Professor Anthony Isles

Biography

Education and qualifications

• 2000: PhD (Zoology) University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
• 1994: BSc Zoology & Genetics, University of Sheffield, UK

Academic positions

• 2006 - present: Professor, MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK
• 2003 - 2008 Beebe Trust Research Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
• 1999 - 2003 Post-doctoral researcher, The Babraham Institute, Cambridge, UK
• 1994 - 1995 ESF Trainee technician, Department of Genetics, Leicester University, UK

Speaking engagements

Recent International Talks

• 'Using mouse models to understand the molecular bases of psychotic illness inPWS' 11th International Prader-Willi syndrome conference, Limerick, Ireland (2022)
• ‘Comparisons of mouse models reveals a molecular distinction between psychotic illness in PWS and schizophrenia’, FPWR research meeting (2021)
• ‘The 15q imprinted interval and psychiatric illness’, RIKEN Centre for Brain Science, Tokyo, Japan (2019)
• ‘Epigenetics, genomic imprinting and psychiatric illness’, 10th IBRO World Congress of Neuroscience, Daegu, Korea (2019)
• ‘Exploring impulsive behaviour in a mouse model for PWS’, FPWR research meeting, Las Vegas, US (2018)
• ‘Investigating the contribution of imprinted genes to neurodevelopmental disorders’, 20th SSBP International Research Symposium, Leiden, Netherlands (2017)
• ‘Imprinted Cdkn1c is a mediator of the effects of maternal nutritional stress on offspring brain development and function’, 5th Brain and Behavior Haifa Forum, Haifa, Israel (2014)
• ‘The effect of Htr2c post-transcriptional modification on 5HT2CR regulated behaviour’, Experimental Biology meeting, Boston, USA (2013)
• ‘The growing importance of imprinted genes for brain function’, UK-Japan workshop on ‘Neural epigenetics: From mechanism to disease’, Tokyo, Japan (2013)

Committees and reviewing

Internal

• Deputy-Director of the Wellcome Trust Integrative Neuroscience PhD programme (2014-present)
• MEDIC, DENTL & PHRMY representative on the BIological Standards Committee (2022-present)
• Lead, Neuroscience and Mental Health theme, GW4 MRC BioMed doctoral training programme (2015-2022)

External

• Editorial Board member, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B (2020-present)
• Associate Editor, Frontiers in Developmental Epigenetics (2017-present)
• Editorial Board member, Genes Brain and Behavior (2017-present)
• Editorial Board member, Brain and Neuroscience Advances (2017-present)
• Communications (trustee) British Association of Neuroscience (2017-2022)
• Medical Research Council GEMM panel member (2016-2022)
• Associate Editor, European Journal of Neuroscience (2008-2020)

Publications

We are currently unable to retrieve the list of publications. Visit our institutional repository.

Teaching

Final year Psychology module "Behavioural Genetics" (PS3210)

Intercalated Pscyhology module 'Scientific basis of psychological medicine' (ME3085)

Personal tutor to students following the MBBCh programme

Bioinformatices and Genetic Epidemiology MSc - Data project supervisor; Dissertation project supervisor

I am also currently leading the development of two modules for a new Neuroscience MSc.

My group is interested in the contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to brain and behaviour. In particular, we are investigating an intriguing family of genes, the imprinted genes, which are subject to epigenetic control acquired during development resulting in expression from one parental copy (allele) only. The research is focused on addressing what these imprinted genes are doing in the brain and how they may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders.  Recent research in collaboration with Prof Rosalind John (Cardiff University) is investigating whether changes in the placental expression of imprinted genes can influence both maternal behaviour and later offspring outcomes.

I am also interested in the development anduse of preclinical models for neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, and am currently leading the MURIDAE cluster within the UKRI:MRC National Mouse Genetic Network.

Our work requires a multi-disciplinary approach in order to examine aspects of behaviour, neurobiology and molecular genetics. We primarily examine behavioural phenotypes in rodent models and use molecular techniques for addressing gene expression and epigenetic regulation of the genome (histone modification and DNA methylation).

Current research project areas

• Imprinted genes, brain and behaviour
• Coordination of placenta, maternal brain, and offspring outcomes
• Neurodevelopmental role of the histone methyltransferase Setd1a
• Neurodevelopmental and functional role of schizophrenia risk genes in the brain

Research Funding

UKRI:Medical Research Council (2022-2027) - "MURIDAE: Modalities for Understanding, Recording and Integrating Data Across Early life"

The Leverhulme Trust, project grant (2021-2024) - "The contribution of maternally expressed imprinted genes to parental behaviour"

UKRI:Biolotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, project grant (2021-24) - "Prenatal adversity and the intergenerational transmission of atypical maternal caregiving"

Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (2020-22) - "The role of the placenta in PWS: mapping the expression of PWS genes"

Supervision

Current supervision

Past projects

Main supervisor for Dr Simona Zahova - Examining the role of the Prader-Willi syndrome critical interval in psychiatric illness and cognition (awarded 2020). Simona is currently a Medical Writer for Astra Zeneca

Main supervisor for Dr Matthew Bosworth - Functional consequences of Setd1a haploinsufficiency: from gestation to behaviour (awarded 2019). Followinga short post-doc stint, Matt is now a Research Officer at the ONS

Main supervisor for Dr Manal Adams - Epigenetics and neurodevelopmental diosrders: molecular and behaviorual characterisation of an Ehmt1/Glp knockout mouse model (awarded 2019). Manni is now a research fellow at University of California San Francisco

Main supervisor for Dr Kira Rienecker - Paternal Grb10 in brain and behaviour (awarded 2018). Kira is currently a staff scientist at the Blue Marble Space Institute of Science

Co-supervisor for Dr Hugo Creeth - Investigating whether disrupted placental function leads to alterations in maternal behaviour (awaded 2017). Hugo is now a post-doc at Cardiff University

Main supervisor for Dr Grainne McNamara - In utero adversity and later life behavioural disorders: the role of Ckdn1c (awarded 2014). Grainne is currently the Research integrity / Ethics manager at Karger publishing

Co-supervisor for Dr Brittany Davis - Modelling the neuropathalogy of Ehmt1 haploinsufficiency (awarded 2014). Brittany is now a post doctoral research fellow at the Lieber Institute for Brain Development

Engagement

It is essential that scientists try to explain their research field to lay audiences, and indeed that, where possible, our research is informed by our interactions with the general public. I regularly undertake engagement activities and have spoken at events such as Pint of Science, the Cardiff Philosophy Cafe, and the MRC Centenary celebrations at BayArt.

I also am keen on promoting neuroscience and was a British Neuroscaince Association Trustee from 2017-2022, where I lanched their society journal, helped with the BNA Credible Neuroscience projects and was the keynote speaker in a webinar session entitled ‘Careers in neuroscience (and beyond!)’ that was attended by early career researchers from around the world.

In addtion, I have discussed my research with parents and carers of individuals with Prader-Willi syndrome at events such as the IPWSO Leadership ECHO, and recorded podcasts for Nature and the Biochemical Society explaining my research. Our work has also been feature in news articles in the Smithsonian, Scientific American and even the Daily Mail.