麻豆传媒

Qualifications

PhD, MRes, BSc (Hons)

Roles within the University

Co-Theme Lead for Mental Health, Dementia and Neurodegeneration

Module lead for MMB8020 "Scientific basis of neurological disorders"

Member of the Transformative Neuroscience NUCoRE Steering Group

Memberships

British Neuropathological Society

Recent esteem indicators (last 3 years)

• "Neuropathology-driven drug discovery in MLD", Invited Seminar Speaker, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital Genomics and Rare Conditions Seminar Series, October 2025, UK
• "Neuropathology-driven drug discovery in MLD", Invited Plenary Speaker, MLD Scientific and Family Conference, March 2025, UK
• "Sphingolipid dyshomesostasis in Lewy body disease and related disorders", Invited Plenary Speaker, FloripaNeuro II, February 2025, Brazil
• Appointed Honorary Secretary to the British Neuropathological Society, February 2025
• "Lewy body diseases", Invited Plenary Speaker, Grand Challenges in Climate and Health, November 2023, Italy.
• "Shared mechanisms between sphingolipidoses and common neurodegenerative diseases", Invited Plenary Speaker, 12th Interactive Workshop on Niemann-Pick Diseases, November 2023, UK
• "Molecular pathology of metachromatic leukodystrophy", Invited Speaker, MLD Scientific and Family Conference, March 2023, UK.
• Appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the Lewy Bodies Society UK, January 2023
• "Neuronal vulnerability in Lewy body dementia", Invited Keynote Presentation, British Neuropathological Society Next Generation Socialising Event, November 2022, UK.

Lewy body diseases

Our research is focused on Lewy body diseases, collectively the second most common form of neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer's disease. Lewy body diseases are characterised by accumulations of the protein alpha-synuclein termed Lewy bodies in particular populations of neurons. Although Lewy bodies are thought to have a central role in Lewy body diseases, they do not form in all cell types and the relationship between Lewy bodies and cell death is imperfect. Much of our work seeks to understand how and why alpha-synuclein accumulates in the brain in Lewy body disease, using a combination of neuropathological approaches and model systems. We are particularly interested in the role of altered cellular catabolism, particularly of lipids, in the pathogenesis of these disorders.

Lysosomal storage disorders

We have a major interest in lysosomal storage disorders, particularly those resulting from impaired degradation of sphingolipids, not least as these may mechanistically overlap with Lewy body diseases. I am currently leading translational neuropathological studies into the sphingolipidoses, metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and Krabbe disease, which are progressive neurodegenerative disorders that typically onset in childhood with a relentless course and early mortality. Our work aims to better understand the disease process of these disorders to help identify novel therapies, particularly repurposed drugs.

Related neurometabolic diseases

We are also engaged in studies on further neurometabolic diseases with aetiological overlaps with Lewy body disease and/or lysosomal storage disorders including: Alpers' syndrome, a rare paediatric mitochondrial disease; ATG7 deficiency, a rare disorder of autophagy; and arginosuccinate lyase deficiency, a disorder in which arginosuccinic acid accumulates.

Current team members:

Dr Jade Hawksworth (Research Associate funded by ARUK) studying sphingolipid metabolism in Lewy body dementia.

Joe O'Neill (Technical specialist funded by NIHR 麻豆传媒 Biomedical Research Centre) developing autoradiography for therapeutic discovery in Lewy body dementia.

Searlait Thom (PhD student funded by the Jacobson Memorial Fund for Neurological Research) studying aggresome formation in Lewy body dementia.

Lucy Wood (PhD student funded by the NIHR 麻豆传媒 Biomedical Research Centre) studying associations between mitochondrial dysfunction, Lewy body pathology and cognitive decline in Lewy body dementia.

Will Timbury (PhD student funded by the UK Health Security Agency) studying the role of astrocytic mitochondrial dysfunction in neurodegenerative disorders.

Amelia Ikwue (PhD student funded by the Alzheimer's Society Doctoral Training Network in Lewy Body Dementia) studying iron deposition in Lewy body dementia.

Module lead and lecturer for MMB8020 "Scientific basis of neurological disorders".

Lecturer on MMB8004 "Ageing and health".

Laboratory training of undergraduate, MSci and MRes students during their laboratory placements.

