Aideen Sullivan

Professor Aideen Sullivan is Head of the Department of Anatomy and Neuroscience at University College Cork. She holds a BSc (First Class Honours) in Pharmacology from University College Dublin and a PhD in Neuropharmacology from University of Cambridge. After working in Imperial College London as a post-doctoral researcher, she was appointed as Lecturer in the Department of Anatomy at UCC in 1998.
Aideen leads an active scientific research group, focused on novel approaches to the treatment of Parkinson's disease. Her particular interest is the development of neuroprotective therapies, which have the potential to slow or reverse the progression of this debilitating disease.

Research themes include: Novel drug development based on neurotrophic factors and their molecular signalling mechanisms ; Optimisation of dopaminergic neuroprotective therapies using viral vectors for long-term and targeted delivery to the brain; Development of animal models of non-motor symptoms and neuropathology of Parkinson's; Epigenetic mechanisms as drug targets for Parkinson's; Non-motor symptoms in People with Parkinson's; Role of the gut microbiome in Parkinson's pathology; Pesticide exposure as a risk factor in Parkinson's; Potential of Exercise programmes to improve motor and non-motor symptoms in People with Parkinson's.