Linda Greensmith, PhD, is Professor of Neuroscience in the Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology. Dr. Greensmith also directs the Graham Watts Laboratories for Research into Motor Neuron Disease at that institution. Her research focuses on neuromuscular disorders, extending our understanding of the mechanisms driving motor neuron degeneration and dysfunction, particularly as manifested in ALS. Her work on Inclusion Body Myositis is potentially translatable to ALS because certain gene mutations common to both conditions. Dr. Greensmith manipulates primary and embryonic stem cells in cultures of motor neurons and muscle cells in her laboratory, as well as animal models of neurodegenerative diseases. She then advances her discoveries through in vivoexperiments using animal models, furthering her overall goals of developing effective therapeutic strategies for use in the treatment of severe neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disorders. Her current projects include investigating the role of axonal transport defects in motor neuron disease, studying mitochondrial dysfunction in motor neuron disease, and developing novel therapies for human motor neuron disease.
Dr. Greensmith received her B.Sc. in physiology from University College, London, with postgraduate work in immunology at Chelsea College. She obtained her Ph.D. in neuroscience at University College, London.