• Articles

  • Hawksworth JI, Kirkby-Geddes E, Thom S, O'Neill J, Ikwue A, Wood L, Outeiro TF, Erskine D. . Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2026, 52(3), e70085.
  • Ueda M, Erskine D, Thomas A, Hamilton C, Donaghy PC. . BMJ Neurology Open 2026, 8(1), e001342.
  • Abdi IY, Sudhakaran IP, Ghanem SS, Vaikath NN, Majbour N, Goh YY, Viijaratnam N, Girges C, Constantinides VC, Kapaki E, Paraskevas GP, Weber S, Adeli G, Vekrellis K, Erskine D, Hu M, Foltynie T, Houlden H, Parkkinen L, van de Berg WDJ, Mollenhauer B, Schlossmacher MG, El-Agnaf OMA. . Journal of Parkinson's Disease 2025, 15(8), 1412-1430.
  • Colloby SJ, McAleese KE, Walker L, Erskine D, Toledo JB, Donaghy PC, McKeith IG, Thomas AJ, Attems J, Taylor JP. . Brain 2025, 148(5), 1562-1576.
  • Vasili E, Konig C, Al-Azzani M, Bosbach C, Gaztemeier LM, Thom S, Chegao A, Miranda HV, Steinem C, Erskine D, Outeiro TF. . npj Parkinson's disease 2025, 11, 307.
  • Aisenberg WH, O'Brien CA, Sangster M, Yaqoob F, Zhang Y, Temsamrit B, Thom S, Gosse L, Chaluvadi S, Elfayomi B, Lee G, Polam V, Levitt EM, Liu G, Lombroso SI, Nemec KM, Clowry G, Nieves C, Rawat P, Church E, Martinez D, Shoffler C, Kancheva D, Petucci C, Taylor D, Kofler J, Erskine D, Movahedi K, Bennett ML, Bennett FC. . Immunity 2025, 58(5), 1254-1268.e9.
  • Smith LA, Olkhova EA, Lax NZ, Ng YS, Taylor RW, Gorman GS, Erskine D, McFarland R. . Acta Neuropathologica 2025, 149(1), 53.
  • Koss DJ, Todd O, Menon H, Anderson Z, Yang T, Findlay L, Graham B, Palmowski P, Porter A, Morrice N, Walker L, Attems J, Ghanem SS, El-Agnaf O, LeBeau FEN, Erskine D, Outeiro TF. . Molecular Neurodegeneration 2025, 20, 34.
  • Kataura T, Sedlackova L, Sun C, Kocak G, Wilson N, Banks P, Hayat F, Trushin S, Trushina E, Maddocks ODK, Oblong JE, Miwa S, Imoto M, Saiki S, Erskine D, Migaud ME, Sarkar S, Korolchuk VI. . Cell Death and Disease 2024, 15(5), 382.
  • Hamilton CA, Matthews FE, Attems J, Donaghy PC, Erskine D, Taylor J-P, Thomas AJ. . British Journal of Psychiatry 2024, 224(6), 237-244.
  • Chen C, McDonald D, Blain A, Mossman E, Atkin K, Marusich MF, Capaldi R, Bone L, Smith A, Filby A, Erskine D, Russell O, Hudson G, Vincent AE, Reeve AK. . npj Parkinson's Disease 2023, 9, 120.
  • Smith LA, Chen C, Lax NZ, Taylor RW, Erskine D, McFarland R. . Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2023, 11, 86.
  • Ghanem SS, Majbour NK, Vaikath NN, Ardah MT, Erskine D, Jensen NM, Fayyad M, Sudhakaran IP, Vasili E, Melachroinou K, Abdi IY, Poggiolini I, Santos P, Dorn A, Carloni P, Vekrellis K, Attems J, McKeith I, Outeiro TF, JEnsen PH, El-Agnaf OMA. . Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2022, 119(15), e2109617119.
  • Hatton C, Ghanem SS, Koss DJ, Abdi IY, Gibbons E, Guerreiro R, Bras J, International DLB Genetics Consortium, Walker L, Gelpi E, Heywood W, Outeiro TF, Attems J, McFarland R, Forsyth R, El-Agnaf OM, Erskine D. . Brain 2022, 145(4), 1257-1263.
  • Koss DJ, Erskine D, Porter A, Palmoski P, Menon H, Todd OGJ, Leite M, Attems J, Outeiro TF. . Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2022, 10, 98.
  • Hmila I, Vaikath NN, Majbour NK, Erskine D, Sudhakaran IP, Gupta V, Ghanem SS, Islam Z, Emara MM, Abdesselem HB, Kolatkar PR, Achappa DK, Vinardell T, El-Agnaf OMA. . FEBS Journal 2022, 289(15), 4657-4673.
  • Ng YS, Lax NZ, Blain AP, Erskine D, Baker MR, Polvikoski T, Thomas RH, Morris CM, Lai M, Whittaker RG, Gebbels A, Winder A, Hall J, Feeney C, Farrugia ME, Hirst C, Roberts M, Lawthom C, Chrysostomou A, Murphy K, Baird T, Maddison P, Duncan C, Poulton J, Nesbitt V, Hanna MG, Pitceathly RDS, Taylor RW, Blakely EL, Schaefer AM, Turnbull DM, McFarland R, Gorman GS. . Brain 2022, 145(2), 542-554.
  • Majbour NK, Aasly J, Abdi I, Ghanem S, Erskine D, Van de Berg W, El-Agnaf O. . Neurology 2022, 99(21), e2417-e2427.
  • Smith LA, Erskine D, Blain A, Taylor RW, McFarland R, Lax NZ. . Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2022, 48(6), e12833.
  • Donaghy PC, Cockell SJ, Martin-Ruiz C, Coxhead J, Kane J, Erskine D, Koss D, Taylor JP, Morris CM, O'Brien JT, Thomas AJ. . American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2022, 30(9), 964-975.
