Our lab investigates how vascular risk factors affect brain health, with a focus on sex differences in dementia. In 2025, I was awarded an 8-year Wellcome Trust Career Development Award to lead a new research group exploring the question:
Does menopause increase Alzheimer’s disease (AD) risk by worsening vascular dysfunction?
Project Summary
- Women have twice the lifetime risk of AD compared to men.
- Many AD risk factors, such as APOE4, overlap with cardiovascular disease.
- Vascular dysfunction is an early and underexplored feature of neurodegeneration.
- Oestrogen, which promotes vasodilation, is depleted during menopause — potentially increasing women’s vulnerability to AD.
We will use in vivo imaging and molecular techniques to study how menopause and APOE4 affect blood flow in key brain regions (e.g. somatosensory cortex, hippocampus).
We will then test treatments aimed at improving vascular health, including:
- Hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
- Novel vasodilatory therapeutics identified from RNAseq data
This work is a collaboration with Dr Ingo Schiessl (University of Manchester) and is embedded within the Brain Inflammation Group network.
Join Us
I’m looking to connect with early career researchers interested in neurovascular biology, menopause, or AD risk. We’ll be hiring a postdoc and research technician to join the lab in January 2026, so do reach out if you’re interested.
Shaw Lab 