Adam Al-Diwani

I am a clinician-scientist working at the interface of neuropsychiatry and neuroimmunology. I seek to understand bi-directional neuro-immune mechanisms in health and disease at phenotype and cellular levels. 

During my Wellcome-funded DPhil (17-20) I applied cervical lymph node sampling to show this brain-draining region harbours lymphocytes directed against the NMDA glutamate receptor (Supervisors: Lennox, Irani). 

In my NIHR CL (21-25) I went on to show that the cervical lymph nodes are enriched for brain proteins including those of relevance to Alzheimer's pathogenesis. Together with immunology colleagues (Klenerman, Provine, Pollock), I now focus on relating the biochemistry and immunology of this system to wider brain health in ageing with and without cognitive impairment. I lead a descriptive bio-sampling study within the NIHR OH BRC molecular targets theme to explore this and other clinical-laboratory correlations (ANIMATE, co-I Lennox, Harrison, Handunnetthi, Minichino). 

Clinically, I pioneered mapping the psychiatric phenotype in NMDA receptor-antibody encephalitis, towards improving clinical recognition and rationalising antibody testing. I sit in a regional multi-disciplinary team chaired by Professor Lennox together with neurology colleagues to advise on complex cases with a possible neuroimmune component. I founded a  working group on autoimmune encephalitis in psychiatry within the RCPsych neuropsychiatry faculty that is producing a report towards national guidance.