High Performance Liquid Scintillation Facility. (360G-Wellcome-080268_Z_06_Z)

The applicants research programmes fall into discrete themes with distinct objectives. Dr Thomas s area of research is focused on understanding the physiology and pathophysiology of the blood-brain and blood-cerebrospinal fluid interfaces and how this relates to drug delivery to the brain. Dr Francis has two themes to his studies, firstly biochemical investigation of neurotransmitter correlates of cognitive, non-cognitive and neuropathological change in Alzheimers Disease and secondly the use of model systems to answer fundamental questions that arise from the human studies. Dr Malcangio has a major interest in the study of the positive and negative modulation of synaptic transmission at the first pain synapse. Professor McMahon has had a long standing interest in somatosensory systems and runs a large laboratory actively engaged in work ranging from molecular biology to electrophysiology to human psychophysical studies. Dr Rattray primary research interest concerns the properties and functions of transporter proteins in the central nervous system, and in particular their importance in neurodegeneration. Other work is to understand the intracellular events underlying neurodegeneration and neuroprotection. All these research programmes, and the specific funded projects detailed in this application, require access to liquid scintillation counters, hence this application to modernize and expand this central resource.