Helene’s main area of interest is mitochondrial dysfunction and its role in neurodegenerative disease. After completing a PhD in signal transduction in France, she pursued postdoctoral research with Professor Julian Downward at Cancer Research UK, London Research Institute. Her work during this time, which focused on mitochondria and cancer, sparked a growing interest in neurodegeneration. This led her to successfully secure an MRC Career Development Fellowship to conduct research in the Department of Molecular Neuroscience at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology.
In 2013, she was appointed as a Senior Lecturer at the Institute and was promoted to Professor in 2019. Since joining UCL in 2007, her laboratory has made significant contributions to understanding the molecular mechanisms of mitophagy and other mitochondrial dysfunctions in neurodegenerative diseases. They employ immortalised cell lines and induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology to generate human neurons, enabling us to study these pathways using live-cell imaging and advanced molecular and cellular biology techniques.
By collaborating with academics, clinicians, and industry partners at the intersection of basic and translational research, her overarching goal is to support the development of effective therapeutic strategies for Parkinson’s disease and other neurodegenerative disorders.