  • Chen C, Mossman E, Malko P, McDonald D, Blain AP, Bone L, Erskine D, Filby A, Vincent AE, Hudson G, Reeve AK. . Movement Disorders 2022, 37(2), 302-314.
  • Poggiolini I, Erskine D, Vaikath NN, Ponraj J, Mansour S, Morris CM, El-Agnaf OMA. . Biomolecules 2021, 11(6), 820.
  • Hamilton C, Matthews FE, Erskine D, Attems J, Thomas AJ. . Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2021, 9, 198.
  • Tweedy C, Kindred N, Curry J, Williams C, Taylor J-P, Atkinson P, Randall F, Erskine D, Morris CM, Reeve AK, Clowry GJ, LeBeau FEN. . Neurobiology of Disease 2021, 149, 105226.
  • Erskine D, Reeve AK, Polvikoski T, Schaefer AM, Taylor RW, Lax NZ, El-Agnaf O, Attems J, Gorman GS, Turnbull DM, Ng YS. . Acta Neuropathologica 2020, 139, 219-221.
  • Fayyad M, Erskine D, Majbour NK, Vaikath NV, Ghanem SS, Sudhakaran IP, Abdesselem H, Lamprokostopoulou A, Vekrellis K, Morris CM, Attems J, El-Agnaf OMA. . Brain Pathology 2020, 30(4), 831-843.
  • Fayyad M, Majbour NK, Vaikath NN, Erskine D, El-Tarawneh H, Sudhakaran IP, Abdesselem H, El-Agnaf OMA. . Neuroscience Letters 2020, 725, 134899.
  • Gupta V, Salim S, Hmila I, Vaikath NN, Sudhakaran IP, Ghanem SS, Majbour NK, Abdulla SA, Emara MM, Abdesselem HB, Lukacsovich T, Erskine D, El-Agnaf OMA. . Scientific Reports 2020, 10, 8137.
  • McAleese KE, Walker L, Erskine D, Johnson M, Koss D, Thomas AJ, Attems J. . Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2020, 46(7), 722-734.
  • Hatton C, Reeve A, Lax NZ, Blain A, Ng YS, El-Agnaf O, Attems J, Taylor JP, Turnbull D, Erskine D. . Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2020, (8), 103.
  • Erskine D, Taylor JP, Thomas A, Collerton D, McKeith I, Khundakar A, Attems J, Morris C. . Neuroscience Bulletin 2019, 35, 295-300.
  • Fayyad M, Salim S, Majbour N, Erskine D, Stoops E, Mollenhauer B, El-Agnaf OMA. . Journal of Neurochemistry 2019, 150(5), 626-636.
  • Vaikath NN, Erskine D, Morris CM, Majbour N, Vekrellis K, Li JY, El-Agnaf OMA. . Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2019, 45(6), 597-608.
  • McAleese KE, Graham S, Dey M, Walker L, Erskine D, Johnson M, Johnston E, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, DeCarli C, Attems J. . Brain Pathology 2019, 29(3), 414-424.
  • Outeiro TF, Koss DJ, Erskine D, Walker L, Kurzawa-Akanbi M, Burn DJ, Donaghy P, Morris CM, Taylor JP, Thomas AJ, Attems J, McKeith IG. . Molecular Neurodegeneration 2019, 14, 5.
  • Erskine D, Taylor JP, Bakker G, Brown AJH, Tasker T, Nathan PJ. . Drug Discovery Today 2019, 24(12), 2307-2314.
  • Erskine D, Patterson L, Alexandris A, Hanson PS, McKeith IG, Attems J, Morris CM. . Acta Neuropathologica 2018, 135(1), 153-154.
  • Erskine D, Ding J, Thomas AJ, Kaganovich A, Khundakar AA, Hanson PS, Taylor JP, McKeith IG, Attems J, Cookson MR, Morris CM. . Movement Disorders 2018, 33(6), 982-991.
  • Mcaleese KE, Walker L, Erskine D, Thomas AJ, Mckeith IG, Attems J. . Brain Pathology 2017, 27(4), 472-479.
  • Erskine D, Thomas AJ, Attems J, Taylor JP, McKeith IG, Morris CM, Khundakar AA. . Movement Disorders 2017, 32(3), 414-422.
  • Walker L, McAleese KE, Johnson M, Khundakar AA, Erskine D, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, Attems J. . Journal of Neural Transmission 2017, 124(6), 671-683.
  • McAleese KE, Walker L, Graham S, Moya ELJ, Johnson M, Erskine D, Colloby SJ, Dey M, Martin-Ruiz C, Taylor J-P, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, De Carli C, Attems J. . Acta Neuropathologica 2017, 134(3), 459-473.
  • Erskine D, Thomas AJ, Taylor JP, Savage MA, Attems J, McKeith IG, Morris CM, Khundakar AA. . The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2017, 25(6), 595-604.
  • Khundakar AA, Hanson PS, Erskine D, Lax NZ, Roscamp J, Karyka E, Tsefou E, Singh P, Cockell SJ, Gribben A, Ramsay L, Blain PJ, Mosimann UP, Lett DJ, Elstner M, Turnbull DM, Xiang CC, Brownstein MJ, O'Brien JT, Taylor JP, Attems J, Thomas AJ, McKeith IG, Morris CM. . Acta Neuropathologica Communications 2016, 4, 66.
  • Erskine D, Taylor JP, Firbank MJ, Patterson L, Onofrj M, O'Brien JT, McKeith IG, Attems J, Thomas AJ, Morris CM, Khundakar AA. . Neuropathology and Applied Neurobiology 2015, 42(4), 366–376.

