The next generation of Parkinson's experts

"In July 2019, I graduated with a BSc in Biology from the University of Bath. As part of this, I undertook a year-long professional placement in Dr Morgan’s laboratory at St Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Following graduation, I worked as a research assistant under Dr Mortiboys, at SITraN, carrying out drug screens in patient-derived fibroblasts and iNeurons. My PhD aims to stratify sporadic Parkinson’s Disease patients into discrete groups based on the driving causes of their disease."

What made you want to study at the University of Sheffield/at SITraN?

"I aspired to study at the SITraN because of its world-renowned status as a centre for excellence. The access to equipment in the drug screening laboratory is truly unique and the vast expertise that Dr Mortiboys’ team and the surrounding department provides is invaluable in supporting a PhD candidate.

I aspired to study at the SITraN because of its world-renowned status as a centre for excellence."

Toby Burgess

PhD student

"Since joining the Mortiboys group, I have thoroughly enjoyed working with like-minded individuals that share my enthusiasm for studying neurodegeneration, and working as part of the team is, and will continue to be, highly rewarding. Furthermore, the opportunity to discuss ideas and experiments with colleagues from a wide range of backgrounds is crucial to developing an understanding of this complex disorder." 

What has led you to study Parkinson's? And why do you want to study Parkinson's?

"Ageing is inevitable and alongside it, degeneration of the body occurs. Parkinson’s is one of the most complex and debilitating forms of degeneration, affecting people physically and mentally, stripping them of their memories, personality and motor skills. In addition, it causes a huge burden on our healthcare system and as prevalence increases at an alarming rate, research into medical treatments is critical.  Due to these reasons, my ambition is to help further our understanding of this devastating disorder and contribute to the discovery of treatments. This led me to seek a role in Dr Heather Mortiboys’ laboratory where I worked as a research assistant and have now progressed onto a PhD."

It is such an exciting time to have an excellent PhD student starting in the group on this timely and hugely important project to understand ways to stratify people with Parkinson's by cellular mechanism. Toby is a talented, motivated and passionate PhD student who I am sure will thrive and drive the work forward."

Dr Heather Mortiboys

Senior Lecturer/Senior Research Fellow

What do you hope the impact of your research will be?

"This project is exceptionally exciting and will hopefully impact all areas of Parkinson’s Disease research and treatment.

...classifying individuals into specific groups would allow medical staff to prescribe personalised treatment plans. These plans should be more effective and have less side effects, reducing patient suffering and hopefully eliminating false hope."

Toby Burgess

PhD student

"Understanding sporadic Parkinson’s driving causes will allow drug and biomarker trials to choose more selective testing cohorts, hopefully increasing the likelihood of their success. Additionally, classifying individuals into specific groups would allow medical staff to prescribe personalised treatment plans. These plans should be more effective and have less side effects, reducing patient suffering and hopefully eliminating false hope. Finally, a greater understanding of sporadic Parkinson’s classification will enable researchers to choose more accurate models for their studies, hopefully leading to the discovery of exact causes of disease and new therapeutic avenues."

Toby Burgess
First Year PhD Student, Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)