Email: doug.turnbull@ncl.ac.uk

Research profile and key clinical specialties

Professor Doug Turnbull’s areas of expertise are mitochondrial disease and neurology.

The Institute of Neuroscience’s areas of research span from the basic biology of neurons to the abnormal activity associated with epilepsy, from music perception to mood disorders, from visual object recognition to retinal prostheses for the blind, from animal decision-making to anaesthesia to neurological disease.

This breadth of interest stimulates innovative approaches to our science.

Doug is Director of the Wellcome Trust Centre for Mitochondrial Research. The Wellcome Trust Centre aims to establish a world-leading centre dedicated to the biology of mitochondria in health and disease and so make a major difference to the lives of patients with disease caused by mitochondrial dysfunction.

He is also national lead for the NHS National Highly Specialised Services for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases of Children and Adults. This service is for all patients with mitochondrial disease in the UK. The service was originally designated in April 2007 and involves 3 centres (Newcastle, London and Oxford). The service provides diagnostic investigations for patients suspected of mitochondrial disease which includes biochemical, histochemical and molecular genetic studies.

Doug is Director of the Newcastle University Centre for Brain Ageing and Vitality. The Lifelong Health and Wellbeing programme was launched as one of the major cross-research council grand challenges. Three lifelong health and wellbeing research centres were funded by the BBSRC, EPSRC, ESRC and MRC in 2008, including the Newcastle University Centre for Brain Ageing and Vitality.

Two key publications

• Gorman GS, Grady JP, Ng Y, Schaefer AM, McNally RJ, Chinnery PF, Yu-Wai-Man P, Herbert M, Taylor RW, McFarland R, Turnbull DM. Mitochondrial donation–how many women could benefit? New Engl. J. Med. 2015;372:885-887.
• Lightowlers RN, Taylor RW, Turnbull DM. Mutations causing mitochondrial disease: What is new and what challenges remain? Science 2015;349:1494-1499.

Possible PhD projects

• Understanding the mechanisms causing progression in patients with mitochondrial disease. 

More information

Previously supported/sponsored ten clinical fellowships through to PhD.

Keywords: Neurosciences, epilepsy, retinal, prostheses, mitochondria, Doug, Turnbull, Newcastle

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