Charles Kenvyn ffrench-Constant FRCP FMedSci FRSE is a

neurology Neurology (from el, νεῦρον (neûron), "string, nerve" and the suffix -logia, "study of") is the branch of medicine dealing with the diagnosis and treatment of all categories of conditions and disease involving the brain, the spinal ...

researcher, specialising in multiple sclerosis. He has been recognised for his "fundamental and sustained contributions that underpin much contemporary research in developmental and regenerative neuroscience".

Education and early career

ffrench-Constant gained an MA in

Physiology Physiology (; ) is the scientific study of functions and mechanisms in a living system. As a sub-discipline of biology, physiology focuses on how organisms, organ systems, individual organs, cells, and biomolecules carry out the chemical ...

from the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

and an MB, BChir in Medicine from

Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...

in 1980. As a graduate student in the laboratory of

Martin Raff Martin Charles Raff (born 15 January 1938) is a Canadian/British biologist and researcher who is an Emeritus Professor at the MRC Laboratory for Molecular Cell Biology (LMCB) at University College London (UCL). His research has been in immunolog ...

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

, ffrench-Constant discovered that there are small numbers of

oligodendrocyte progenitor cell Oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs), also known as oligodendrocyte precursor cells, NG2-glia, O2A cells, or polydendrocytes, are a subtype of glia in the central nervous system named for their essential role as precursors to oligodendrocytes. ...

s (OPCs) in cell suspensions prepared from adult rat optic nerves. He gained his PhD in

neuroscience Neuroscience is the scientific study of the nervous system (the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nervous system), its functions and disorders. It is a multidisciplinary science that combines physiology, anatomy, molecular biology, developme ...

from UCL in 1986. Following a postdoctoral fellowship at

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

, he returned to Cambridge and took up a postdoctoral fellowship at the Wellcome/CRC institute (now the

Gurdon Institute The Gurdon Institute (officially the Wellcome/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute) is a research facility at the University of Cambridge, specialising in developmental biology and cancer biology. History The Institute was founded in 1989 to prov ...

Later career

ffrench-Constant started his own laboratory in Cambridge in 1991, focusing on

developmental Development of the human body is the process of growth to maturity. The process begins with fertilization, where an egg released from the ovary of a female is penetrated by a sperm cell from a male. The resulting zygote develops through mitosi ...

and regenerative biology. From 1999–2007 he was Professor of Neurological Genetics at Cambridge. In 2007, he moved to become Professor of Medical Neurology at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

. He has been co-Director of the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic since 2012 and from 2010–2015 was Director of the

Centre for Regenerative Medicine The Centre for Regenerative Medicine (CRM) is a stem cell research centre at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, dedicated to the study and development of new regenerative treatments for human diseases. The centre forms part of the univers ...

. In March 2021, the

University of East Anglia The University of East Anglia (UEA) is a public research university in Norwich, England. Established in 1963 on a campus west of the city centre, the university has four faculties and 26 schools of study. The annual income of the institution f ...

announced that ffrench-Constant had been appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for the faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, starting June 2021.

Awards and honours

ffrench-Constant was elected as a

Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci) is an award for medical scientists who are judged by the UK Academy of Medical Sciences for the "excellence of their science, their contribution to medicine and society and the range of th ...

in 2017, and as a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This socie ...

in 2018. He was awarded the Chancellor's Award for Research Excellence in 2019, in recognition of his outstanding research in the field of Neurobiology.

Personal life

ffrench-Constant enjoys sailing and walking, and is a season ticket holder at

Norwich City F.C. Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:ffrench-Constant, Charles 1954 births Living people Academics of the University of Edinburgh Fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences (United Kingdom) Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh