We are delighted to announce that MRC-PPU PI Miratul Muqit has been promoted to the rank of Professor.

Miratul joined the MRC-PPU after he completed his clinical neurology training in 2008, to investigate the role of the Parkinson's disease PINK1 protein kinase that he played a key role in uncovering during his PhD in the laboratory of Nicholas Wood (UCL).

Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 5 (CDKL5/STK9) is a poorly understood protein kinase mutated in CDKL5 disorder. This disease is characterized by seizure onset before 3 months of age, severely impaired gross motor, language and hand skills and subtle but shared physical characteristics.

Metformin has been used as a first-line drug for the treatment of individuals with type 2 diabetes for over 60 years. The mechanism by which metformin lowers glucose levels in the blood has been controversial.

Dr Greg Findlay, a group leader in the Medical Research Council Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC-PPU) at the University of Dundee, has been awarded a prestigious Sir Henry Dale Fellowship from the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society.

One of the UK’s leading researchers into Parkinson’s disease has received a major funding award to continue with his groundbreaking work.

Laureation address by Dario Alessi, 22nd June 2018

Vice-Chancellor, I have the honour to present for the degree of doctor of laws honoris causa, Dr Michel Goedert. Michel has undertaken pioneering studies that have made major contributions to unravelling our understanding of several brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

Lambert Montava Garriga, a PhD student in the Ganley Lab at the MRC PPU, was awarded the first-place poster prize at the Biochemical Society’s 83rd Harden Conference: Autophagy – from Molecules to Disease.

Ever wondered what the inside of a lab looks like? We’ll be hosting an open day on Saturday 16 June so please join us to explore the world of medical research.

Sven Lange, a PhD student in the MRC PPU has won The FEBS Journal Poster Prize at "Pseudoenzymes 2018: from molecular mechanism to cell biology" which was held on the island of Sardinia from May 16-19 2018.

The CK1 family of serine/threonine protein kinases were one of the first kinases to be discovered some 50 years ago, principally because of their incessant ability to phosphorylate the milk protein casein in the test tube.