Patrick Waters PhD

Antigen discovery in antibody mediated diseases of the central nervous system; development of diagnostic assays; development of models to help understand the pathogenic mechanism in these diseases; the use of modified innate immune molecules as therapeutics.
Email
Tel 01865 234625
Fax 01865 234320
Contact address Neuroimmunology Group, Level 5 West Wing, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, OX3 9DU, United Kingdom

Research summary

Dr Patrick Waters

The main focus of my current research is antibody mediated diseases of the central nervous system, the discovery of new antibody targets, understanding the pathogenic process in each disease and the development of diagnostic assays that help expedite appropriate patient care.

In 2008 we identified the glycine receptor as the target of antibodies in patients with progressive encephalomyelitis with rigidity and myoclonus (PERM). We have developed a diagnostic assay for this disease and are in the process of characterising the range of clinical phenotypes associated with these antibodies and their pathogenic mechanism.

Similarly in 2005 aquaporin-4 was identified as the target in patients with Neuromyelitis optica, a severe inflammatory demyelinating disease that predominantly affects the spinal cord and optic nerve. In collaboration with Dr. Marios Papadopoulos and Dr. Samira Saadoun (St. George’s, University of London) we are characterising the cells and molecules that are crucial to the development of the lesions that are associated with disability. We have also developed a cell based assay to detect aquaporin-4 antibodies in this disease and in collaboration with Dr. Sean Pittock (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN) and Dr. Amit Bar-Or (McGill University, Montreal) in a fully blinded study we compared six different assays for the detection of antibodies to aquaporin-4. The cell based assay proved the most accurate and it is now used as part of the National Specialised Service for Neuromyelitis optica.

Using recently developed assays for the NMDA receptor and the potassium channel complex proteins lgi1 and caspr2 we have characterised the clinical spectrum of patients with NMDA receptor encephalitis and potassium channel complex associated diseases that include limbic encephalitis, Neuromyotonia and Morvan’s disease.  

Sources of Funding

NIHR Biomedical Research Centre

Biography

Paddy completed his undergraduate studies in biochemistry at University College Cork (1994) and received his PhD on the structural prediction of the Fv region of a human IgG immunoglobulin from University of East London (1999) under the guidance of Prof. Shawn Doonan and  Mr Ray Stoker. He pursued postdoctoral studies with Prof. Nick Willcox developing MHC Class II tetramers to identify specific CD4+ T cells in autoimmune myasthenia gravis and created fragments of surfactant proteins A, D and C1q as therapeutics in allergic asthma and invasive pulmonary aspergillosis with Dr. Uday Kishore. Since 2007 he has worked with Prof. Angela Vincent on the identification of new targets in antibody mediated central nervous system diseases, modeling their pathogenic mechanisms and developing diagnostic assays.

Awards Training and Qualifications

  • 1990- 1994 BSc, National University of Ireland - University College, Cork
  • 1995- 1999 PhD, University of East London