A charity and a university have linked up to form a biotech company to develop drugs for the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease.
The formation of Keapstone Therapeutics by Parkinson’s UK and the University of Sheffield is understood to be the first of its kind, where a charity and group of researchers have created a company with the aim of advancing one particular research programme.
The charity has targeted the University of Sheffield as a partner due to the work of its Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN), which is pioneering research into the disease.
The £1m venture will see the charity provide expertise and funding to identify and support scientific research in the treatment of this progressive disorder of the nervous system.
This includes funding drug development company Sygnature Discovery to develop SITraN’s research, with the aim of eventually producing new drugs that can slow or stop the progress of Parkinson’s.
The partnership also means the charity and university retain a stake in future developments.
Parkinson’s UK director of research Arthur Roach, said the creation of Keapstone Therapeutics means the charity can better support the “promising scientific breakthroughs for Parkinson’s happening every day that are not being picked up and developed by commercial companies”.
He said: “This major new programme of work will allow us to act in a similar way to a small biotech company. However, unlike a commercial company, our primary goal is the creation of new treatments to improve the lives of people with Parkinson’s, regardless of commercial considerations.”
Parkinson’s UK chief executive Steve Ford, added: “For years we have worked to support and accelerate the progression of research discoveries from the lab into clinical trials, with the aim of developing new drugs that can be used to manage and treat Parkinson’s.
“The launch of Keapstone marks an exciting step change in our strategy, which will allow us greater involvement in research and more flexibility to progress promising leads.”
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