Zam Cader studied Medicine at the University of Birmingham (1991-97) and continued his general medical training in Oxford. He then spent three years, working on the genetic linkage and association of  neurological disorders unnder the supervision of Professor George Ebers at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. After obtaining his DPhil in 2003, he completed his training in Clinical Neurology at Oxford. He is now an Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the John Radcliffe Hospital with an interest in Neurodegenerative Disorders. He joined the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics in 2007 after being awarded an MRC Clinician Scientist Fellowship to establish his own research group.

Zam Cader's research interests lie in understanding mechanisms of neurodegeneration and in particular the role of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases. Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases are essential and ubiquitous enzymes which ensure the fidelity of translation of the genetic code. It is also clear they have additional non-canonical functions such as silencing of translation and mRNA processing. The essential question is how defects in these important enzymes can lead to specific deleterious consequences for neuronal cells. Using proteomics, biophysical methods, cell culture systems and model organism, his group is trying to understand the cellular pathways leading to neuronal degeneration.

Further information can be found at Cader Research