Dr
Favour
Felix-Ilemhenbhio
BSc (Hons), MSc, MRes, PhD
School of Medicine and Population Health
BHF Immediate Research Fellow
Full contact details
Office B10
Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
- Profile
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I am a British Heart Foundation Research Fellow at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN). I develop gene and RNA therapies for inherited diseases of the brain’s small blood vessels, particularly CADASIL.
My research centres on NOTCH3, the gene associated with CADASIL. I use patient-derived vascular smooth muscle cells to understand how disease-associated variants affect blood vessel function and to test treatments that target the underlying cause.
My four-year BHF fellowship supports the development of gene therapy strategies to reduce disease-associated NOTCH3 expression. I also investigate antisense oligonucleotides and high-throughput drug screening as ways to identify potential treatments. My goal is to advance the most promising approaches towards therapies for people living with inherited cerebral small vessel disease.
Further information about my research into therapies for cerebral small vessel disease is available at the CSVD Therapeutics website.
- Qualifications
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- PhD in Medicine, University of Sheffield (2023)
- MRes in Musculoskeletal Ageing, University of Sheffield (2019)
- MSc in Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield (2018)
- BSc (Hons) in Biological Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche (2017)
- Research interests
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Gene therapy for CADASIL
I develop gene therapy approaches for CADASIL and related inherited conditions affecting the brain’s blood vessels. My work examines whether targeting disease-associated gene expression can improve vascular cell function.
RNA therapeutics
I investigate RNA-based approaches, including antisense oligonucleotides, as potential treatments for CADASIL. I assess their molecular and functional effects in human cell models of the disease.
Human models of cerebral small vessel disease
I use vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) generated from patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) to study CADASIL and evaluate candidate therapies. These models help connect molecular changes with vascular cell function.
Animal models of cerebral small vessel disease
I am developing studies using animal models of inherited cerebral small vessel disease to investigate how changes in brain blood vessels develop over time and to support the preclinical evaluation of potential therapies.
Therapeutic design tools
I developed shCREATE, a computational tool for designing and prioritising RNA-targeting sequences for research and therapeutic development.
- Publications
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Show: Featured publications All publications
Featured publications
Journal articles
- Intergenerational conditioning via intermittent parental hypoxia confers stroke resilience in offspring. Stroke, 57(5), 1388-1395. View this article in WRRO
- Gene editing for collagen disorders: current advances and future perspectives. Gene Therapy, 32(6), 676-689. View this article in WRRO
- The role of NOTCH3 in CADASIL pathogenesis: insights into novel therapies. Brain Research, 1863, 149754-149754.
- The kinesin gene KIF26B modulates the severity of post-traumatic heterotopic ossification. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(16). View this article in WRRO
- Pathophysiology and emerging molecular therapeutic targets in heterotopic ossification. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(13). View this article in WRRO
All publications
Journal articles
- Intergenerational conditioning via intermittent parental hypoxia confers stroke resilience in offspring. Stroke, 57(5), 1388-1395. View this article in WRRO
- Gene editing for collagen disorders: current advances and future perspectives. Gene Therapy, 32(6), 676-689. View this article in WRRO
- The role of NOTCH3 in CADASIL pathogenesis: insights into novel therapies. Brain Research, 1863, 149754-149754.
- The kinesin gene KIF26B modulates the severity of post-traumatic heterotopic ossification. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(16). View this article in WRRO
- Pathophysiology and emerging molecular therapeutic targets in heterotopic ossification. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 23(13). View this article in WRRO
- Intergenerational conditioning via intermittent parental hypoxia confers stroke resilience in offspring. Stroke, 57(5), 1388-1395. View this article in WRRO
- Research group
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Technical staff
Miles Morris, Laboratory Technician (2026-present)
MSc students
Miles Morris, MSc Translational Neuroscience (2026)
Alanur Ciger, MSc Translational Neuroscience (2026)
- Teaching interests
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I am interested in teaching translational neuroscience, cerebrovascular disease, gene and RNA therapies, and the use of human cell models in therapeutic research.
- Teaching activities
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I supervise MSc Translational Neuroscience research projects, supporting students with experimental design, laboratory methods, data analysis and scientific writing.