UK-based organisation Cure Parkinson’s has launched a £2 million funding call to test rationally designed combination therapies for disease modification in Parkinson’s.
Applications for both preclinical and clinical projects can express interest by Monday 24 November 2025.
Preclinical projects should be within five years of translation to clinical testing in people with Parkinson’s, and can request up to £300,000 for 1-3 year projects
Clinical applications can request in the region of £1 million over 2-4 years, to fund clinical trials or sub-studies of trials involving people with Parkinson’s.
Importance of testing combinations of drugs
The launch comes in light of recognition that, while the clinical testing of monotherapies remains important, Parkinson’s may ultimately need to be treated with several drugs due to the number of biological drivers that can cause the condition.
“By encouraging researchers to consider combination therapies, we hope to tackle Parkinson’s from two or more different angles,” says Cure Parkinson’s CEO Helen Matthews. “We hope that this will accelerate efforts to find a cure and have a positive impact on people living with Parkinson’s and their families and carers.”
The funding panel will be chaired by Professor Fiona Ducotterd, Chief Scientific Officer of the Alzheimer’s Research UK UCL Drug Discovery Institute.
The two-stage application process will begin with an initial expression of interest, to be submitted by 24 November 2025. Proposals that most align with the goals of the funding call and are within Cure Parkinson’s funding remit will then be invited to submit a full application.
Cure Parkinson’s will also hold two ‘Question and Answer’ sessions to provide more details on applying, taking place on Thursday 16 October at 10am (BST) and Monday 3 November at 4pm (GMT).
