BRAIN exhibition stand - Health and Care Research Wales conference 2020

BRAIN UNIT HEALTH & CARE RESEARCH WALES CONFERENCE: 7 OCTOBER 2020

"We believe that through innovation and collaboration, our research can lead to more effective therapies and improve the lives of those affected by neurological and neurodegenerative diseases."

The Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics unit comprises a group of leading clinicians and scientists who are researching ways to develop and deliver novel cell, drug and growth factor therapies to patients with currently untreatable neurological neurodegenerative diseases.

We are working towards becoming a global centre of excellence for delivering novel therapies directly to the BRAIN through supporting translational research underpinning disease modification and brain repair, with a particular focus on four main disease areas:

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HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE

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MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS

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EPILEPSY

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PARKINSON'S DISEASE

We are on the cusp of a new era of potential disease-modifying therapies for neurodegeneration and other neurological disease, with many of the most promising requiring direct delivery into the central nervous system.

RESEARCH FOCUS

This presents a number of challenges and addressing these challenges forms the focus of BRAIN unit research and includes:

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DEVICE DEVELOPMENT We are developing novel, specialist devices optimised for intracranial delivery of cell and other therapies, in collaboration with industrial partners, progressing from testing in lab models through to clinical evaluation

VALIDATION OF METHODOLOGIES

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We are currently evaluating the most efficient ways of testing both the efficacy of devices and cell transplant therapy in patients through the delivery of the TRIDENT trial. This combines expertise from clinicians, trial methodologists and patient representatives.

INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT BIOBANKING The Welsh Neuroscience Research Tissue Bank (WNRTB) and Swansea Neurology Biobank serves as a repository of samples donated by patients and volunteers in Wales and across the UK. Samples collected include; blood, saliva and tissue which can be used in a variety of pre-clinical research. The aim is to help research into the causes, diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease.

HUMAN TISSUE LAB To support the development of novel therapies in Neuroscience and Neurooncology we need access to live human tissue such as adult and fetal human brain tissue, blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF).

Both the Adult and Fetal Human Tissue Labs provide live brain tissue for clinical and translational research, locally and across the UK. Live adult tissue is obtained from neurosurgical operations and the fetal tissue lab is the only accredited facility in the UK for the collection and storage of fetal tissues

NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH UNIT Providing safe, high-quality facilities for commercial and non-commercial clinical trials in collaboration with Cardiff and Vale University Health Board.

The Neuroscience Research Unit (NRU) is a 4 bedded clinical research facility conducting both commercial and non commercial studies.

Housed within the clinical neurology department in University Hospital Wales, the NRU provides highly experienced research staff (research nurses and clinical fellows) plus data management to enable patient participation in ethically approved studies.

PUBLIC AND PATIENT INVOLVEMENT AND ENGAGEMENT PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT BRAIN unit researchers are motivated to engage with the public to promote better understanding of science. Our members have been instrumental in the running of the Brain Games event held in the National Museum in Cardiff and other public engagement events.

BRAIN INVOLVE Bringing together patients, carers and academics to shape cutting-edge research into neurological and neurodegenerative diseases.

At BRAIN we believe that active involvement from members of the public leads to research that is more relevant, more reliable and more likely to be used to improve health and social care services. As a result, we regularly engage with our active group of experienced public and patient representatives, who work with us in the generation of ideas and design of research projects.

If you are interested in playing a vital role in shaping our work, you can become a member of our BRAIN Involve community.

"My original motivation for getting involved with BRAIN Involve was actually my mother having Parkinson’s. The last 3 years of her life were hell. This is one of the many reasons why the BRAIN unit’s research is so vitally important. If there is anything I can do to support or progress BRAIN’s treatments in PD or epilepsy – I will do so!”

PETER, BRAIN INVOLVE MEMBER.

CONTACT US: BRAINUNIT@CF.AC.UK WWW.BRAIN.WALES