Warwick Research Fellow, Dr Jake Brooks (pictured), has been awarded a £454K Race Against DementiaLink opens in a new window Fellowship, for his project: “Metal nanoparticles in olfactory bulb: origins, impact, and implications for tackling dementia”. Dr Brooks is a member of the Trace Metals in Medicine Lab, led by Prof. Joanna Collingwood.

This 5-year project will apply a suite of cutting-edge chemical imaging methods to study in unprecedented detail metal-rich particulate deposits in post-mortem human olfactory bulb.

Supported by leading experts in neuropathology, air pollution, and chemical imaging, the project aims to distinguish pollutant-derived particles from naturally occurring metal deposits and investigate particulate interactions with disease pathology.

Project findings will reveal new insights into how air pollution may contribute to neurodegeneration, supporting identification of new therapeutic targets and policy-driven preventative measures to limit harmful particulate exposure.

Dr Brooks will also collaborate with fellow Warwick-based Race Against Dementia Fellow, Dr Emily Lane-Hill (Life Sciences), to measure the impact of pollution particles on nerve cell function.

Race Against Dementia (RAD) was founded by racing legend, Sir Jackie Stewart OBE. The organisation provides funding for 5 year fellowships in collaboration with Alzheimer's Research UK.