• Book Chapter

  • Walker L, McAleese KE, Erskine D, Attems J. . In: Subcellular Biochemistry. Singapore: Springer Nature, 2019, pp.75-106.

• Letter

  • Espay AJ, Lees AJ, Cardoso F, Frucht SJ, Erskine D, Sturchio A, Imarisio A, Hoffmann C, Montemagno KT, Naudi-Fabra S, Milovanovic D, Halliday GM, Manfredsson FP. . Parkinsonism and Related Disorders 2025, 136, 107874.

• Reviews

  • Espay AJ, Lees AJ, Cardoso F, Frucht SJ, Erskine D, Sandoval IM, Bernal-Conde LD, Sturchio A, Imarisio A, Hoffman C, Montemagno KT, Milovanovic D, Halliday GM, Manfredsson FP. . Parkinsonism and Related Disorders 2025, 131, 107256.
  • Erskine D, Bronowska AK, Outeiro TF, Attems J. . Journal of Neural Transmission 2025, Epub ahead of print.
  • Erskine D, Taylor J-P. . Molecular Neurodegeneration 2025, 20(1), 78.
  • Olkhova EA, Smith LA, Bradshaw C, Gorman GS, Erskine D, Ng YS. . International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023, 24(11), 9698.
  • Amin J, Erskine D, Donaghy PC, Surendranathan A, Swann P, Kunicki AP, Boche D, Holmes C, McKeith IG, O'Brien JT, Teeling JL, Thomas AJ. . Neurobiology of Disease 2022, 168, 105698.
  • Erskine D, Koss D, Korolchuk VI, Outeiro TF, Attems J, McKeith I. . Acta Neuropathologica 2021, 141, 511-526.
  • Erskine D, Attems J. . Journal of Neural Transmission 2021, 128, 1567-1575.
  • Vaikath NN, Hmila I, Gupta V, Erskine D, Ingelsson M, El-Agnaf OMA. . Journal of Neurochemistry 2019, 150(5), 612-625.
  • Erskine D, Khundakar AA. . Journal of Chemical Neuroanatomy 2016, 76(Part B), 73–81.