Dr Roncaroli qualified in medicine and trained as histopathologist at the University of Turin in Italy. He moved to Bologna, Italy as a consultant in an academic department of Histopathology where he developed his interest in neuropathology. After a period at Mayo Clinic, Rochester USA with Professor Bernd Scheithauer, he was appointed clinical senior lecturer in neuropathology at Imperial College, London. He moved to the University of Manchester in September 2015.

Dr Roncaroli’s field of expertise is neuropathology encompassing the examination of brain and pituitary tumours, muscle and nerve biopsies, cerebrospinal fluid cytology, and post-mortem brains.

At Imperial College, he was responsible of the neuropathology diagnostic service, established a brain tumour registry and a biobank for brain and pituitary tumours that was part of the Imperial Healthcare Tissue Bank. He was also the referring neuropathologist of the UK Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson’s Disease Tissue Bank. He retained a honorary contract at Imperial College and remained part of the neuropathology team.

In Manchester, he has created a dedicated brain and pituitary tumour biobank, established the molecular diagnostic service for brain tumours and joined the Manchester Brain Bank chaired by Professor David Mann.

Most of Dr Roncaroli’s research focuses on brain and pituitary tumours. His group applies quantitative immunohistochemical techniques, 3D tissue reconstructions, confocal scanning laser microscopy and laser microdissection to human brain tissue from surgical samples and post-mortem brains and integrate tissue analysis with cell culture models and gene expression studies.

The group is currently working on a mitochondrial membrane molecule called the translocator protein (mTSPO) in collaboration with Mr David Coope, Professor Karl Herholz and Professor Alan Jackson at the Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre. By combining molecular imaging data with tissue analysis and in vitro cell models, we have shown mTSPO to be an ideal PET imaging target for human gliomas and showed his value as predictive biomarker for transformation of low grade into anaplastic, aggressive tumours. Together with professor Turkheimer and his group at the Institute of Psychiatry in London, we have also recently contributed to accurate modelling of mTSPO in normal brain vessels. 

Mr Dominic Mosses is project manager of the group. Dominic obtained his Bachelor of Science in Biomedical sciences in 2009, followed by a Master’s qualification in Biology and control of vectors of tropical diseases at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine in 2013. In the interim period, he managed several primary healthcare facilities for the armed forces before joining the group in early 2016. His work supports the direction of the group as well as contributing toward studies aimed at understanding the role of TSPO in the progression of several disease states.

Miss Bahiya Osrah obtained her Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry, King Abdul Al‐Aziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and her Master of Science in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA. Supported by a scholarship from King Abdul Al-Aziz University, Bahiya joined our group in 2016 as PhD student. Her project aims to unveil the role of mTSPO in the progression of oligodendrogliomas and the regulation of mTSPO in this tumour type. 

Dr Erjon Agushi graduated in Medicine at the University of Bologna, Italy. He moved to Manchester as Clinical Research Fellow at the Division of Informatics, Imaging and Data Sciences under the supervision of Mr Coope, Professor Jackson and Dr Roncaroli. Erjon’s main project is entitled “Clinical evaluation of the role of PET imaging with 11C-PK11195 as a potential biomarker in glioblastoma”.  He is currently working on molecular imaging and pathology of mTSPO in low grade and anaplastic gliomas.  

Mr Ricky Williams is responsible of the Neuro-oncology Biobank, a biorepository that collects and stores tissue from a wide variety of primary and secondary tumours of the central and peripheral nervous systems and its coverings and from the skull base and pituitary gland. Ricky trained in Australia as biomedical scientist and has an extensive experience in lab management and biobanking. He also contributes to studies on mTSPO in gliomas.

1995-present:              American Association for Cancer Research.

2004-present:              British Neuropathological Society

2004-present:              British Society of Endocrinology

2006-present:              British Neuro-oncology Society

2005-present:              Fellow Royal Society of Medicine

2011-present:              European Neuroendocrine Association