Professor Lefkos Middleton

Professor Middleton is the Head of the Division of Neuroscience and Mental Health and Honorary Consultant Neurologist, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust Hospitals.  He studied Medicine and completed his Neurology residency at the Louis Pasteur University Hospital in Strasbourg; he obtained the French National Board (CES) in Neurology, in 1980. He was then Fellow of Presbyterian Hospital and Assistant Professor, Columbia University, New York in Clinical Neurology and Electromyography (1980-82). He returned to his country (Cyprus) in 1982, as Consultant Neurologist at the Nicosia General Hospital. In 1990 he was awarded a US- AID Centre grant > $14M and founded the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics (CING) of which he became first Chairman.

In the years 1988-1998, his main research was in genetic studies of Mendelian diseases that are prevalent on the Mediterranean region, such as the Friedreich-like Vitamin E deficiency Ataxia (AVED), the Hereditary Sensorimotor Neuropathy- type II; a new form of Hereditary Motor neuropathy (HMN) that he termed as the “Jerash” HMN type (the area in Jordan where all known families reside) and HMN -type V. He also identified clusters of gipsy families, in Greece and Turkey, with an autosomal recessive form of Congenital Myasthenic Syndrome (CMS). His group was involved in gene identification studies in Sarcoglynopathies and he identified a new Malformation Syndrome in Cyprus.

He joined Glaxowellcome in 1999 as Head of medical genetics and, post the creation of GlaxoSmithKline, he served as Vice President and Head of the new R&D Division of Translational Medicine and Genetics (TMG), based in London. His group included the GSK Clinical Imaging Centre at the Hammersmith Hospital, London, GSK Biomarker laboratories in the UK and the US, and the GSK Unit for Experimental Medicine at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge University, as well as the UK, Italy, Japan and US- based Department of Medical Genetics. One of the major accomplishments of TMG was the development of a large clinical/ genetic database involving >95000 individuals, comprising eight large family-based (mostly sib-pairs) in Parkinson’s Disease, Early MI, Metabolic Syndrome, Unipolar Depression, Asthma, COPD, Osteoarthritis and Type II Diabetes; a  population- based study n  Lausanne (Co-Laus); The database also included case and control (at least 1000/1000) collections in high-prevalence complex common diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease, Multiple Sclerosis, Schizophrenia, COPD, Obesity and Osteoarthritis. These collections now provide a unique resource of extensive phenotypic data and biological samples for genetic studies. They were made possible through collaborations with 180 clinical academic centers, mainly in Northern America and Europe.

He is the author of 103 peer review papers, 14 book chapters and reviews. He has delivered >250 lectures and oral presentations in international scientific and medical conferences and Universities, worldwide. In years 2005-2008, he served on MRC Council. He has been an Honorary Consultant to the OECD Biotechnology Unit and has served on numerous academic and professional Boards and Committees. His current research focus is in the genetic epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases of ageing (Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease) and Amyotrophic lateral Sclerosis