Who we are
The Rapsodi study is being led by Professor Anthony Schapira and his team in the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University College London. They work closely with Professor Atul Mehta and Dr Derralynn Hughes and their team in the Department of Haematology at the Royal Free Hospital, Professor Tim Cox and his team at Addenbrookes Hospital and other leading haematology and metabolic medicine teams around the UK.
The study is supported by the Medical Research Council, the European Union, the Javon Charitable Trust, the Leonard Wolfson Centre for Experimental Neurology along with the Gauchers Association and Parkinson’s UK.
Together with our supporters we work closely to ensure the study is participant friendly and easy to use. With their help all the information regarding the study and its progress is disseminated on a regular basis to participants and interested parties.
For more information on the work being done by the Gauchers Association or Parkinson's UK please refer to www.gaucher.org.uk and www.parkinsons.org.uk. The study team can be contacted by emailing: rapsodi@ucl.ac.uk or pdfrontline@ucl.ac.uk
Principal Investigator
Prof. Tony Schapira
Professor of Neuroscience and Head of the Department of Clinical Neuroscience, University College London Institute of Neurology. Professor Schapira’s research interests include the molecular and clinical aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, with special emphasis on Parkinson’s disease and other movement disorders. He leads an internationally renowned laboratory focused on the understanding and developing treatments for Parkinson’s caused by the GBA gene. Prof. Schapira is also a consultant neurologist at the Royal Free Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery.
Study Team
Dr. Stephen Mullin
Clinical lecturer at University College London and The University of Plymouth. His principle research interest is the development and delivery of drugs to prevent the progression of Parkinson’s caused by the GBA mutation. Dr. Mullin runs the study together with Dr. Toffoli.
Dr. Marco Toffoli
Clinical Research Fellow at University College London Institute of Neurology and a neurology registrar at the Royal Free Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. He is a member of Professor Schapira’s laboratory. Together with Dr Mullin he is responsible for the day to day running of the study.
Elisa Menozzi
Clinical Research Fellow at University College London Institute of Neurology and Neurology Registrar at the Royal Free Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. She is a member of Professor Schapira’s laboratory. Her principle research interest is the contribution of the microbiome in the increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease, in people with or without GBA mutation.
Selen Yalkic
Research Assistant at University College London, Queen Square Institute of Neurology. Selen is a Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Research MSc Graduate from King’s College London and is primarily responsible for the participant recruitment, coordinating and the day to day running of PD Frontline. She is interested in translational research which seeks to uncover the pathology of neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson’s to understand how it could inform early intervention and treatment.
Nadine Loefflad
Research Assistant at University College London, Institute of Neurology. Nadine is a Neuroscience Master’s graduate from University College London and is primarily responsible for recruiting, coordinating and running RAPSODI. She is interested in research surrounding early signs and symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease and how studying these factors might help inform early intervention.
Roxana Mezabrovschi
Research Assistant at University College London, Institute of Neurology. Roxana is a Neuroscience MRes graduate from Portsmouth University. Roxana is a member of the Schapira laboratory and help the study with the genetic counselling of participants. She has a primary interest in neuropharmacology to facilitate the development of drugs which could be used to treat neurological disease.
Professor Christos Proukakis
Professor Proukakis is a clinical academic neurologist with an interest in neurogenetics and in particular the cause of Parkinson’s disease. He runs an active laboratory research programme and Parkinson’s disease/movement disorders clinics at Royal Free and Chase Farm Hospitals.
Dr. Derralynn Hughes (Royal Free site, London)
Consultant haematologist at the Royal Free Lysosomal Storage Disorders Unit and Senior lecturer in haematology at University College London. Dr Hughes has advised on genetic counselling for the study and as part of the research team has been key in the study design.
Prof. Tim Cox (Addenbrookes site, Cambridge)
Professor of Medicine at the University of Cambridge and a Consultant haematologist at Addenbrookes Hospital. He is principal investigator of the Cambridge site. He runs a world leading laboratory focused upon understanding and developing treatment for Gaucher disease and other lysosomal storage diseases. He is also Principle investigator of the Gaucherite study.
Prof. Sian Ellard
Sian Ellard is a professor of clinical genetics at Exeter University. Her clinical genetics laboratory carry out confirmatory genotyping of GBA positive samples.
Kevin Colclough
Dr. Colclough is a molecular geneticist at Exeter University who carries out the laboratory sequencing of our samples.
Aaron Jeffries
Dr. Jeffries is a geneticist working on the Exeter Sequencing Service who works alongside Dr Colclough to sequence our samples.
Alex Howard
Alex Howard is the software developer for the study and director of AAH Software. He designed the internet platform for the Rapsodi portal and AAH Software is responsible for its ongoing support and development. He has an interest in streamlining processes in healthcare and healthcare research through the use of internet based tools.
