New Approaches to Treating Brain Disease
Nancy Rothwell will present the Leverhulme Lecture, 'A stroke of bad luck: New approaches to treating brain disease'
6 March 2008, Liverpool University, UK
 Nancy Rothwell will present the Leverhulme Lecture, ‘A stroke of bad luck: New approaches to treating brain disease’, on 6 March 2008 at Liverpool University, UK, as the city enjoys its 'City of Culture' year.
Rothwell currently oversees a research group of about 25 scientists. The group’s work in the field of neuroscience has contributed towards major advances in the understanding and treatment of brain damage in stroke and head injury.
An estimated 150 000 people in the UK have a stroke annually. Stroke is the third most common cause of death among adults in the UK and the single most common cause of severe disability. More than 250 000 people live with disabilities caused by stroke. A stroke is a rapid loss of brain function due to an interruption in the blood supply to part of the brain. This process causes brain cells (neurones) to become damaged and die leading to inflammation. There is also evidence suggesting that some of the same processes occur in other diseases affecting the brain, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s and epilepsy, as well as a result head trauma. More children die from head injuries than any other cause. There is no successful treatment for stroke or head injury.
Rothwell’s group have discovered that a protein called interleukin-1, a normal response to infection and injury produced by our immune system, is switched on in the brain quickly after injury or in disease and can seriously damage brain cells. They were able to show a naturally occurring blocker of interleukin-1 (interleukin-1ra) can limit brain damage. Following a recent initial trial of interleukin-1ra, further clinical studies are planned.
Rothwell’s academic career began at the University of London and in 1987 she relocated to Manchester. A chair in physiology was awarded in 1994, and a prestigious Medical Research Council (MRC) research chair followed in 1998. In 2003 she won the prestigious Pfizer Research Prize and in 2004 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. She was honoured with a DBE (Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in 2005. She has recently served as president of the British Neuroscience Association and a council member of the MRC. As current Vice-President for Research of the new University of Manchester, Rothwell has overall responsibility for research and postgraduate education strategy.
Previous presenters of the Leverhulme lecture include Lord Todd, Sir Charles Dodds, Lord Porter and Sir Geoffrey Allen.
- The Leverhulme Lecture was established in 1943 by the SCI Liverpool Section and recognises excellence in chemical research and knowledge. The lecture is named after William Hesketh Lever, (1851-1925) the first Viscount Leverhulme, a dynamic and forward-thinking entrepreneur. The selection of the lecture’s presenter now rests with the expanded SCI Liverpool & North West Regional Group.
Leverhulme was the driving force behind the expansion of the then named Lever Brothers in 1886, opening a new site allowing weekly production of soap to increase from 20t to 800t. This venture was a key building block of the corporation. In addition to his manufacturing interests he was a pioneer in promoting the welfare of his employees and set aside 169 acres of land for worker housing, which rapidly took shape as the Port Sunlight model village.
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