Research Overview: 

My group has led the development and application of systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies modelling stroke. This work allows a very precise estimate of efficacy in animals; the identification of limits to efficacy (e.g. at later time points) in animal models which helps to inform the design of clinical trials; and the identification of aspects of design and conduct which bias the results of animal experiments. Current work is seeking to generalise this approach to models of multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. The CAMARADES dataset now includes information from over 2,500 publications, 5,000 individual experiments describing outcome in over 60,000 experimental animals, and has allowed important secondary analyses of for instance publication bias and journal citation patterns.

We have explored the protective effects of hypothermia following acute neuronal injury. Using pharmacological and genetic approaches we have shown that mineralocorticoid expression is increased in cell culture, in animals and in humans following neuronal injury, and that this conveys neuroprotective benefits. Our current work seeks to recapitulate these benefits in a clinical context.

I am Chief Investigator of HAIST, a pilot study of therapeutic hypothermia in acute ischaemic stroke; lead clinician for the South East Scotland Stroke Research Network; and local PI in Stirling for CLOTS, TARDIS, ENOS, AVERT, ROCKET AF, TRA-2P and ENGAGE. I am Honorary Principal Research Fellow at the Florey Neurosciences Institute, Melbourne, Australia and Treasurer of the European Stroke Research Network for Hypothermia.

Research Direction:

1. Systematic review and meta-analysis of animal models of neurological disease
2. Hypothermia and mineralocorticoid receptor induced neuroprotection
3. Clinical trials in acute ischaemic stroke

Board Membership: 

Recent Publications: