Resume

The Dementia Consortium supports collaborative target validation and drug discovery projects from academia and SMEs.

They offer a unique collaborative model bringing together the charity and industry sectors to help accelerate development of therapies for novel dementia targets.

The Dementia Consortium provides drug discovery resources, project management, industry expertise and tools as well as full funding support for projects.

They can support small molecule or antibody-based strategies and aim to generate tools to achieve preclinical target validation.

Their ultimate goal is to progress successful projects from laboratories towards the clinic.

Scope of projects

Projects focused on novel molecular targets in any neurodegenerative disease (including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, tauopathies, vascular dementia, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia, Huntingdon’s disease)

Evidence linking the target to human disease and confidence that target modulation would have a therapeutic effect

Collaborators with strong biology expertise and access to enabling assays, reagents and disease models

The following projects are not in scope for funding:

Projects focused on well-studied targets and pathways for neurodegenerative diseases

In vivo PK studies, preclinical proof-of-concept studies or IND-enabling studies

Repurposing of existing drugs (although they will consider optimisation of tool / literature compounds to improve selectivity, potency, bioavailability, etc)

Non-pharmacological interventions (e.g. diet or exercise or other behavioural changes)

Previous experience in drug discovery is not required, nor do you need to have any in-house capability for carrying out drug development.

The Consortium, through MRC Technology, is able to provide all of the assay development, screening and medicinal chemistry resources required to develop novel compounds or antibodies against the target.

Requirements

Lead applicant should have contract which will cover their salary for at least the duration of the gran

Principal Investigators as co-applicants should have a tenured position

Funding

Typical costs £100-250k. Notional limit £500k, for exceptional cases

How to apply

http://www.dementiaconsortium.org/for-researchers/#wpcf7-f94-p11-o1

In case of interest, please contact with FSJD Research Department no later than April 9th.

Further information

http://www.dementiaconsortium.org/