Purines Epilepsy Lab

Purines Epilepsy Lab

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  • About the group
  • Principal Investigator
  • Team Members
    • Dr Aida Menendez Mendez
    • Mr Aidan Kenny
    • Mr Gioacchino de Leo
    • Ms Giorgia Conte
    • Dr Isabela Aparicio
    • Dr Jaideep Cherakka Kesavan
    • Mr James Morgan
    • Mr Jonathan Smith
    • Dr Laura de Diego Garcia
    • Dr Mariana Alves
  • Research Projects
    • National funding
      • Irish Research Council
        • Targeting mRNA polyadenylation to treat drug refractory epilepsy
        • The metabotropic P2Y1 receptor as novel therapeutic target for neonatal brain injury
      • SFI CDA
    • International Funding
      • EpiPur
      • PurinesDX
      • EpiBarrier
      • TaPPiNG-EPI
      • NeoPur
  • Collaborators
    • Academic partners
    • Clinicians
    • Industry Partners
  • Publications

Industry Partners

Prof Andras Dinnyes, BioTalentum Ltd

Dr Benjamin Seibt, Dr. Seibt Genomics GmbH

Dr John Ryan, Longboat Clinical Ltd

Dr Marc Ceusters, Janssen Pharmaceutica Nv

Dr Michael Hamacher, Affectis Pharmaceuticals AG

Prof Nicholas Dale, Sarissa Biomedical Ltd

P2X7 expression in the hippocampus following seizures using GFP-P2X7 reporter mice

http://purines-epilepsylab.eu/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/BLENDER-500um-p2x7-Slice_KA-2-weeks.mp4

Hot from the press!

Polyadenylation of mRNA as a novel regulatory mechanism of gene expression in temporal lobe epilepsy

Abstract. Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common and refractory form of epilepsy in adults. Gene expression within affected structures such as the hippocamp

Antagonizing Increased miR-135a Levels at the Chronic Stage of Experimental TLE Reduces Spontaneous Recurrent Seizures

Mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (mTLE) is a chronic neurological disease characterized by recurrent seizures. The antiepileptic drugs currently available to treat mTLE are ineffective in one-third of patients and lack disease-modifying effects. miRNAs, a class of small noncoding RNAs which control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level, play a key role in the pathogenesis of mTLE and other epilepsies.

Context-Specific Switch from Anti- to Pro-epileptogenic Function of the P2Y1 Receptor in Experimental Epilepsy

Extracellular ATP activates inflammatory responses to tissue injury. It is also implicated in establishing lasting network hyperexcitability in the brain by acting upon independent receptor systems. Whereas the fast-acting P2X channels have well-established roles driving neuroinflammation and increasing hyperexcitability, the slower-acting metabotropic P2Y receptors have received much less attention.

ATP release during seizures - A critical evaluation of the evidence

* Seizure-induced ATP release widely considered to contribute to epileptogenesis. * Evidence for P2 receptor role in epileptogenesis well established. * Evidence for seizure-induced ATP release mixed and dependent on model and method of detection.

Profiling of Argonaute-2-loaded microRNAs in a mouse model of frontotemporal dementia with parkinsonism-17

Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the pathological aggregation of the microtubule-associated protein tau. These include more than 20 diseases, with Alzheimer's disease being the most frequent. While pathological and neurotoxic effects of tau are well documented, the mechanisms by which tau can promote neurodegeneration are less clear.

Regulation of P2X7 receptor expression and function in the brain

Because of its prominent role in driving inflammatory processes, the ATP-gated purinergic P2X7 receptor has attracted much attention over the past dec...

MicroRNA-22 Controls Aberrant Neurogenesis and Changes in Neuronal Morphology After Status Epilepticus

Prolonged seizures (status epilepticus) may drive hippocampal dysfunction and epileptogenesis, at least partly, through an elevation in neurogenesis, dysregulation of migration and aberrant dendritic arborization of newly-formed neurons. MicroRNA-22 was recently found to protect against the development of epileptic foci, but the mechanisms remain incompletely understood.

News & Events

MARIE CURIE Postdoc fellows opportunity!

June 2, 2020 admin Leave a comment

We have been highly successful in securing Marie Curie fellowships in the past (4 fellows) and we are looking to expand our current team (including 2 MSCA postdoctoral fellows, 2 MSCA PhD fellows). Our laboratory is particularly interested in what drives pathological processes during the development of epilepsy and how interfering with the purinergic system impacts on the disease. For our research we use a range of newly developed transgenic animal models, patient tissue and a variety of in vitro approaches including human-induced pluripotent stem cells.

We are interested in speaking with postdoctoral researchers with ideally a strong background in neuroscience, who would work on an exciting new project based around purinergic signalling in epilepsy taking advantage of novel technologies (e.g., single cell sequencing, iPSCs). Our group has strong collaborations with industry (e.g., Janssen and Affectis) and is based at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI).

RCSI has been at the forefront of educating healthcare professionals since 1784 when we were founded as the national training and professional body for surgery. Today we are Ireland’s only focused health sciences institution, Ireland’s largest medical school and one of the leading health sciences institutions in the world. RCSI hosts a multi-cultural environment with state-of-the-art facilities in the heart of Dublin, Ireland.

For more information contact Dr Tobias Engel (tengel@rcsi.ie).

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News & Events

Biomedical Biosensor SMARTChip and Probe Workshop

March 19, 2019 admin Leave a comment

The Purines Epilepsy lab Principal Investigator Tobias Engel will be a guest lecture on the Biomedical Biosensor SMARTChip and Probe Workshop hosted by Sarissa on March 22nd.

More information can be found here.

PhD candidate James Morgan wins best poster prize
News & Events

PhD candidate James Morgan wins best poster prize

March 19, 2019 admin Leave a comment

James Morgan, PhD candidate in the PurinesDX programme coordinated by our group won the best poster prize in the the Postgraduate Scholars first year only category during RCSI Research Day on March 7th, with poster entitled: “Identification of the cell-specific contribution of the P2X7 receptor to seizure-induced pathology and epilepsy development”

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