Angela Vincent is a neuroimmunologist who studies the role of autoimmunity — when the body accidently directs its immune response against itself — in diseases of the central and peripheral nervous system. Angela’s work has made significant contributions to the diagnosis and experimental study of these conditions, and demonstrated that the patients improve when levels of harmful autoantibodies are reduced by treatments.
She discovered a new form of myasthenia gravis — an autoimmune muscle condition - and that maternal antibodies to foetal proteins can lead to neurodevelopmental disorders in utero with long-term disability. In particular she found that previously rare and undefined diseases of the central nervous system can be caused by antibodies directed against proteins associated with potassium ion channels or glycine receptors.
In 2009 Angela presented the Leslie Oliver Oration and was awarded the Association of British Neurologists’ Medal. She was the Head of the Department of Clinical Neurology at the University of Oxford, 2005–2008, and was President of the International Society of Neuroimmunology, 2001-2004, and an Associate Editor of the scientific journal, Brain, 2004-2013.
Subject groups
- Health and human sciences
Clinical neuroscience, Medicine, clinical studies, Molecular medicine
