Role

Principal investigator at PSMD, Plymouth University

Qualifications

Claudia Barros obtained her 5-year Diploma in Biology from the Lisbon Sciences University, Portugal and her PhD (2003) from the University of Cambridge, UK. In late 2003, she became a postdoctoral associate fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Ulrich Müller at the Dorris Neuroscience Center of The Scripps Research Institute, San Diego, USA. Her studies focused on cellular and molecular mechanisms directing neural development and function. Claudia returned to the UK in Autumn 2009 and after a brief stay at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford University, she was awarded an Early Career Fellowship from the Leverhulme Trust, UK to start in late 2010 as a Research Fellow at Bangor University, Wales. In June 2013, Claudia moved to the Peninsula School of Medicine, Plymouth University, where she is currently a Lecturer in Neuroscience. Her research team investigates regulatory mechanisms responsible for the development and maintenance of postembryonic Neural Stem Cells in the brain during health and disease.

Other qualifications: Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice. Professional membership

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy Member of the British Society for Cell Biology Member of the British Society for Developmental Biology

Current research in our team focus on the identification and characterisation of molecular signals controlling post-embryonic Neural Stem Cell mitotic activation, cell identity and differentiation in normal but also in pathological conditions, such as upon neoplastic transformation. Our work involves functional genetics, gene expression and imaging studies. We take advantage of the fruit fly Drosophila brain as an in vivo model, and we translate findings into mammalian systems including human brain tissues and neural cell cultures.

Xu J, Hartley BJ, Kurup P, Phillips A, Topol A, Xu M, Ononenyi C, Foscue E, Ho S-M & Baguley TD 2016 'Inhibition of STEP61 ameliorates deficits in mouse and hiPSC-based schizophrenia models' Mol Psychiatry Author Site , DOI PEARL Ding R, Weynans K, Bossing T, Barros CS & Berger C 2016 'The Hippo signalling pathway maintains quiescence in Drosophila neural stem cells' NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 7, Author Site , DOI PEARL Cahill ME, Jones KA, Rafalovich I, Xie Z, Barros CS, Müller U & Penzes P 2012 'Control of interneuron dendritic growth through NRG1/erbB4-mediated kalirin-7 disinhibition' Mol Psychiatry 17, (1) 1-107 Author Site , DOI PEARL Bossing T, Barros CS, Fischer B, Russell S & Shepherd D 2012 'Disruption of microtubule integrity initiates mitosis during CNS repair' Dev Cell 23, (2) 433-440 Author Site , DOI PEARL Barros CS, Franco SJ & Müller U 2011 'Extracellular matrix: functions in the nervous system' Cold Spring Harb Perspect Biol 3, (1) Author Site , DOI PEARL Barros CS, Nguyen T, Spencer KSR, Nishiyama A, Colognato H & Müller U 2009 'Beta1 integrins are required for normal CNS myelination and promote AKT-dependent myelin outgrowth' Development 136, (16) 2717-2724 Author Site , DOI PEARL Barros CS, Calabrese B, Chamero P, Roberts AJ, Korzus E, Lloyd K, Stowers L, Mayford M, Halpain S & Müller U 2009 'Impaired maturation of dendritic spines without disorganization of cortical cell layers in mice lacking NRG1/ErbB signaling in the central nervous system' Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 106, (11) 4507-4512 Author Site , DOI PEARL Radakovits R, Barros CS, Belvindrah R, Patton B & Müller U 2009 'Regulation of radial glial survival by signals from the meninges' J Neurosci 29, (24) 7694-7705 Author Site , DOI PEARL