We are pleased to announce the appointment of two new UK DRI Group Leaders, Dr Mathieu Bourdenx and Dr Wioleta Zelek. The new Group Leaders each bring unique expertise that will support the institute in delivering its vision of healthy brain ageing for all.
Dr Mathieu Bourdenx (UK DRI at UCL) undertook a PhD at the University of Bourdeaux, focused on mechanisms of neurodegeneration in Parkinson’s. He then joined the laboratory of Professor Ana Maria Cuervo at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York, where his work on chaperone-mediated autophagy helped clarify how failures of selective protein degradation drive neuronal dysfunction in ageing and disease. In September 2025, Dr Bourdenx was awarded a prestigious Future Leader Fellowship by UK Research & Innovation. Most recently, he worked in the Duff Lab (UK DRI at UCL), before establishing his own independent group last year.
The Bourdenx Lab will investigate how ageing affects the brain, and why some brain cells age quicker, while others are resistant to ageing – and to use that knowledge to develop new treatments for neurodegenerative conditions.
Dr Bourdenx said:
“I am thrilled to join the UK DRI as a Group Leader. My lab works at the interface of cell biology and systems neuroscience to understand the mechanisms that drive neurodegeneration, and I look forward to building the cross-Institute collaborations that will turn those insights into therapeutic opportunities.”
Dr Wioleta Zelek (UK DRI at Cardiff) trained in Chemistry and after several years in the Biotech sector, returned to academia and undertook a PhD in Immunology, focused on the complement system – a crucial part of the innate immune response that is a key driver of neurodegeneration when disrupted. During her PhD and subsequent Fellowships, Dr Zelek developed a toolbox of novel complement inhibitors, including patent protected drug candidates, and co-founded the neuroinflammation-focused spinout Acionna Therapeutics. In 2025, Dr Zelek was awarded a Future Leader Fellowship by UKRI. Before becoming a Group Leader, Dr Zelek was a UK DRI Emerging Leader in Cardiff, sponsored by Prof Paul Morgan.
The Zelek Lab is a translational neuroimmunology group investigating how complement dysregulation drives neurodegeneration and how complement can be therapeutically manipulated to restore brain homeostasis and protect synapses. The group combines mechanistic studies, biomarker discovery, and translational drug discovery to develop brain-penetrant complement therapeutics, including nanobodies, antibodies and small molecules, aimed to reduce neuroinflammation and protect synapses.
Dr Zelek said:
“I am delighted to continue my work and expand my research programme within the UK DRI. My work aims to understand how complement-driven inflammation contributes to neurodegeneration, and to translate these discoveries into new therapies capable of protecting the ageing brain. I am particularly excited to further develop collaborations across the UK DRI, bridging fundamental immunology, neuroscience and translational drug discovery to accelerate therapeutic development for dementias.”
Prof Siddharthan Chandran, UK DRI Director, said:
“We are delighted to welcome Mathieu and Wioleta into their new roles. Both are outstanding scientists at pivotal moments in their careers, and we are fortunate to have them establishing their independent groups within the UK DRI. Their complementary expertise strengthens our ability to accelerate the discovery and deployment of tomorrow diagnostics and therapies for dementias.”
