The UK DRI and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) are delighted to welcome new Group Leader Dr Mootaz Salman to the BHF-UK DRI Centre for Vascular Dementia Research (CVDR). The £9M joint centre is the UK’s flagship investment in vascular dementia research, uniting leading researchers in the field.
Dr Salman is based at the University of Oxford and joined the UK DRI in April 2025. His group investigates mechanisms of blood-brain barrier function and what goes wrong in neurodegenerative diseases and brain injuries using patient-derived stem cells. Below, he tells us more about his research programme:
Dr Salman said:
“Joining the UK DRI represents an exciting opportunity to be part of a world-leading effort to tackle the complex challenges of neurodegeneration. The strong focus on collaboration, innovation, and real-world impact aligns perfectly with my group’s mission to understand how dysfunction at the blood-brain barrier contributes to diseases like vascular dementia. I’m particularly excited to be part of the BHF-UK DRI CVDR, where we can bridge cardiovascular and neurological research to drive meaningful progress for patients”
Following a Postdoctoral Fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital, Dr Salman moved to Oxford in 2020, and was awarded the Leverhulme Research Fellowship which enabled him to start his independent work as a Departmental Research Lecturer. In 2022, he launched his research group at Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG), which is primarily funded through his MRC Career Development Fellowship, and supported by other grants including BBSRC Pioneer Award, CONNECT - Horizon2020, Chief Scientist Office Research Grant and Royal Society.
Prof David Attwell, CVDR Centre Director, said:
“It’s great to welcome Mootaz Salman, and his expertise on studying the blood-brain barrier, to the Centre for Vascular Dementia Research. Mootaz will join a group of 7 other scientists studying diverse aspects of Vascular Dementia in this Centre, which will formally be launched this year. Investment by the British Heart Foundation and by the UK Dementia Research Institute in this Centre is aimed at developing an understanding of, and eventually therapies for, vascular dementia.”
