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Our
Vision
The key
vision of SITraN is to develop an international centre
of excellence for basic through to applied research in
neurodegenerative disease to complement the existing
partnerships of academic research groups, government and
charitable research funding bodies, gene expression
profiling and bioinformatics analysis & modelling of the
biological processes, the pharmaceutical industry and
the health care sector.
Our Potential
SITraN has the potential to
make a major impact on the visibility of
neurodegenerative diseases in the UK, bring new
treatments and new hope to patients and carers in the UK
– together with the wider international community, and
significantly accelerate the pace of therapeutic
development using technologies such as experimental
modelling of disease, gene therapy and stem cell
biology.
Research Discoveries:
We have made
important contributions to identifying the complicated
pathobiology of motor neuron injury using gene
expression profiling and to the understanding of the
clinical features and pathology of new genetic variants
of MND including those caused by mutations in CHMP2B
and C9ORF72. We have developed new models of MND
and Parkinson's disease in zebrafish, particularly
useful for drug screening. Click
here to read more about our research discoveries.
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The Sheffield Institute for
Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) is an essential
development in the fight against motor neuron disease
and other common neurodegenerative disorders of the
motor system. As yet no single Institution anywhere in
the world has developed the necessary critical mass and
facilities to exploit the potential of modern
neuroscience, the 'post-genome' era, and exciting
developments in biomedical therapeutics with specific
focus on this devastating group of illnesses. Centres of
excellence for neurodegneration research across the
globe have achieved considerable progress, but none are
effectively poised to develop these advances to the
full. The establishment of SITraN in Sheffield offers
the opportunity for a coordinated approach to the
development and clinical trialling of new therapies
based on rational targets of proven preclinical
effectiveness.
Translational
Therapy Pipeline:
We have received
orphan drug designation status for one drug (apomorphine-S)
emerging from our drug screening programme and for the
use of gene therapy in the childhood form of MND known
as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). These are now being
taken forwards to the clinic.
Clinical Research
Programmes:
We have conducted two new clinical trials in MND
(lithium and olesoxime); and have devised new ways of
supporting nutrition and respiratory function in MND. We
are continuing to tackle new measures to treat
troublesome symptoms experienced by patients with MND
including cough assist, diaphragm pacing and newly
engineered neck support collars.
Click here to read more
about our clinical studies.
Overview 2011-12
We have had an exciting and
tremendously successful year since the official opening
of the SITraN building by Her Majesty The Queen and HRH
the Duke of Edinburgh on 18th Nov 2010. A flavour
of some of the developments are highlighted below:
New
Research Staff:
We have been fortunate to
attract some very high quality new people to SITraN
including Professors of Bioinformatics and
Neuropsychology; a Lecturer in Neurobiology and a
Research Manager.
Click here for more
details.
Research
Grants:
We have had a successful year with research project
funding raising over £6 million in grants.
Click here for more details.
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*Film
Screening*
"I am Breathing"
5pm on 24th
June 2013
I AM
BREATHING is about the thin space between life and
death. Neil Platt ponders the last months of his life.
Within a year, he goes from being a healthy young father
to becoming completely paralysed from the neck down. As
his body gets weaker, his perspective on life changes:
"It's amazing how adaptable we are when
we have to be.
It's what separates us and defines us as
human beings."
I AM
BREATHING
has
been critically acclaimed since its world premiere at
the International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam
in late 2012:
"Intimate documentary examining a
normal-but-remarkable man and wife's handling of his
fatal disease ranks among the year's most moving
films."
(The Hollywood Reporter)
Neil Platt attended the
Sheffield MND Care Centre.
This film is being shown at
5pm on 24th June 2013 in
SITraN to support MND awareness month (June 2013)
therefore there is no charge for this event but please
book a place for the viewing by contacting
annette.taylor@sheffield.ac.uk so we can confirm
numbers. (Run time 73 minutes)
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