Thanks to the kind donations of our supporters, who raised more than £10,000 in our 2021 Research Appeal, we are pleased to confirm PSPA awarded three small research grants at the end of 2022.

The three grants we have awarded are detailed below.

Dr Boyd Ghosh (Southampton and Salisbury), Consultant Neurologist, will receive £2,915.

Dr Ghosh was awarded a small research grant to employ a medical student to help on a project to assess the benefits of specialist multidisciplinary teams within a specialist clinic for patients with PSP & CBD (progressive supranuclear palsy and corticobasal degeneration).

Boyd is working towards creating evidence for the National Institute of Care Excellence (NICE) to establish clinical guidelines for people with PSP & CBD. This will enable all patients to receive appropriate and timely care. NICE is the public body funded by the Department of Health and Social care that looks at evidence and decides to recommend therapies, services, devices to the Government for implementation in the NHS and public/social care systems. It is not an easy task for Boyd and his colleagues, so PSPA decided to support them in this journey as much as we can.

Dr Annelies Quaegebeur (Cambridge), Consultant Neuropathologist, agreed in principle to receive £4,760

Dr Quaegebeur received a small research grant to assist her study, characterising neuroinflammation in PSP brains with high-plex spatial protein profiling. This is a technique that looks at the architecture of altered brain tissue.

For a scientific description of the technique please look at https://www.nature.com/articles/s41576-022-00515-3.

This strategy will enable the identification of molecular phenotypes (how molecules take different shapes) that are most relevant in the early stages of PSP, and hence, will guide the design of novel neuroimmune therapies and new disease biomarkers. Annelies will use the fund to cover equipment and conference costs.

Dr Maura Malpetti (Cambridge), Research Fellow, will receive £9,279

Dr Malpetti was awarded a small research grant to support her study, looking into the application of neuroimaging techniques (PET and MRI scans) to investigate the pathophysiology of neurodegenerative diseases (how they develop). And to also identify early diagnostic and prognostic markers, signals that can tell clinicians which disease is present and at which stage. The grant will help Maura look into inflammation blood tests in PSP, CBD and frontotemporal dementia. The study will clarify how inflammation in brains of affected individuals spreads, enabling a more accurate staging of the disease, and improving the of monitoring of drug effects in clinical trials of immunomodulatory treatments (clinicians can follow the changes in the brain when patients are given new drugs). Maura will use the fund to cover the cost of a research assistant.

The aim of the small research grants is to help PSPA looking into research priorities identified by supporters. These are:

• Awareness of PSP & CBD 
• Diagnosis of PSP & CBD 
• Living with PSP & CBD
• Prevention and causes of PSP & CBD 
• Treatments for PSP & CBD

About PSPA

PSPA is the only UK charity dedicated to creating a better future for every affected by PSP & CBD. 

We will do this by:

• Providing information and support to enable families living with PSP & CBD to live their best possible lives

• Improving the quality of life for people living with the condition via research and awareness raising

• Putting the voice of the PSP & CBD community at the heart of what we do.

For more information please visit www.pspassociation.org.uk 

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