The Barker / Williams-Gray Lab

29/04/2026

Exciting News: Roger has ranked 29 in UK and 208 in the world for the 2026 Edition of Best Scientists in the field of Neuroscience by Research.com!🎉

The ranking is based on a Discipline H-index metric, which includes papers and citation values. There is an article summarizing the statistics and trends from the ranking:
https://research.com/careers/world-online-ranking-of-best-neuroscientists-2026-report
Full ranking for the UK: https://research.com/scientists-rankings/neuroscience/gb
Full world ranking: https://research.com/scientists-rankings/neuroscience

On April 23, 2026, Research.com released the 5th edition of the world online ranking of best neuroscientists. This report highlights the most influential researchers advancing the field of neuroscience today. By showcasing their contributions and global impact, the ranking strengthens recognition fo...

28/04/2026

Big news! I am thrilled to share that my team has been selected to join the Collaborative Research Network (CRN), powered by the Aligning Science Across Parkinson’s (ASAP) and The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.

Together, this network is working to map the biological blueprint of Parkinson’s disease and accelerate the path to new treatments.

Over the next three years, our team will be investigating: Aging and the Heterogeneity of Parkinson’s disease – The role of heterochromatin erosion.
https://www.asapcrn.org/research-community/teams/barker/

Explore our project and all CRN teams at asapcrn.org.

22/04/2026

Roger is giving a plenary lecture today on dopamine cell therapies in Parkinson's disease at 39th EFI/BSHI Conference 2026 in Edinburgh!
From Genes to Grafts: Where Innovation meets Medicine 🔬
https://efi-conference.org/

17/04/2026

We are delighted to announce the publication of “Stem cell treatments and Parkinson's disease: Science and misconceptions” in the Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. The article by Athena Stamper, Harry Bulstrode and Roger Barker can be found here:

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative disorder associated with the accumulation of alpha-synuclein in Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites, as we...

13/04/2026

Welcome Rosana-Bristena Ionescu to the Barker Lab 🎉
Bristena will be joining us as a Clinical Research Fellow for the next 2 years!
She will do a joint project between the Barker and Jones laboratories using cutting-edge single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) to explore how the immune system shapes the course of Huntington’s disease.

10/04/2026

Check out this great new webinar by Huntington's Disease Foundation featuring a presentation from Zanna Voysey 🎉

The HDF have just released a new webinar episode called What Your Blood Tells Us: The Science Behind HD Biomarkers with Lauren Byrne and Zanna Voysey presenting.

It is available now to watch for free on YouTube:

Watch the Huntington's Disease Foundation Research Spotlight Webinar "What Your Blood Tells Us: The Science Behind HD Biomarkers" with Lauren Byrne, PhD and ...

30/03/2026

The Cambridge Clinical Trials Unit Neuroscience Theme Event is back 🎉
Join online or in person on Thursday 30th April 13:00-16:00, to hear results from completed trials, flash presentations, and a panel discussion with trial participants!
Registration is required so if you wish to attend, please register here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/neuroscience-theme-annual-event-2026-tickets-1985929095384?aff=oddtdtcreator&keep_tld=true

27/03/2026

Roger was honoured today to give a talk virtually at the Cambridge Nanjing forum on cell therapies for Parkinson's disease!

Roger delivered a lecture online entitled 'Taking Dopamine Cell Therapies to the Clinic in Parkinson's Disease', in which he systematically reviewed the development of dopamine cell therapies for the treatment of Parkinson's disease. He noted that although early transplant studies using human fetal midbrain tissue succeeded in restoring dopaminergic innervation to the striatum in some patients, clinical benefits varied significantly between individuals and there was a risk of graft-induced dyskinesias. Currently, several clinical trials using dopamine neurons derived from human pluripotent stem cells are underway, with preliminary results suggesting that the approach is generally safe; however, graft survival, consistency of clinical efficacy and immunosuppression regimens still require further optimisation.

26/03/2026

Check out this 3D image of neurons created by our PhD student Jana!

The image contains striatal neurons after 21 days in vitro expressing Tyrosine hydroxylase (in green), cell nucleus (in blue), neuronal markers (red and cyan). Tyrosine hydroxylase plays a crucial role in the synthesis of dopamine.

24/03/2026

Last Wednesday Roger did a talk on the value and misconceptions of dopamine cell replacement therapy as a potential treatment for Parkinson’s disease!

If you would like to view the talk please see here:
https://www.vumedi.com/video/parkinson-disease-cell-therapy-what-stem-cell-derived-dopamine-neurons-can-and-cannot-do/
(the link will only work for registered users but creating an account is free)

This talk was based on Roger & Saeed's manuscript which was published at the end of last year: “Clinical Trials Highlights” in the Journal of Parkinson’s disease (doi:10.1177/1877718X251397277) 🎉

A video from Roger Barker, posted on Mar 18, 2026.

23/03/2026

HD Gratitude day - celebrating the partnership between families, scientists and clinical professionals to advice treatments for Huntington's Disease 💙
, we’ll be sharing short updates highlighting our latest research.
Last but not least: Sophie Field introduces her work on understanding inflammation in the brain.
Watch her short video to learn more 👇

23/03/2026

HD Gratitude day - celebrating the partnership between families, scientists and clinical professionals to advice treatments for Huntington's Disease 💙

, we’ll be sharing short updates highlighting our latest research.

Next an update on The DORA-HD trial🦉

Insomnia and other sleep problems are a common and often overlooked symptom of Huntington's Disease, affecting nearly 90% of people in the early stages - sometimes in ways people aren't even aware of. But sleep isn't just about feeling rested: there is growing evidence that sleep disturbances in HD may be actively worsening cognitive and psychiatric symptoms, and could even be accelerating the disease itself.

DORA-HD is testing a medication called daridorexant (Quviviq), already approved to treat insomnia in the general population, to find out whether it can meaningfully improve sleep in people with HD. Crucially, the trial goes beyond just measuring sleep, and will also track memory, mood, motor function, and biological markers of disease activity in the brain. This means we'll be able to explore whether treating insomnia could do more than improve quality of life: it may have the potential to slow disease progression.

Participants will take the medication for 12 months, with sleep monitored both at home and in a specialist sleep lab, alongside brain scans and blood tests. The science behind this is compelling: better sleep may help the brain clear toxic proteins more effectively, offering a new and potentially powerful therapeutic avenue in HD.