Dr Ryan West

School of Medicine and Population Health

Senior Fellow and Dementia Research Leader Fellow

Dr Ryan West
Profile picture of Dr Ryan West
r.j.west@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 222 2239
Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)

Full contact details

Dr Ryan West
School of Medicine and Population Health
Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN)
385a Glossop Road
Sheffield
S10 2HQ
Profile

2025 – Present: Senior Fellow, Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Research Leader Fellow (SITraN, University of Sheffield)

2023 – 2025: Alzheimer’s Society Dementia Research Leader Fellow (SITraN, University of Sheffield)

2019 – 2023: SITraN Fellow and Alzheimer’s Society Fellow (SITraN, University of Sheffield)

2018 – 2019: Alzheimer’s Society Junior Fellow (University of Manchester)

2015 – 2018: Postdoctoral Research Associate (University of York)

2013-2015: Centre for Chronic Diseases and Disorders Wellcome Trust funded “Discipline hopping” Fellow (University of York)

2010 - 2013: PhD, The University of York

Research interests

Our research looks to use Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) as a powerful genetic model organism to dissect the molecular mechanisms contributing to neurodegenerative diseases including dementia, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s disease. Our primary research focuses on two overlapping neurodegenerative disorders, Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) and Motor Neurone Disease (MND). We are particularly interested in how dipeptide-repeats associated with the disease causing hexanucleotide expansion within the C9orf72 gene contribute towards neurodegeneration and the role of gene-environment interactions in disease. In the lab we have a number of Drosophila models of both FTD and MND including C9orf72 related DPRs, C9orf72 pure repeat models and models of CHMP2B, VCP and TDP-43 related disease. We are interested in how we can use Drosophila as part of a translational pipeline both to understand the molecular mechanisms of disease and as part of a drug-screening strategy.

Publications

Journal articles

  • O’Brien D, Alhathli E, Harwood C, Bhattacharya D, Gupta K, Julian T, Weinreich M, West RJH, Wang D, Byrne RP , McLaughlin RL et al (2025) . Brain, 148(10), 3652-3664.
  • Webster CP, Hall B, Crossley OM, Dauletalina D, King M, Lin Y-H, Castelli LM, Yang Z-L, Coldicott I, Kyrgiou-Balli E , Higginbottom A et al (2025) . Life Science Alliance, 8(2).
  • Bennett CL, Dastidar S, Arnold FJ, McKinstry SU, Stockford C, Freibaum BD, Sopher BL, Wu M, Seidner G, Joiner W , Taylor JP et al (2023) . Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 11(1).
  • Sharpe J, Harper N & West R (2022) . BIO-PROTOCOL, 12(10).
  • Sharpe JL, Harper NS, Garner DR & West RJH (2021) . Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, 15.
  • Ugbode C & West RJH (2021) . Neurobiology of Disease, 147.
  • West RJH, Sharpe JL, Voelzmann A, Munro AL, Hahn I, Baines RA & Pickering-Brown S (2020) . Acta Neuropathologica Communications, 8.
  • West RJH, Ugbode C, Fort-Aznar L & Sweeney ST (2020) . Neurobiology of Disease, 144.
  • Lu Y, West RJH, Pons M, Sweeney ST & Gao F-B (2020) . Scientific Reports, 10(1), ---.
  • Oswald MCW, Brooks PS, Zwart MF, Mukherjee A, West RJH, Giachello CNG, Morarach K, Baines RA, Sweeney ST & Landgraf M (2018) . eLife, 7, ---.
  • Vilidaite G, Norcia AM, West RJH, Elliott CJH, Pei F, Wade AR & Baker DH (2018) . Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285(1893).
  • West RJH, Briggs L, Perona Fjeldstad M, Ribchester RR & Sweeney ST (2018) . Journal of Comparative Neurology, 526(13), 1995-2009.
  • West RJH, Ugbode C, Gao F-B & Sweeney ST (2018) . Human Molecular Genetics, 27(8), 1382-1395.
  • Himmelberg MM, West RJH, Wade AR & Elliott CJH (2018) . Movement Disorders, 33(2), 248-248.
  • Himmelberg MM, West RJH, Elliott CJH & Wade AR (2018) . Journal of Neurophysiology, 119(3), 957-970.
  • Oswald MCW, West RJH, Lloyd-Evans E & Sweeney ST (2015) . Human Molecular Genetics, 24(24), 6899-6909.
  • West RJH (2015) . Future Neurology, 10(6), 507-510.
  • West RJH, Furmston R, Williams CAC & Elliott CJH (2015) . Parkinson's Disease, 2015, 1-11.
  • West RJH, Lu Y, Marie B, Gao F-B & Sweeney ST (2015) . Journal of Cell Biology, 208(7), 931-947.
  • West RJH & Sweeney ST (2012) . Autophagy, 8(2), 284-285.
  • West RJH, Elliott CJH & Wade AR () . Scientific Reports, 5(1).
  • Katzemich A, West RJH, Fukuzawa A, Sweeney ST, Gautel M, Sparrow J & Bullard B () . Journal of Cell Science.

Preprints

  • Vilidaite G, Norcia AM, West RJH, Elliott CJH, Pei F, Wade AR & Baker DH (2018) , Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.
Research group

Joanne Sharpe (PDRA)

Ruth Thomas (PDRA)

Sam Bonsall (PDRA)

Debarati Bhattacharya (PDRA)

Jasmine Speranza (PDRA)

Charlotte Gale (PhD Student)

Ergita Balli (PhD Student)

Abbie Stretch (PhD Student)

David Rhodes (PhD Student, Secondary Supervisor)

Georgia Boothe (PhD Student, Secondary Supervisor)

Professional activities and memberships
  • Alzheimer’s Society Grant Advisory Board Member, 2025 - present
  • Member of NC3Rs Partnerships and impact  Panel, 2024 - present
  • Member of NC3Rs Studentship Grant Panel, January 2023 - 2024
Current Funding Sources
  • Alzheimer’s Society
  • ARUK
  • Motor Neurone Disease Association
  • My Name’5 Doddie Foundation
  • Tambourine’s ALS Breakthrough Research Fund, in Partnership with the Milken Institute
  • MRC
  • MRC DiMeN

Links