Dr Cheryl Hawkes

Senior Lecturer in Neuroscience, Lancaster University

My research focuses on understanding the aetiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). In particular, I focus on the development of cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), the deposition of toxic β-amyloid proteins in the walls of the blood vessels of the AD brain. I am interested in how risk factors for AD, such as ageing and obesity, affect the structure of the blood vessels and their ability to remove β-amyloid from the brain.

I am also interested in how the early life environment, including maternal and paternal obesity, impacts on the health and function of the offspring brain and if the early life environment predisposes individuals towards developing age-related diseases like AD.