeutic modality in #Alzheimers Disease 🧠 @arukthamesv.bsky.social

Driving Therapeutic Innovation in Neurodegenerative Disease with Hydrogen Deuterium eXchange Mass Spectrometry Human neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Disease are characterized by the formation and deposition of toxic protein species which exacerbate neuronal dysfunction, impacti...

Our review is out now in Molecular & Cellular Proteomics! We discuss the latest advances in #HDX mass spectrometry to aid neurotherapeutic design & development in #Alzheimers, #Parkinsons and #ALS, providing molecular insights into protein aggregation pathways and therapeutic antibodies 🧠

External link live! Please share widely :-)

WE ARE RECRUITING! 🥳

Are you an epidemiologist with strong quantitative skills and an interest in contributing to exciting research into the genetic architecture of vascular dementia? Come join our friendly and productive team at UCL!

shorturl.at/aZ5Ua

Extracellular vesicles in TDP-43 proteinopathies: pathogenesis and biomarker potential - Molecular Neurodegeneration Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-enclosed nanoparticles released by most cell types, and from multiple sub-cellular compartments. They carry a range of cargo biomolecules, including protein a...

Very pleased to share our review in @molneurodegen.bsky.social, assessing evidence for #ExtracellularVesicle associated #TDP43. We highlight knowledge gaps relating to its biomarker usage and possible involvement in seeding of templated aggregation in #ALS, #FTD and #LATE.
doi.org/10.1186/s130...

Check out our June issue!

www.nature.com/neuro/volume...

Dementia Researcher: Clinical opportunity for Blood-based Biomarkers In this episode of the Dementia Researcher podcast, host Dr Amanda Heslegrave leads an insightful discussion on one of the most promising developments in dementia diagnostics: blood-based biomarker...

Could blood tests reduce diagnostic delays for dementia? Experts weigh in on our podcast – don’t miss this timely discussion with @ajh1269.bsky.social‬ @ukdri.ac.uk‬ Dr Mark Roskey from Quanterix and Dr Jay Amin, University of Southampton

On the importance of reading (just not too much) The real fun of being a neuroscientist, and maybe the key to asking and answering new questions, is to think big and take intellectual risks.

Keeping up with the literature is essential. But so is devoting time to developing your own scientific ideas, writes Sheena Josselyn.

#neuroskyence

www.thetransmitter.org/craft-and-ca...

UCL – University College London UCL is consistently ranked as one of the top ten universities in the world (QS World University Rankings 2010-2022) and is No.2 in the UK for research power (Research Excellence Framework 2021).

🚨MRC Research Fellow Vacancy:

Studying microglial ageing utilising iPSC-based cell biology, screening, biochemistry, genomics, imaging & bioinformatics

@dervissalih1.bsky.social, UK DRI at UCL

🗓️ Closing 26 June

👉 www.ucl.ac.uk/work-at-ucl/...

Research Fellow: Immune system and Cognitive function Join the UKDRI at UCL in the Salih Lab to explore how glial-specific longevity genes affect ageing & Alzheimer’s using iPSC models, genomics & molecular biology

Join the UKDRI at UCL in the Salih Lab to explore how glial-specific longevity genes affect ageing and Alzheimer’s, using iPSC models, genomics, and molecular biology @ukdri.ac.uk @dervissalih1.bsky.social Closing date: 26th June

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/job/research...

New research led by Dr Frances Wiseman (UK DRI at ‪@uclqsion.bsky.social‬) demonstrates that levels of Apolipoprotein E (APOE), a protein implicated in Alzheimer’s, are increased in the brains of individuals with Down syndrome & Alzheimer's 🧠

Read the full story👉https://buff.ly/5WnCY4s

High-Resolution Spatial Profiling of Microglia Reveals Proximity Associated Immunometabolic Reprogramming in Alzheimers Disease https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.16.654329v1

Research Laboratory Manager - DEMENTIA RESEARCHER The UK DRI at UCL is recruiting a lab manager to oversee daily operations and contribute to pioneering neuro-glia-immune research in ageing & neurodegeneration

The @ukdri.ac.uk at UCL is recruiting a lab manager to oversee daily operations and contribute to pioneering neuro-glia-immune research in ageing and neurodegeneration. Closing date: 21st May

www.dementiaresearcher.nihr.ac.uk/job/research...

A nice read and ICYMI here is our cited paper from the end of last year on the microglia contribution to Familial British Dementia:

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Evidence suggesting that microglia make amyloid from neuronally expressed APP: a hypothesis - Molecular Neurodegeneration While APP is largely neuonally expressed, Aβ amyloid is largely produced by microglia as the clearance mechanisms for damaged membranes becomes overwhelmed.

'Evidence suggesting that #microglia make #amyloid from neuronally expressed APP: a hypothesis'

John Hardy & Patrick Lewis

molecularneurodegeneration.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

MAPT Splicing Modulators as a Therapeutic Strategy for Tauopathies https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.05.06.652428v1

Chimeric deubiquitinase engineering reveals structural basis for specific inhibition of the mitophagy regulator USP30 Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, Published online: 05 May 2025; doi:10.1038/s41594-025-01534-4Kazi et al. report the crystal structure of the mitochondrial deubiquitinase USP, a clinical stage Parkinson’s disease drug target, in complex with a specific inhibitor. The authors delineate a framework for specific deubiquitinase inhibition.

New online: Chimeric deubiquitinase engineering reveals structural basis for specific inhibition of the mitophagy regulator USP30

"Science is an investment.

We will put forward a new 500 million package for 2025-2027 to support the best and the brightest researchers and scientists from Europe and around the world."

— President @vonderleyen.ec.europa.eu at the ‘Choose Europe for Science' event at La Sorbonne 🇫🇷

Wendy is an excellent scientist. I would highly encourage you to apply!

New research led by @marcaurelbusche.bsky.social has found that tau specifically disrupts a certain type of electrical activity in the hippocampus in Alzheimer's🧠

The findings unlock a key piece of the puzzle in understanding how toxic tau drives memory problems👏👉 buff.ly/yx8Rdk6

Spatiotemporal Analysis of Remyelination Reveals a Concerted Interferon-Responsive Glial State That Coordinates Immune Infiltration Remyelination, the process by which axons are re-encased in myelin after injury, is a critical step in restoring brain function, yet the dynamics from initial injury to repair remain poorly characteri...

How does the brain repair myelin after injury?

We mapped the full cellular choreography of white matter repair using snRNA-seq + Slide-seqv2, uncovering a type I interferon-driven glial program that recruits lymphocytes to promote remyelination.
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Details below 👇

It's been a couple of weeks since finishing the Paris Marathon to raise funds for dementia research. I have finally recovered! What a day! Shout out to my running buddy Tika Malla and the ARUK cheer team who came to France. There's still some time to donate to our fundraising here shorturl.at/ujnKc

Well done Selina! Proud of you!