Biography

Kevin Talbot is a clinician scientist with 25 years of experience of diagnosing and managing MND and related diseases. He qualified in medicine (MB BS) with Distinction from the University of London and trained in Neurology in London and Oxford.

Since 2019 he has been Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford, and also leads the ‘Preventive Neurology’ Theme of the Oxford Biomedical Research Centre.

The main focus of his laboratory research is to improve pre-clinical models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, focussing on early-stage disease. His laboratory has identified disease-specific phenotypes in motor neurons which provide the tools for screening drugs of potential therapeutic benefit in ALS. This is closely linked to work with Oxford colleagues on biomarkers with application to experimental medicine studies to accelerate translation of promising drugs. 

Awards, Training and Qualifications

• MB BS  University of London 1990
• DPhil  University of Oxford 1998
• FRCP  Royal College of Physicians, London 2006

Research Summary

The main aim of my research is to identify targets for therapy in motor neuron diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). In particular, we use laboratory models including motor neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells from patients to understand why motor neuron integrity fails in the presence of certain genetic mutations (eg; TDP-43 or C9orf72 in ALS). We also use these models to identify drug targets. Our work takes place in the context of a larger team of researchers in Oxford interested in translational research in neurodegenerative diseases, and we have many national and international collaborations. We are active members of the UK MND Research Institute.

Sources of Funding

• Motor Neuron Disease Association 2001-2026
  
• MND Scotland 2023-2026
• My Name'5 Doddie Foundation 2019-2026
• Alan Davidson Foundation 2022-2025
• NIHR 2022-2027