Dr Cara Croft
Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience
Blizard Institute
Queen Mary University of London
Queen Mary University of London
Research
Neurodegeneration, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Proteinopathy, Pharmacology, brain slice culture
Interests
My group is interested in understanding the early and late events in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease in 5D; space, time, chemistry. This will allow us to identify novel therapeutic targets in these diseases. We have expansive experience of modelling the key protein inclusions found in these neurodegenerative conditions in murine organotypic brain slice culture models which represent a 3D cytoarchitecturally relevant system that can be manipulated with recombinant adeno-associated viruses to develop pathology and for 4D imaging studies. We are now expanding these approaches to novel iPSC-derived human brain slice models for the next generation of neurodegenerative disease modelling.Publications
2024
Reactive astrocytes secrete the chaperone HSPB1 to mediate neuroprotectionYang F, Beltran-Lobo P, Sung K, Goldrick C, Croft CL, Nishimura A, Hedges E, Mahiddine F et al.
Science Advances, American Association For The Advancement of Science (Aaas) vol. 10 (12)
20-03-2024
2023
P2X7R influences tau aggregate burden in human tauopathies and shows distinct signalling in microglia and astrocytesBeltran-Lobo P, Hughes MM, Troakes C, Croft CL, Rupawala H, Jutzi D, Ruepp M-D, Jimenez-Sanchez M et al.
Brain Behavior and Immunity, Elsevier vol. 114, 414-429.
15-09-2023
2022
Optical pulse labeling studies reveal exogenous seeding slows α-synuclein clearanceCroft CL, Paterno G, Vause AR, Rowe LA, Ryu DH, Goodwin MS, Moran CA, Cruz PE et al.
Npj Parkinson's Disease, Springer Nature vol. 8 (1)
19-12-2022
Nuclear import receptors are recruited by FG-nucleoporins to rescue hallmarks of TDP-43 proteinopathyKhalil B, Chhangani D, Wren MC, Smith CL, Lee JH, Li X, Puttinger C, Tsai C-W et al.
Molecular Neurodegeneration, Springer Nature vol. 17 (1)
08-12-2022
Pathogenic tau recruits wild-type tau into brain inclusions and induces gut degeneration in transgenic SPAM miceXia Y, Prokop S, Bell BM, Gorion K-MM, Croft CL, Nasif L, Xu G, Riffe CJ et al.
Communications Biology, Springer Nature vol. 5 (1)
12-05-2022
Soluble brain homogenates from diverse human and mouse sources preferentially seed diffuse Aβ plaque pathology when injected into newborn mouse hosts.Moore BD, Levites Y, Xu G, Hampton H, Adamo MF, Croft CL, Futch HS, Moran C et al.
Free Neuropathology vol. 3 (9)
11-01-2022
2021
Photodynamic studies reveal rapid formation and appreciable turnover of tau inclusionsCroft CL, Goodwin MS, Ryu DH, Lessard CB, Tejeda G, Marrero M, Vause AR, Paterno G et al.
Acta Neuropathologica, Springer Nature vol. 141 (3), 359-381.
26-01-2021
2020
Utilizing minimally purified secreted rAAV for rapid and cost-effective manipulation of gene expression in the CNSGoodwin MS, Croft CL, Futch HS, Ryu D, Ceballos-Diaz C, Liu X, Paterno G, Mejia C et al.
Molecular Neurodegeneration, Springer Nature vol. 15 (1)
02-03-2020
2019
Organotypic brain slice cultures to model neurodegenerative proteinopathiesCroft CL, Futch HS, Moore BD, Golde TE
Molecular Neurodegeneration, Springer Nature vol. 14 (1)
01-12-2019
An anti-CRF antibody suppresses the HPA axis and reverses stress-induced phenotypesFutch HS, McFarland KN, Moore BD, Kuhn MZ, Giasson BI, Ladd TB, Scott KA, Shapiro MR et al.
Journal of Experimental Medicine, Rockefeller University Press vol. 216 (11), 2479-2491.
29-08-2019
rAAV-based brain slice culture models of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease inclusion pathologiesCroft CL, Cruz PE, Ryu DH, Ceballos-Diaz C, Strang KH, Woody BM, Lin W-L, Deture M et al.
Journal of Experimental Medicine, Rockefeller University Press vol. 216 (3), 539-555.
