A
new research study aims to deepen the understanding of Parkinson’s so that
better treatments can be developed in the future. The project, which will be
coordinated by RCSI, has been awarded €7m by the Innovative
Medicines Initiative (IMI) with pharmaceutical industry and patient advocacy
partners.
The
PD-MitoQUANT project aims to increase understanding of how cells in the brain
become damaged in Parkinson’s so more effective treatments can be developed for
the one million people living with Parkinson’s in Europe today, including
12,000 people in Ireland.
The researchers
will focus on parts of the cell, known as mitochondria, that malfunction in
people with Parkinson’s. Mitochondria contribute to cell death and
neurodegeneration and there is growing evidence of their role in Parkinson’s,
but no effective treatments have been developed based on this knowledge.
The EU
public-private partnership funding health research and innovation chose the
project as it recognises that new, more effective treatments are urgently
needed. The most common drug to treat Parkinson’s used in Ireland is more than
50 years old, and no current treatment can stop, slow or reverse the condition.
The
PD-MitoQUANT Coordinator is Professor Jochen Prehn, RCSI Chair of Physiology,
Director of the RCSI Centre for Systems Medicine and Principal Investigator at
FutureNeuro, the SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological
Diseases. Professor Prehn said: “This project will join forces with top
scientists in academia and industry to bring a fresh look on how we identify
and test novel drugs for the treatment of this devastating movement disorder.”
The
key PD-MitoQUANT Investigators based at RCSI are Dr Niamh Connolly and Dr Orla
Watters, Department of Physiology and Medical Physics and Centre for Systems
Medicine, who will be focusing their research on Parkinson’s in the coming
years.
Dr
Niamh Connolly commented: “While there are therapies currently available for
Parkinson’s, they do not improve all symptoms, nor do they slow or prevent
disease progression over time.
“We hope
that a systematic understanding of Parkinson’s developed from this project will
lead to improved tools for the early stages of drug development, so
pharmaceutical companies can develop new treatments in the future,” Dr Connolly
said.
Professor Raymond Stallings,
Director of Research and Innovation at RCSI said: “Research that informs
improved treatments for patients is at the core of RCSI’s mission to lead
impactful research that addresses Irish and international health challenges
such as Parkinson’s. RCSI is proud to be the first Irish Institution to lead an
Innovative Medicines Initiative project which is a testament to our strong
expertise in high quality neurological research that drives advances to improve
the lives of people with life-changing conditions.”
The project involves 14 partners
from nine countries, including:
·
academic
experts from: RCSI (Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland); Institut
du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière; German Center for Neurodegenerative
Diseases (DZNE); Neuroscience Institute of the National Research Council;
University College London; Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; the
Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
·
SMEs: GeneXplain GmbH; Mimetas B.V.;
Pintail Limited
·
pharmaceutical
companies from the EFPIA members: Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.; H.
Lundbeck A/S and UCB S.A.
·
patient
advocacy organisation: Parkinson’s UK
With the project kick-off meeting
taking place this month, the project will run for three years, receiving €4.5m
in funding from the EU’s Horizon 2020 programme and €2.46m in-kind from
European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA)
members and Parkinson’s UK.
The project has been announced to
coincide with National Brain Awareness Week which takes place from 11-17 March.
loveyourbrain.ie
#LoveYourBrain2019
No comments:
Post a Comment