The research interests of TauBase revolve around dissecting the mechanisms by which neuronal dysfunction and degeneration occurs in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in tauopathies such as Alzheimer’s disease.

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The over-arching aim is to use this knowledge both for identification of disease-modifying drug targets and for generation of novel, “patient-specific” diagnostic tools that may enable earlier diagnosis and improved disease stratification.

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To achieve this, a number of experimental paradigms are employed to model aspects of tauopathy in vitro and in vivo, and a range of biochemical and biophysical methodologies are utilized to study the ensuing pathological processes.

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Interdisciplinary research is a central theme running through many projects in the lab, mediated through collaborations with other Drosophila biologists (Prof. Doug Allan, UBC Canada and Prof. Makis Skoulakis, Alexander Fleming Institute, Greece), biophysicists (Prof. Sumeet Mahajan, UoS), structural biologists (Prof. Phil Williamson, UoS) and clinicians (Prof. Chris Kipps, UoS).