LifeArc

Our CEO, Dr Sam Barrell CBE, participated in a panel yesterday to celebrate 'Our Future Health' reaching a major milestone as the world's largest research programme of its kind, with over a million participants from across the UK already enrolled! The programme aims to gather information for up to five million people to help transform the prevention, detection and treatment of conditions such as dementia, cancer, and hopefully even some rare diseases. Our Future Health also includes the largest number of under-represented groups ever in a health research programme, an important step if we are to help reduce health inequalities. As one of just four charity funding partners, we are proud to see the programme hit this milestone and we look forward to working with Our Future Health to address significant unmet patient needs.

What technology could help improve daily life for those living with MND? We'd like to better understand the daily challenges of living with MND to guide the development of new technologies. Share your thoughts in this short survey: https://lnkd.in/ehvGeaJc The MND Insights Community Survey is open to anyone who fits one or more of the following criteria: ▪ Those living with MND ▪ Caregivers or supporters for someone with MND ▪ People who have lost someone close to MND ▪ Those with a gene that puts them at a high risk of developing MND, or those who have a family history of the condition  People affected by MND are experts in daily life with the condition – so we need to hear from you! Insights from this survey will inform investment into our future research aimed at creating technologies to improve the lives of those affected by MND. Thanks for your support, and for taking the time to complete the survey.

At 61, Gaynor Hardman was diagnosed with bronchiectasis, an overlooked and misunderstood chronic respiratory disease. With limited knowledge of this condition, it wasn't until Gaynor experienced severe breathlessness and was hospitalised that she received the right care and information to manage her condition. Unfortunately, this is often the case for people with bronchiectasis, who are left uncertain about how to manage their condition. As a result, they are frequently caught in a cycle of infection, with limited treatment options due to antibiotic resistance and a lack of effective therapies. Read Gaynor's story about her path to diagnosis and the challenges of learning to live with such a debilitating condition with no cure: https://t.ly/YQbuZ To improve the lives of people living with bronchiectasis, we must gain a better understanding of this disease and invest in developing new treatments and tools to either cure or help people better manage their respiratory health. Through our Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge, we are funding research and partnering with others in this space to accelerate the development of life-changing innovations.

New £3 million drug repurposing funding call for chronic respiratory infections is now open! As part of our Chronic Respiratory Infection Translational Challenge, in November 2022, we launched a £10 million funding call to support the development of innovative therapeutics that address the underlying vicious cycle in bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis. We now have a portfolio of exciting projects underway and are looking to add to this in a second round of funding. We're offering £3 million to support drug repurposing projects that seek to conduct translational studies, from proof of concept and preclinical studies through to clinical studies. Our goal is to accelerate the progress of existing drugs towards patient benefit, with project durations expected to range from 2 to 3 years. Submit your expressions of interest by 15 January 2025: https://lnkd.in/euyStAHH

Exciting news from our portfolio company AviadoBio – a great example of LifeArc's commitment to invest in life-changing science through LifeArc Ventures, supporting start up companies through advice, scientific insight and essential venture funding.

🆕 As part of our new 5-year cancer research strategy we're committing at least £15m into childhood cancer research.   Ultimately, we want a world where no childhood is lost to cancer. Read on to find out our top four priorities to help us in this mission. 👇

It's been just over a year since we launched our Global Health Translational Challenges! 🎉 Infectious diseases are some of the biggest threats facing human health, especially in low- and middle- income countries. This is why we started our Global Health Translational Challenges to focus on some of the biggest unmet needs: antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases and emerging viral threats. We collaborate with experts across global health research and use our expertise in translation to help remove barriers and accelerate the development of affordable and accessible solutions to better understand, treat, and prevent infectious diseases. We are extremely proud of the amazing strides we've made over the last year and look forward to continuing to make an impact in this space! Hear from Julie Brady, Interim Head of Global Health and Head of Partnerships for Global Health, as she discusses the aims of the Translational Challenges, highlights from the last year, and projects on the horizon. Find out more: https://lnkd.in/enEwFNpj

Today's announcement by Genomics England and NHS England on the newborn sequencing programme is a significant step forward in transforming healthcare for people with rare diseases. Our own work is deeply aligned with this mission. 1 in 5 children who are born with a rare disease will not live to see their fifth birthday and we are committed to changing that.    Our CEO, Dr Sam Barrell CBE, welcomes this announcement and how it aligns with LifeArc’s vision as part of our Rare Disease Translational Challenge.   Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/epig6YDg

We were honoured to have Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, officially open the Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC) at the University of Sheffield today. The state-of-the-art facility marks a significant milestone in accelerating the development of life-changing treatments for patients with rare and inherited diseases. Professor Mimoun Azzouz Director of the GTIMC, said: "Gene therapy is a promising treatment option for more than 7,000 rare and inherited diseases that are currently without a cure. Our goal is to provide patients with access to cutting-edge treatments that were previously unimaginable… This is a momentous milestone for revolutionary medical advances not only for Sheffield and South Yorkshire, but also for the UK.” "LifeArc is excited about the potential for gene therapy to transform treatment pathways for people with rare diseases. We are proud to have launched the Innovation Hub network, including the latest hub in Sheffield, which will play a vital role in speeding up the development of new gene therapies and improving the lives of millions of patients,” says Stéphane Maikovsky, Deputy CEO and Chief Financial Officer at LifeArc Dr Louise Jones, Director of Investigator-Led Themes at the Medical Research Council (MRC) said: “MRC’s longstanding and continued investment in gene therapies...underscores our commitment to ensuring advanced therapies research remains a significant UK strength. With the GTIMC and the network of Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies, academics across the UK will be supported in the development, scale-up and delivery of new and improved genetic treatments to patients.”

We are proud to partner with Challenge Works on developing the Newborn Survival Prize, which will focus on addressing neonatal sepsis and the overuse and misuse of antibiotics where access to diagnostics is limited. The Prize will aim to incentivise innovation to reduce neonatal mortality from sepsis in low-and-middle income countries (LMICs).