Helping ideas make the jump from lab to clinic: In conversation with UK DRI Chief Innovation & Business Officer Dr Róisín NicAmhlaoibh

The UK DRI’s overarching goal is to transform the lives of people affected by dementia and the associated neurodegenerative conditions. To realise this ambition, we have a dedicated Business & Innovation team, who support researchers in bridging the gap between their scientific discoveries and real world treatments, technologies and diagnostics. 

We caught up with Dr Róisín NicAmhlaoibh who joined the Institute as Chief Innovation & Business Officer in September to find out about her first few months in post, and plans for the future. 

Hi Róisín, could you tell us about your background and what led you to this role? 

I worked as a researcher in academia and in industry in cancer drug discovery for many years, before moving into business development roles, starting at Cancer Research UK’s development and commercialisation company. In that role I realised just how much exciting science is happening in academia, and with just a bit of direction, a bit of effort and funding, it can be translated into real impact for patients in the clinic. 

But what drove me to move into neurodegeneration, and the UK Dementia Research Institute, was personal experience. I'm one of the 1 in 2 impacted by dementia. My mum passed away for many years slowly and painfully, with fear and without hope. I wanted the opportunity to help change that story and make an impact. Having seen what a difference research and translation has made in cancer, I know we can make better drugs, we can improve diagnosis, so that people have some options. And I'm really passionate about trying to make that change. 

What’s been your main impression from your first few months in post at the UK DRI? 

I think the biggest thing that struck me, coming into the Institute, is how much genuine enthusiasm there is for translational research and making an impact for people affected by dementia. And that's not just at the researcher level, it's not just within the Business and Innovation team. It's across the Core team and the Centre teams, and I think that is a fantastic driver for an institute. The fact that we have so many partnerships with industry already set up to help support all of that is testament to the fantastic research that's happening across the institute.

And what are some of the things you and your team are working on at the moment? 

A lot of what we work on is helping to make that jump from an idea in an academic lab, to something that can have an impact in the clinic. At the moment, we’re focusing on placing the translational funding available as part of our £30 million partnership with Lifearc. We’ve just funded another 8 projects for 12-24 months, which will really help to bridge the gap between lab and clinic. Also, what's fantastic to see is a number of other projects we’re working on where researchers have had that translational funding already, and now we're at the other end of it, where outcomes are beginning to emerge. So we're working on a number of new and exciting spin out companies. More news on that to follow in the coming months! 

What advice would you give to an academic who thinks they’ve got an idea that could have an impact for people affected by neurodegeneration? 

I think the most important thing is to come and talk to us. It's never too early to start the conversation, we can help support you and guide you as for what the next step should be. I would also say that no idea is foolish and no project is too small. You know, even if you’re talking about a research reagent that 10 people have been asking you for. That means that there's interest out there, so that might be something that we or your university could commercialise, and any revenue that's generated is funnelled back into dementia research. 

What would be your message to potential industry partners?

What's really important I think, with industry, is finding those projects where there's a win on both sides, where it's tangible enough that both partners will learn from each other, and both gain some real benefit at the end of it. We want to open up our doors to more industry partners to help drive their translational and drug discovery programs. I think it’s also worth highlighting that we're not just looking at drug discovery. We’re keen to work with biomarker companies, and with other technology companies, because the breadth of the expertise within the UK DRI is vast.

And finally, what are you most excited for in the future of your role and your team?

There is so much excitement in the field at the moment, so much that's being developed in terms of drug discovery and new therapeutic options for patients, but also in the diagnostic and biomarker space. Being able to develop biomarkers in blood rather than cerebrospinal fluid or relying solely on imaging, is going to make such a huge difference, not just for better diagnosis, but also to drive patient-centric precision medicine in drug development. And I think that's an area where the UK DRI can have a huge impact.