Anthony Group | Experimental Neuropathology

The focus of the work of the laboratory is to identify how astrocytes and microglia contribute to the outcome of diseases within the brain and spinal cord from multiple sclerosis to motor neuron disease. A phenotypic change in microglial and astrocyte morphology can often be the sole defining histopathological feature of the presence of disease in the brain. It was the recognition of such changes that has changed the way in which we view the contribution of glial cells to a spectrum of neurological disease. However, it is clear from our studies that the molecular expression profile that accompanies activated glial cells is not static and it can be altered by factors that are both intrinsic and extrinsic to the brain. In recent years, my team has become increasingly interested in how extrinsic factors influence the outcome of neurological and psychiatric disease. When we place inflammatory lesions in the brain they activate a systemic immune response, which is dependent on the release of extracellular vesicles (EVs) from the brain into the circulation. We are particularly interested in the role played by circulating extracellular vesicles in the pathogenesis of CNS disease and the way in which they impact on behavior and disease progression. Professor Anthony is also a Fellow of Somerville College and holds an honorary Professorial position at the University of Southern Denmark. Professor Anthony has generated over 150 publications on the neurobiology of inflammation that have been generated with the help of long-established connections in Oxford and elsewhere. The laboratory is well equipped for in vivo biology, molecular biology and immunohistochemistry.