Lario Therapeutics Secures $6M Grant from Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research
Lario Therapeutics, a biopharmaceutical company focused on pioneering precision medicines for neurological and epileptic disorders, has announced it has been awarded a $6 million USD grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF). This grant, in partnership with the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre (OPDC), will support Lario’s preclinical program aimed at exploring selective CaV2.3 calcium channel inhibition as a potential disease-modifying treatment for Parkinson’s disease.
The grant will fund research into the role of CaV2.3 calcium channels in Parkinson’s disease. Existing literature highlights the link between calcium channels and the disease’s pathology, with preclinical studies suggesting that the deletion of CaV2.3 may offer a protective effect against disease progression. Lario will collaborate with Professor Richard Wade-Martins and the OPDC to evaluate its compounds using advanced patient-derived stem cell models of Parkinson’s disease.
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the loss of dopamine-producing brain cells, leading to motor dysfunctions such as tremors, slowness, stiffness, and balance problems, as well as cognitive and emotional issues. With over 10 million people affected worldwide and no current cure, new treatment options are crucial.
Dr. Tom Otis, Chief Scientific Officer of Lario Therapeutics, expressed gratitude for the MJFF’s support: “We appreciate MJFF’s funding for our efforts to develop a potential new therapy aimed at preventing neuronal loss in Parkinson’s disease. Successful research could lead to a significant new treatment option for patients.”
Henning Steinhagen, Co-Founder and CEO of Lario Therapeutics, added: “This funding is pivotal in advancing our therapeutic pipeline and the progress we’ve made in the field. We thank the MJFF team for their support and look forward to moving our CaV2.3 program towards clinical trials, offering a new treatment avenue for Parkinson’s disease.”
Gaia Skibinski, Director of Research Programs at MJFF, noted: “MJFF is committed to supporting innovative research like Lario Therapeutics’ work. We are eager to see the outcomes of their study on CaV2.3 as a novel approach to modifying Parkinson’s disease.”
Professor Richard Wade-Martins of the University of Oxford and head of the OPDC, remarked: “We are thrilled to collaborate with Lario Therapeutics. MJFF’s funding underscores the potential impact of this research. Our goal is to understand Parkinson’s development and target its molecular mechanisms to either prevent onset or slow progression. The CaV2.3 program holds great promise, and we are excited to explore it using patient stem cell-derived neuronal models.”
