Theme Co-Lead for Neuromuscular Disease, Rare Diseases and Mitochondrial Dysfunction and Director of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders and a consultant paediatric neurologist
Professor McFarland is Director of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders and a consultant paediatric neurologist at the Great North Children’s Hospital in Newcastle.
Bobby trained in paediatrics and paediatric neurology in London and Newcastle upon Tyne. He began his research career studying the molecular consequences and clinical problems associated with mutations of mitochondrial DNA.
Bobby’s research now embraces gene discovery, determinants of pathogenicity in mitochondrial disease and clinical research projects including the development of clinical assessment tools, natural history studies, outcome measures and drug trials.
As Director of the NHS Highly Specialised Service for Rare Mitochondrial Disorders, Bobby leads a team of clinicians, nurses and allied health professionals dedicated to the diagnosis and management of mitochondrial disease.
The close association of Bobby’s research and clinical work pays dividends for both; facilitating recruitment to the extremely successful national mitochondrial disease patient cohort study (n=1860), which he leads, and allowing rapid translation of research breakthroughs into clinical practice such as the ground-breaking IVF technique of Mitochondrial Replacement Therapy, where Bobby has leveraged Wellcome and NHS funding to offer a clinical research programme.
Bobby is currently Professor of Paediatric Mitochondrial Medicine and Action Medical Research Professor of Neuromuscular Disease at the Wellcome Centre for Mitochondrial Research in Newcastle University.