15-02-2019
2018
SIRT1: A Novel Way to Target Tau?Futch HS, Croft CL
Journal of Neuroscience, Society For Neuroscience vol. 38 (36), 7755-7757.
05-09-2018
Preparation of organotypic brain slice cultures for the study of Alzheimer’s diseaseCroft CL, Noble W
F1000research, F1000research vol. 7
15-05-2018
Novel monoclonal antibodies targeting the microtubule-binding domain of human tauCroft CL, Moore BD, Ran Y, Chakrabarty P, Levites Y, Golde TE, Giasson BI
Plos One, Public Library of Science (Plos) vol. 13 (4)
02-04-2018
2017
Distinct differences in prion-like seeding and aggregation between Tau protein variants provide mechanistic insights into tauopathiesStrang KH, Croft CL, Sorrentino ZA, Chakrabarty P, Golde TE, Giasson BI
Journal of Biological Chemistry, Elsevier vol. 293 (7), 2408-2421.
19-12-2017
Inhibition of glycogen synthase kinase-3 by BTA-EG4 reduces tau abnormalities in an organotypic brain slice culture model of Alzheimer’s diseaseCroft CL, Kurbatskaya K, Hanger DP, Noble W
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 7 (1)
07-08-2017
Targeting psychologic stress signaling pathways in Alzheimer’s diseaseFutch HS, Croft CL, Truong VQ, Krause EG, Golde TE
Molecular Neurodegeneration, Springer Nature vol. 12 (1)
21-06-2017
Membrane association and release of wild-type and pathological tau from organotypic brain slice culturesCroft CL, Wade MA, Kurbatskaya K, Mastrandreas P, Hughes MM, Phillips EC, Pooler AM, Perkinton MS et al.
Cell Death & Disease, Springer Nature vol. 8 (3), e2671-e2671.
01-03-2017
2016
Upregulation of calpain activity precedes tau phosphorylation and loss of synaptic proteins in Alzheimer’s disease brainKurbatskaya K, Phillips EC, Croft CL, Dentoni G, Hughes MM, Wade MA, Al-Sarraj S, Troakes C et al.
Acta Neuropathologica Communications, Springer Nature vol. 4 (1)
31-03-2016
2015
Constant light enhances synchrony among circadian clock cells and promotes behavioral rhythms in VPAC2-signaling deficient miceHughes ATL, Croft CL, Samuels RE, Myung J, Takumi T, Piggins HD
Scientific Reports, Springer Nature vol. 5 (1)
15-09-2015
2014
Astrocytes and neuroinflammation in Alzheimer's disease.Phillips EC, Croft CL, Kurbatskaya K, O'Neill MJ, Hutton ML, Hanger DP, Garwood CJ, Noble W
Biochemical Society Transactions, Portland Press vol. 42 (5), 1321-1325.
18-09-2014
2013
Calpain cleavage and inactivation of the sodium calcium exchanger‐3 occur downstream of Aβ in Alzheimer's diseaseAtherton J, Kurbatskaya K, Bondulich M, Croft CL, Garwood CJ, Chhabra R, Wray S, Jeromin A et al.
Aging Cell, Wiley vol. 13 (1), 49-59.
18-09-2013
Grants
Grants of specific relevance to Predictive in vitro ModelsDetermining the mechanisms of human tau pathology clearance to inform therapeutic developmentCara Croft
£549,747 Alzheimer's Society
01-08-2025 - 31-07-2030
High-resolution spatial transcriptomics to understand selective vulnerability to Lewy body pathology in Parkinson's diseaseCara Croft and Sarah Morgan
£243,237 Barts and the London Charity
01-01-2025 - 31-12-2028
A dynamic evaluation of the effect of tau on cellular clearance mechanismsCara Croft
£100,000 Race Against Dementia
01-03-2024 - 31-01-2026
Alzheimer’s Research UK London Network Centre GrantCara Croft
£24,540 Alzheimer's Research UK
01-01-2024 - 31-12-2025
Investigating tau in naked mole-rats to determine potential Alzheimer’s disease resilienceCara Croft
£65,936 Alzheimer's Research UK
01-07-2024 - 30-09-2025
Investigating Genetic Risk in DementiaCara Croft
£154,746 Alzheimer's Research UK
01-09-2023 - 31-08-2025