Dr Zameel Cader

The Oxford Ataxia Centre of Excellence was accredited by Ataxia UK in December 2009. The aim is to provide the best possible quality of care and a co- ordinated service combining diagnosis, treatment, support and research for people with ataxia. Patients will see Consultants and other specialists who have expertise in the ataxias.

It is a specialised service for all patients (adults and children) with a suspected or confirmed cerebellar ataxia.

The team at the Oxford Ataxia Centre is also involved in various research projects. Patients who are interested may therefore have the opportunity to take part in research

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A migraine is a severe, long-lasting headache usually felt as a throbbing pain at the front or on one side of the head. Some people can have a warning visual disturbance called an aura before the start of the headache and many people also have symptoms such as nausea and sensitivity to light during the headache itself. Until now, the genes responsible have been unknown. The World Health Organisation rates migraine as a leading cause of disability worldwide, and it has been estimated to be the most costly neurological disorder in Europe.

Researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Functional Genomics Unit based at Oxford and colleagues in Canada, identified mutations in a gene called TRESK in a family with typical migraine. The study found that if TRESK does not work properly, it can more easily trigger sensitive pain centres in the brain.

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Stem Cells hold great promise for many incurable conditions. These cells have the ability to renew themselves and to become any cell type in the body. The hope is that such stem cells could replace and regenerate tissues affected by disease - for example replacing the lost brain cells of Alzheimer's patients. This is a long way off, but a much more realistic use of stem cells right now, is for the design and discovery of new drugs. .

Previously, there was no way to directly study the nerve cell of a patient with a brain disorder - now a patient's skin cell which can be easily taken, can be turned into a stem cell and then into a nerve cell. We can use these cells to understand the disease process and for the first time test whether particular drugs can improve how the nerve cell works. StemBANCC is an ambitious international project, aimed at accelerating drug discovery

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