New strategic partnership with SPARC to accelerate delivery of new treatments for dementia

We are delighted to announce a new strategic industry partnership with SPARC, alongside the funding of a new project. Developing effective therapeutics, diagnostics and technologies for people affected by dementia is a clearly defined vision of the UK DRI.

A lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms of neurodegenerative diseases is a major bottleneck to producing new drug targets. The new collaboration with SPARC seeks to fund vital research into the mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration, the first step in a pathway that may ultimately lead to new treatments for dementia.

The first phase of this exciting partnership kicks off with a research project led by UK DRI Emerging Leader and ARUK Research Fellow Dr Natalie Connor-Robson (UK DRI at Cardiff).

Dr Connor-Robson’s project seeks to understand the role of the endocytic pathway, a pathway which transports molecules within cells, in neurodegeneration.

Dr Kay Penicud, UK DRI Director of Innovation & Business, said:

“We’re thrilled to announce this new partnership with SPARC. This collaboration will allow us to leverage SPARC’s innovation and expertise to further accelerate our critical research efforts into new treatments for dementia. At the UK DRI, we are committed to fostering strong relationships with industry partners to drive progress, and we greatly look forward to working with SPARC to advance our mission.”

Dr Natalie Connor-Robson, Emerging Leader at the UK DRI at Cardiff, said:

“I’m really excited about this project because it allows us to really start translating our findings in the lab to potential therapeutics. We hope that this work will lead to the identification of new drug targets or even potential drugs which we can study in our models and help move forward to clinic.”

Sun Pharma Advanced Research Company Ltd. (‘SPARC’) is a pharmaceutical company focused on continuously improving standards of care for patients globally through innovation in therapeutics and delivery. SPARC consistently aims to lower costs and improve operational efficiencies to advance availability and affordability of cures for patients across the world. More information about the Company can be found at www.sparc.life.

Find out more about Dr Natalie Connor-Robson's research by visiting her UK DRI profile.

Article published: 2 November 2023