Researchers at UK biotech startup NRG Therapeutics are developing potential treatments that may help slow the progression of Parkinson’s by protecting the mitochondria – a part of every human cell that works to power chemical reactions.
The company has now received a £2.68m award from government-backed agency Innovate UK to continue its research.
Their research built upon previous findings that damage to mitochondria in the substantia nigra – an area of the brain associated with dopamine – may be linked to Parkinson’s. The scientists developed molecules that keep a ‘pore’ in the mitochondria closed, which stops calcium flowing into it, preventing a process that eventually ruptures the powerhouse of the cell and leads to its death.
The new funding award follows previous investment from Parkinson’s UK and the Michael J Fox Foundation.
