Nicola Pavese, MD, PhD, FRCP, FEAN

Dr. Nicola Pavese is Professor of Clinical Neuroscience and Director of the Clinical Ageing Research Unit at Newcastle University in England. He also  serves as  the regional clinical lead of the Northeast of England and Yorkshire for the Parkinson’s UK Excellence Network. He has more than 30 years of clinical experience treating patients with movement disorders. He received his medical degree from Pisa University, Italy. After completing residency training in Neurology and subsequent training in Biochemistry and Clinical Chemistry at Pisa University, he achieved his PhD in Neuroimaging at Imperial College London. Dr. Pavese’s research involves the application of neuroimaging to identify biomarkers of pathological processes in neurodegenerative diseases and to elucidate the pathophysiological mechanisms responsible for symptom onset. He acts as Principal Investigator in several pharmaceutical sponsored clinical trials in patients with Parkinson’s disease and related disorders. He currently leads an international collaboration investigating the occurrence of neuroinflammation in individuals at risk of developing Parkinson’s disease, including patients with REM sleep behavior disorder.

Associated Grants

1. Smell Test Direct Initiative. MJF Foundation, UK Principal Investigator, (2023-2024), $ 150,000
2. REM Sleep Behavioural Disorder Initiative. MJF Foundation, UK Principal Investigator, (2022-2024), $ 200,000
3. A Single-Site Longitudinal Study to Assess the Parkinson’s Disease - Motor Impacts Questionnaire (Pd-Miq) and Parkinson’s Disease - Symptom Questionnaire (Pd-Syq) in Individuals with Early-Stage Parkinson’s Disease. F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. Investigator Initiated Grant. Principal Investigator (2022-2025), £110,000
4. Spinal Cord Stimulation therapy for Parkinson’s disease patients with gait problems. Independent Research Fund Denmark (IRFD) - DFFResearch Project 2, Principal Investigator, (2020-2025), DKK. 6,006,910
5. Influence of microglial activation on monoaminergic function in subjects with high risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. Independent Research Fund Denmark (IRFD) - DFF-Research Project 1, Principal Investigator, (2018-2021), DKK. 2,575,910
6. Progression of cholinergic dysfunction in prodromal parkinsonism and its clinical correlation with cognitive impairment. Danish Parkinson’s disease Society, Principal Investigator, (2018-2021), DKK. 180,000
7. In vivo assessment of early pathological features of parkinsonism and cognitive impairment in patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder. A multimodal imaging study. Parkinson’s UK, Principal Investigator, (2018-2021), £47,850.99
8. Is prion like propagation of alpha synuclein aggregation associated with a ferroptotic cell death. Center of Excellence in Neurodegeneration (CoEN) network award, UK Principal Investigator, (2018-2020), £223,000
9. Developing a dynamic FDG-PET/MR imaging method. GE Healthcare Grant. Co-applicant, (2018-2020), £100,375.00
10. A multimodal imaging study to improve initial diagnostic accuracy for Multiple System Atrophy. Multiple System Atrophy Trust, Principal Investigator, (2018-2021), £148,103.
11. Developing a novel eletrophysiological cholinergic biomarker in Lewy body dementia CREED-WESTERN. Weston Brain Institute. Coapplicant, (2017-2021), £298,559.00
12. Alignment and Standardization of Neuroimaging Methods in Atypical Parkinsonism, including Tauopathies (ASAP-TAU). EU Joint Program Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND), UK contributor, Coordinator: Thilo van Eimeren, (2016-2017), €50.000
13. FAIR-PARK-II (Conservative iron chelation as a disease-modifying strategy in Parkinson’s disease: a multicentric, parallel-group, placebocontrolled, randomized clinical trial of deferiprone). EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, UK Principal investigator, (2015-2020), EU contribution: € 5,998,994
14. In vivo assessment of the role of Locus Coeruleus in the development of Alzheimer’s disease and other types of Dementia. Italian Ministry of Health. Project Type: PE- ITALIAN RESEARCHER ABROAD in collaboration with University of Pisa (Italian co-applicants: Prof U Bonuccelli & Dr F Giorgi), (2015-2020), € 337,008
15. In vivo assessment of brain neurotransmitter dysfunction and microglial activation in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder as early markers of parkinsonian disorders. Danish Council for Independent Research, Principal Investigator, (2014-2020), DKK 6,000,000
16. In vivo detection of glutamate NMDA ion channel activation in paroxysmal neurological disorders with [18F]-GE179 PET. Lundbeck Foundation, Co-applicant, (DJ Brooks, N Pavese), (2013-2015), DKK 2,200,000
17. MRC Extramural grant. Co-applicant, (DJ Brooks, P Piccini, N Pavese), (2011-2016), £ 2,000,000
18. Investigating non-dopaminergic mechanisms of drug induced dyskinesia in Parkinson’s disease using novel adenosine and glutamate PET ligands. Parkinson’s UK, Co-applicant, (DJ Brooks, G Hotton, N Pavese), (2005-2007), £ 145,000