News & Events

Major new award for innovative RNA research on neurological disorders

23/07/23

Professors Jernej Ule, Laura Andreae, and Benjamin Blencowe have been awarded a £5.4m Wellcome Trust Discovery Award to lead a pioneering programme focused on RNA regulation in brain disorders. This major programme seeks to uncover how context-dependent RNA mechanisms drive neurological conditions, including autism and Alzheimer’s disease, to drive the development of targeted therapeutic strategies.

The team have highly complementary specialisms and will use advanced technologies, such as high-throughput sequencing and brain organoid models, to investigate the role of RNA-binding proteins in regulating gene expression in specific neural contexts. By decoding how disruptions in these RNA processes contribute to neurological conditions, the project aims to design therapeutic modules that precisely target affected cells, minimising any impact on surrounding tissue.

The investigators aim to develop an adaptable therapeutic strategy by focusing on the RNA-level changes that drive brain disorders. The funded programme has the potential to fundamentally transform our approach to neurological treatments, and pave the way for interventions tailored to the unique cellular environments of each condition. 

This Wellcome Trust-funded initiative brings together colleagues at King’s College London, and leading institutions, to foster collaboration and accelerate innovative RNA-based research that can transform diagnostics and therapies, offering renewed hope for effective, long-term treatments for brain disorders.