Biography & Research:
Dr. Parkin began his career in science at Lancaster University achieving a BSc in Biochemistry before moving to the University of Central Lancashire (Preston) to complete a PhD researching the synthesis of fat molecules in plants. He then worked at the University of Leeds as a postdoctoral researcher for a number of years where he studied structures in the cell membrane called ‘lipid rafts’ and their role in human conditions such as the dementia, Alzheimer’s disease (AD). He proceeded to develop an interest in this condition and particularly in a protein called ‘amyloid precursor protein (APP)’ and the role it plays in disease development. This is an interest that has lasted to the present day back at Lancaster University where he has developed an independent research group studying the enzymes that break down APP and their role in both AD and other conditions such as prostate cancer. His passion is, ultimately, to play a role in the development of a cure for Alzheimer’s disease.