A highly ambitious project led by Miratul Muqit and scientists at the School of Life Sciences and School of Medicine at the University of Dundee has been selected for the highly prestigious 2025 SPARK NS Translational award, a global translational research programme, aimed at accelerating scientific discoveries in Parkinson’s disease to reach patients. It is one of only eight projects worldwide selected for funding, and the first time a project outside the US has been funded.
The project entitled Targeting the Integrated Stress Response Pathway to Boost Mitophagy for Parkinson’s Disease will receive up to $2 million over 2 years to propel innovative and challenging research in the neurodegenerative disease. Funding was announced today by the US-based independent non-profit SPARK NS to advance academic discoveries in Parkinson’s.
Principal Investigator, Miratul Muqit’s laboratory, has been responsible for uncovering critical insights into how mutations in the PINK1 gene leads to the build-up of damaged mitochondria in brain cells, one of the key drivers of Parkinson’s. His groundbreaking work has led to the development of new biomarkers for diagnosing Parkinson’s and new strategies to treat the disease that are now being explored by biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
He said, “Every breakthrough we make in the lab is driven by one goal—improving the lives of people with Parkinson’s. This award is a game-changer, allowing us to accelerate the development of potential new treatments.
By participating in the SPARK NS program, we are dramatically increasing the chances that Dundee’s cutting-edge research will translate into real-world therapies that can change lives”.
Joining Professor Muqit in this ambitious project are leading scientists from Dundee’s Drug Discovery Unit (DDU) and School of Medicine. Professor Mahmood Ahmed and Dr Carine de Marcos Lousa based at the DDU are experts in drug development, and Dr Glenn Masson, an expert in cellular stress pathways based at the School of Medicine, will work together to find new drugs to disrupt the progression of the debilitating neurodegenerative disease.
Professor Mahmood, Head of Medicinal Chemistry & Innovative Target Portfolio in the DDU said “This is an exciting opportunity to combine the wealth of expertise from the SPARK NS network with translational strengths of the DDU to transform a novel biological approach and deliver a much-needed therapy for patients”.
With a focus on Parkinson’s disease and autism, the SPARK NS program offers investigators and their research teams milestone-based funding, education in drug development and academic entrepreneurship. Additionally, the program provides mentorship from SPARK NS and industry expert advisors, as well as networking opportunities with individuals and organisations that can help their projects progress to market.
The typical drug development journey is long and expensive with many obstacles standing in the way of lab discoveries on the path to commercialization,” said Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, a SPARK NS Board Director and Chief Science and Education Advisor.
“Funding is essential, but it’s not enough. The SPARK NS program provides a high level of support at a crucial stage that prepares academic researchers for the rigor of the entire drug development process. Participating in the SPARK NS program improves the odds that promising therapeutics will make it to market where they can directly benefit patients.”
With this award, Dundee’s scientists are one step closer to delivering breakthrough therapies that could change the future for people living with Parkinson’s disease.