Manchester Neuroscience Seminar Series - Speaker: Dr Gary Brennan from the University College Dublin
| Dates: | 22 January 2025 |
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| Times: | 14:00 - 15:00 |
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| What is it: | Seminar |
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| Organiser: | School of Biological Sciences |
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| Who is it for: | University staff |
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| Speaker: | Dr Gary Brennan |
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The next Manchester Neuroscience Seminar Series is on Wednesday 22 January 14:00 – 15:00, and the speaker is Dr Gary Brennan from the University College Dublin
The host will be Dr Gareth Morris
Title: "Exploring long non-coding RNA networks in epilepsy: Towards novel therapeutic approaches"
Abstract: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disease characterised by spontaneous seizures and pervasive comorbidities. There are over 50 million people worldwide living with epilepsy and up to one third of those are drug refractory. Hence there is a real need to develop novel therapeutic strategies, and in particular, to develop novel therapies which target the underlying pathomechanisms of the disease. Epilepsy is often provoked by brain insults which trigger persistent dysregulation of gene networks and gene regulation. These changes in turn likely drive the development and maintenance of hyperexcitable brain networks. While recent studies have uncovered many of the mechanisms governing gene readout and targeting these mechanisms can ameliorate seizures in pre-clinical models, there are likely additional layers of gene readout which remain unknown and contribute to the disease process. Our current work is exploring a novel class of epigenetic RNAs called long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) which are functional RNA molecules that influence gene expression, RNA processing and protein function. Using a pre-clinical model of temporal lobe epilepsy we have performed a comprehensive profiling and functional analysis of lncRNA dysregulation in epilepsy. Our results show that there is extensive disruption to lncRNA expression in epilepsy and targeting specific lncRNAs with antisense oligonucleotides can exert anti-convulsant effects as well as improve epilepsy-associated comorbidities and seizure frequency in a mouse model of the disease.
Where: The seminar will take place in the Michael Smith Lecture Theatre
Speaker
Dr Gary Brennan
Organisation: University College Dublin
Travel and Contact Information
Find event
Michael Smith Lecture Theatre
Michael Smith Building
Manchester