Study Collaborators
Prof. Anette Schrag
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at University College London Institute of Neurology and Consultant neurologist at the Royal Free Hospital. Professor Schrag is an internationally renowned researcher in identifying early symptoms of Parkinson’s and leads a research group focused on understanding the clinical features of early and late stage Parkinson’s disease. She is also a co investigator for the PREDICT PD project.
Prof. Huw Morris
Professor of Clinical Neuroscience at University College London Institute of Neurology and Consultant neurologist at the Royal Free Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Professor Morris runs a laboratory focused on understanding the genetics of Parkinson’s disease and other neurological disorders. He is also a principle investigator on the PROBAND Tracking Parkinson’s study and the Parkinson’s Families Project studies and works with Dr Rimona Weil on visual cognition in Parkinson’s
Prof. Henrik Zetterberg
Prof. Zetterberg is Professor of neurochemistry at University College London Institute of Neurology and the University of Gothenberg. He heads a world leading laboratory focused on the identification of chemicals in the blood, urine and cerebrospinal fluid which are present in those with Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Using information from the Rapsodi study he will aim to develop tests to allow us to diagnose the very earliest features of Parkinson’s in GBA carriers.
Dr. Rimona Weil
Senior lecturer in neurology at University College London Institute of Neurology. Rimona has a research interest in the visual problems which occur in early Parkinson’s disease. She provides advice and expertise on the memory changes in Parkinson’s caused by the GBA gene.
Dr. Elaine Murphy (National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery site, London)
Dr Murphy is a Consultant in metabolic medicine at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. The Rapsodi study is working with Dr Murphy to identify people at the Charles Dent Metabolic Unit, Queens Square, London who may be interested in participating..
Dr. Robin Lachmann (National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery site, London)
Dr. Lachmann is a Consultant in metabolic medicine at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Along with Dr Murphy he is helping to identify people who may be interested in participating in the study
Dr Anupam Chakrapani – (Great Ormond Street site, London)
Dr Chakrapani is a Consultant in metabolic medicine at Great Ormond Street Hospital. He is working with the study to identify potential family participants in the study.
Duncan Cole
Duncan Cole is the clinical lead for the all wales all inherited metabolic disease. He and his team work to identify people who may be interested in joining the study
Dr. T G Hiwot
Dr. T G Hiwot is a Consultant and Director of the Inherited Metabolic Disorders Service at New Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham. He and his team are working with the Rapsodi study to identify people who may be interested in participating in the study.
Dr Simon Jones – (Manchester Children’s Hospital site, Manchester)
Dr Jones is a Consultant in metabolic medicine at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. He is working with the study to identify potential family participants in the study.
Dr. Reena Sharma (Salford Royal Infirmary site, Salford)
Dr Sharma is Consultant in metabolic medicine at Salford Royal Infirmary, she and her team are working with the Rapsodi study to identify people at The Mark Holland Metabolic Unit, who may be interested in participating in the study.
Dr Alistair Noyce
Clinical Research Fellow at University College London Institute of Neurology and a neurology registrar at the Royal London Hospital and the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Dr. Noyce is in charge of PREDICT PD, our sister project looking for early symptoms of Parkinson’s in the general population. He is also an advisor to the Life Lab project. Together with Andy Cartwright, he has developed the keyboard tap test, which is used in the Rapsodi study and which measures the accuracy and speed of movement in hands and arms.
Chiao Lee
Research Assistant at University College London Institute of Neurology. Chiao is a Biochemistry Master’s graduate from Imperial College London and is a member of Professor Schapira’s laboratory. She works with Dr Toffoli and is primarily responsible for the handling and processing of samples for RAPSODI. She is interested in the mechanisms underlying disease, in particular the genetic underpinnings of neurodegeneration.
Prof Ray Chaudhuri (King’s College Hospital Foundation site, London)
Prof Chaudhuri is a consultant in Parkinson’s Disease at the King’s College Hospital Foundation. He is working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study
David Breen (Lothian site, Scotland)
Dr Breen is a consultant neurologist in Parkinson’s Disease at Lothian. He is working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study.
Professor Monty Silverdale (Salford Royal Infirmary site, Salford)
Professor Silverdale is a consultant neurologist in Parkinson’s Disease at Salford Royal. He is working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study.
Dr Oliver Leach (Royal Cornwall Hospital NHS Trust site, Cornwall)
Dr Leach is a consultant neurologist in Parkinson’s Disease at the Royal Cornwall Hospital trust. He is working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study.
Professor Oliver Bandmann
Professor Bandmann is a consultant neurologist in Parkinson’s Disease at Sheffield Teaching Hospital. He is working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study.
Dr Esther Sammler
Dr Sammler is a consultant neurologist in Parkinson’s Disease at Tayside trust. She is working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study.
Dr Rani Sophia
Dr Sophia is a consultant neurologist in Parkinson’s Disease at Tayside trust, they are working with the study to identify potential participants for the PD Frontline study.
Thank you to our partners and supporters
