Prof Anna Williams

Anna Williams' research focuses on understanding and trying to repair myelin damage in diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) and cerebral small vessel disease (SVD). As myelin acts to protect and nourish the nerves that it wraps around, improving repair of myelin after damaged, reducing nerve damage and the hope is that this will reduce disability in these diseases. The Williams' lab studies human pathology and uses lab-based models to understand how repairing cells (oligodendrocyte precursor cells) research the areas of myelin damage, how they mature into myelin-forming cells, how they interact with other cells, including blood vessel cells, and how repair can be improved.

Anna studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh, trained in neurology in Edinburgh and spent two years in Paris, France, studying MS before re-joining the University of Edinburgh in 2008 as a research group leader and honorary consultant neurologist with NHS Lothian.