A University of Aberdeen lecturer has been awarded £125,000 by a prestigious medical sciences body to carry out research on a newly identified gene related to schizophrenia.
Dr Emilie Hollville has been named a Springboard awardee by the Academy of Medical Sciences and was one of 54 to receive a share of £6.6 million.
Dr Hollville, Lecturer in Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, is aiming to explain how neuronal wiring is established and maintained in the brain to fulfil neuronal activity and brain function. Focusing on a newly identified risk gene for schizophrenia, her research could lead to important new insights into the molecular mechanisms underpinning neuronal morphogenesis and neurodevelopmental conditions.
Dr Hollville said: “I am extremely excited and honoured to have received the Academy Springboard Award this year. Schizophrenia is a severe and chronic illness for which patients are in significant need of efficient treatments. My research aspires at understanding the molecular and cellular pathogenesis of this disorder to generate new hypotheses for the development of new interventions for people with schizophrenia.
"This award is an incredible opportunity as a new lecturer to establish my independent research at the University of Aberdeen on a topic that I am passionate about. I am also looking forward to making the most of the mentoring and career development programme of the Academy to further progress my career.”