5 minutes with...
Jamie Weeks

"The BRC has a wealth of resources and expertise to advise and support with all aspects of research which has helped ease the transition and it is always a pleasure to speak to people with expertise in multiple different areas."

Can you give us a brief summary of your research career to date? What attracted you to the Sheffield BRC?

My first foray into research was when I was undertaking a master’s degree in clinical neurology here in Sheffield, this involved a short project investigating MRI muscle signal changes in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis as a disease biomarker.

After graduating from medical school I focused more on developing as a clinician and put less emphasis on research. During internal medicine training I was part of the team who reviewed local treatment of hyponatraemia which altered local practice and has been utilised in national guidance.  More recently during neurology training I have had the opportunity to be involved in recruitment and assessment in multiple trials in stroke and Myasthenia Gravis.

There were multiple reasons I applied for this position with the Sheffield BRC. I have enjoyed the research projects I have participated in up to this point and wanted to explore this further, especially given the exciting work being done in Neurology and the large space that is yet to be filled. Working within SiTraN also means that I can work closely with world-leading experts within Neurology and expand my knowledge into a subspecialty. The Sheffield BRC allows a space to do this in a supportive environment.

You are currently a clinical fellow within our neuroscience theme. What are you working on and what impact do you hope to have?

I am currently working as part of Professor Bandmann’s team on multiple projects within movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, namely Parkinson’s disease. The main goal is to look for a cure for PD, however this is very difficult as there is marked variation in presentation and disease mechanisms. It is therefore crucial to select patients for different clinical trials based on the most likely pathological mechanism.

Professor Bandmann and his team have been working extensively on investigating mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson’s disease and quantifying this using blood tests, skin cells and functional imaging.

We are currently building on this to find method of stratifying patients based on clinical presentation using digital sensors as objective measures of gait and tremor. Based on prior research we believe we can use these digital measures to highlight patients more likely to have disease driven by mitochondrial dysfunction and more likely to benefit from mitochondrial rescue medication.

Our hope is not only can this successfully stratify patients but be an objective disease outcome for future clinical trials.

So what comes next for you? What are your longer-term career goals?

My plan is to continue along the research path. I am hoping that I will be able to obtain sufficient pilot data from our stratification project to apply for funding for a PhD. I will have to complete my Neurology training after this and my plan is to be involved in research in one form or another whether this be through academic fellowships or participating in clinical trials from a clinician standpoint.

Finally, what advice would you give to someone who is just getting started in research?

My advice would be to follow your interests. It is so much easier to flood yourself with new information, expertise and knowledge when it is something you are passionate about. This will also mean it will be easier to perform the more arduous aspects of research, knowing that it is needed to drive your passion projects forward.

Whilst I think it is a really good idea to gain experience in lots of different aspects of academia and to gain as many new skills as possible, it is crucial you don’t lose sight of your own main assets. Collaboration is key to research, and I would always utilise all the help and expertise you can. This will allow you to focus on what you are good at and to build a well-functioning team.