Funding drug development to help recycling in cells
We’re working with EndLyz Therapeutics to fund the development of 2 potential drugs that could clear cells of unwanted materials that contribute to the causes of Parkinson’s.
EndLyz Therapeutics is leading the way in developing drugs that aim to boost the recycling process within cells to keep brain cells healthy and protect against the progressive death of brain cells in Parkinson’s.
Our latest investment will help the company work on developing new therapies to restore efficient cell recycling, which may have the potential to slow or stop Parkinson’s.
What’s happening to the cell recycling process in Parkinson’s?
Research suggests that lysosomes, packets of digestive chemicals that help to break down and recycle unwanted material inside cells, may be central to the development and progression of Parkinson’s. When lysosomes don’t work properly, brain cells can’t get rid of old and damaged proteins, so these build up and clump together, slowly clogging up cells and leading to their death.
We have been funding research exploring lysosomes through EndLyz Therapeutics since 2021. So far, we've invested almost £850,000 to support EndLyz. Now, we've committed a further £390,000 to help researchers take the next steps in developing 2 potential drug options, aiming to bring them closer to clinical trials for people with Parkinson’s.
Lynsey Bilsland, Managing Director of our drug development funding programme, comments:
"Our research programme is relentlessly searching for the cause, a cure, and better treatments right now for Parkinson’s. Our work with EndLyz Therapeutics is a perfect example of this mission in action: we are not only contributing to a better understanding of what is causing the condition, but we are also providing crucial funding for drugs to be developed to tackle the underlying problems.
"We support pioneering ideas at an early stage of development to ensure they don't stall and can progress as quickly as possible to understand their potential for people with Parkinson’s.
"We can’t do this alone and rely on our generous supporters as well as partners that also contribute funds to projects such as these."
Richard Wade-Martins, Head of the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre and a scientific co-founder of EndLyz, said:
"I am really pleased that Parkinson’s UK is continuing to support EndLyz in moving 2 potential lysosome-targeting drug opportunities towards the clinic to treat Parkinson’s.
"At Oxford, helped by long-term, 10-year support from Parkinson’s UK to the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre, we have established the capacity to undertake high-throughput screening for drug and target discovery in human neurons generated from people with Parkinson’s.
"This ability now to test drugs for human conditions in human neurons has revolutionised the way new treatments are being sought. Such work takes time, and we thank Parkinson’s UK for such strong support over the years."
We have a multi-million pound funding programme, decades of experience, strong international networks, and a fantastic community of people with Parkinson's powering our research. Read about all the projects we're currently supporting.
Problems with waste recycling are just one clue as to how and why brain cells might start to become damaged and die in Parkinson's. Read our blog to find out more about the research trying to understand why this happens, and how we can stop it.
Parkinson’s research is powered by the Parkinson’s community. The more people who are involved, the faster we’ll get there.
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