James N. Sleigh

James N. Sleigh

Senior Researcher

Department of Neuromuscular Diseases

UCL Queen Square Motor Neuron Disease Centre

UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology

UK Dementia Research Institute

University College London, UK

About the Speaker:

James received his undergraduate Masters in Biology (MBiol) from the University of Bath (2005-09), which included a year at Harvard Medical School (2007-08) researching spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). He then completed his MRC-funded DPhil at the University of Oxford (2009-12) with Prof. Kevin Talbot, extending his work on SMA and motor neuron biology. From 2012-14, he worked in the laboratory of Dr. Zameel Cader focusing on Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT). This CMT work was further developed through a Wellcome Trust-funded Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellowship (2014-18), conducted at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology under the mentorship of Prof. Giampietro Schiavo. Funded by a Career Development Award from the MRC (2019-24), James is now a Senior Research Fellow in the Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, leading a small team of excellent scientists.

The Sleigh Lab works to understand mechanisms underlying hereditary peripheral nerve conditions, such as Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Established in 2019, we are part of the Department of Neuromuscular Diseases and based on the 5th floor of Queen Square House. Our research is currently principally funded by the Medical Research Council UK.

We are fascinated by how mutations in widely expressed genes can cause selective peripheral nerve pathology. We believe that by improving our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms underpinning this phenomenon, we will be able to develop novel, targeted therapies for these devastating diseases.

Academic Positions:

Primary Research Fellow

2023.10.1-present, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, United Kingdom;

Senior Research Fellow

2018.10.1-2023.9.30, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, United Kingdom;

Sir Henry Wellcome Postdoctoral Fellow

2014.10.1-2018.9.30, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience, United Kingdom;

Postdoctoral Research Scientist

2012.11.1-2014.9.30, University of Oxford, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, United Kingdom.

Selected Recent Publications:

1. Villarroel-Campos D, Sleigh JN (2024) Targeting muscle to treat Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease. Neural Regen Res 19:1653-1654.

2. Sleigh JN, Villarroel-Campos D, Surana S, Wickenden T, Tong Y, Simkin RL, Vargas JNS, Rhymes ER, Tosolini AP, West SJ, Zhang Q, Yang XL, Schiavo G (2023) Boosting peripheral BDNF rescues impaired in vivo axonal transport in CMT2D mice. JCI Insight 8:e157191.

3. Negro S, Lauria F, Stazi M, Tebaldi T, D'Este G, Pirazzini M, Megighian A, Lessi F, Mazzanti CM, Sales G, Romualdi C, Fillo S, Lista F, Sleigh JN, Tosolini AP, Schiavo G, Viero G, Rigoni M (2022) Hydrogen peroxide induced by nerve injury promotes axon regeneration via connective tissue growth factor. Acta Neuropathol Commun 10:189.

4. Tosolini AP, Sleigh JN, Surana S, Rhymes ER, Cahalan SD, Schiavo G (2022) BDNF-dependent modulation of axonal transport is selectively impaired in ALS. Acta Neuropathol Commun 10:121.

5. Vargas JNS, Sleigh JN, Schiavo G (2022) Coupling axonal mRNA transport and local translation to organelle maintenance and function. Curr Opin Cell Biol 74:97-103.