Company identifies calcium signaling in the brain as a promising target for protection against Parkinson’s progression.
Scottish biotech Lario Therapeutics has been awarded a $6 million grant by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). The Edinburgh-based company, which develops precision medicines for neurological disorders, will use the funding to support its program exploring CaV2.3 calcium channel inhibitors as a treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, is characterized by the death of dopamine-producing neurons in specific brain regions, leading to significant motor dysfunction. Calcium signaling, involving the movement of calcium ions mediated by specialized channel proteins, plays a vital role in the function and survival of dopamine-producing neurons.
Research has established a link between Parkinson’s and elevated levels of the CaV2.3 channel protein, which is associated with the neurodegeneration seen in the disease. Studies suggest that inhibiting the CaV2.3 calcium channel could be a promising strategy for protecting against Parkinson’s disease progression.
“This grant will help drive our ambition to progress our Cav2.3 program swiftly towards the clinic, to provide a new, effective treatment option for people with Parkinson’s disease,” said Dr Henning Steinhagen, CEO of Lario.
With the support of the MJFF grant, Lario Therapeutics will advance its preclinical program to investigate the selective inhibition of CaV2.3 calcium channels as a potential disease-modifying approach for the treatment of Parkinson’s disease.
“We look forward to seeing the results of Lario’s research on CaV2.3 as a novel disease-modifying approach for Parkinson’s,” said Dr Gaia Skibinski, director of research programs at MJFF.
The project will be conducted in collaboration with the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre (OPDC), which will evaluate Lario’s compounds using advanced patient-derived stem cell models of Parkinson’s disease.
“Our research center works to understand the development of Parkinson’s, with the ultimate aim of targeting the molecular mechanisms of disease, to prevent disease onset or to delay progression. said Dr Richard Wade-Martins, head of the OPDC. “We see great potential in the CaV2.3 program and are very happy to collaborate to study patient stem cell-derived neuronal models as part of the research.”
