Alexander Whitworth

Dr Alex Whitworth is an MRC Investigator in the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit at the University of Cambridge. His research team is focused on understanding the underlying mechanisms of neurodegeneration and identifying potential therapeutic targets, primarily using Drosophila as a powerful in vivo model system. Following a PhD at the University of Cambridge, studying developmental genetics in Drosophila, he joined the laboratory of Prof. Leo Pallanck at the University of Washington, where he developed several new Drosophila models of Parkinson's disease, including PINK1 and Parkin. In 2005, he started his own research group at the University of Sheffield and was recruited to Cambridge in 2015. Dr. Whitworth’s group has made fundamental discoveries into the mechanism of action of the PINK1-Parkin pathway that impacts on the long-term health of the mitochondrial network and ultimately on neuronal survival. The team has also recently identified mitochondrial calcium as an important factor in PINK1/Parkin-related neurodegeneration and is investigating the intersection with the gut-brain axis. Discoveries from these investigations will help identify potential therapeutic targets to boost mitochondrial health to maintain neuronal survival.