| Date | Title | Description |
| 29.02.2024 | 6 challenges in rare disease research and how we can overcome them | Rare conditions, individually, have low patient numbers. However, with more than 7,000 rare diseases identified, collectively there are millions of people living with these conditions across the globe. Despite this, the majority of these co... |
| 10.11.2023 | LifeArc-funded documentary highlights pioneering scientific research into new targets for treatment of motor neuron disease | A new documentary has been released which follows a key discovery made by researchers at University College London that suggests a promising target for new treatments to tackle motor neuron disease (MND), a terminal condition.
Backed by Li... |
| 03.11.2023 | LifeArc helps fund new research institute to accelerate the search for a cure for MND | A new research institute to accelerate the search for a cure for motor neuron disease (MND, also known as ALS), launches today in London.
The new UK Motor Neuron Disease Research Institute, or UK MND RI, aims to discover new treatments tha... |
| 20.10.2023 | 3 LifeArc Ventures’ portfolio companies celebrated in new report on most innovative life science businesses in UK | With the UK setting its sights on becoming a global life sciences superpower, it has created an environment where scientists are able to push the boundaries of research to create breakthrough science.
Many companies and start-ups have rise... |
| 19.10.2023 | New £30m initiative to address global threat by accelerating the pace of antimicrobial innovation |
As part of LifeArc’s global health strategy, we’re committed to reducing the number of lives lost to treatment resistant infections across the world. By joining forces to create PACE, we hope to increase the number of innovations in AMR a... |
| 02.10.2023 | LifeArc welcomes Stéphane Maikovsky as Interim CEO | LifeArc, the self-funded, not-for-profit medical research organisation today announced the appointment of Stéphane Maikovsky as Interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO), succeeding Dr Melanie Lee who stepped down from the role last month.
Sté... |
| 26.09.2023 | LifeArc welcomes new lead and chair to head its Childhood Cancer Translational Challenge | LifeArc welcomes the arrival of a new Translational Challenge Lead, Dr David Jenkinson, and Chair, Professor Andy Pearson, who will both head our efforts in childhood cancer.
We fund a wide range of innovative early translational research ... |
| 14.09.2023 | Unveiling the future of cell and gene therapies in the UK | In recent years, cell and gene therapies have been advancing at lightning speed, offering new hope to patients. However, there’s a pressing concern that could slow down this progress – a shortage of skilled professionals in this sector.
Be... |
| 12.09.2023 | Dr Melanie Lee CBE steps down as CEO of LifeArc | Dr. Melanie Lee has notified the Board of her decision to step down as Chief Executive Officer, effective 30 September 2023, after leading the organisation for almost five years.
During these five years, Melanie has guided LifeArc through ... |
| 07.09.2023 | LifeArc welcomes news of the UK rejoining Horizon Europe, the EU science research scheme | Today the UK and EU agreed a deal for the UK to associate the world’s largest collaborative research programme, Horizon Europe.
In response to the news, Melanie Lee, LifeArc CEO, said:
“This is fantastic news, not just for UK and European... |
| 14.08.2023 | LifeArc and the Francis Crick Institute partner with five African research institutions to support scientists | The Crick Africa Network (CAN) is set to extend for a further five years, supporting more young African scientists to build their careers in research, thanks to a £7.5 million investment from LifeArc.
CAN, supported by LifeArc, will offer ... |
| 10.08.2023 | LifeArc joins Infection Innovation Consortium to help tackle infectious diseases | LifeArc has entered into a partnership with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) and will join the LSTM-led Infection Innovation Consortium: iiCON and establish a £2.7m Translational Development Fund.
The research fund is being... |
| 11.07.2023 | New Alzheimer’s treatment ‘lecanemab’ approved for use in the US | The therapeutic antibody lecanemab (LeqembiTM) has received full market approval by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in the United States. It is with great satisfaction that we can make this announcement due to the instrume... |
| 10.07.2023 | LifeArc and DEBRA Austria launch £2.5m funding call for repurposing therapies for Epidermolysis Bullosa | LifeArc, the self-funded, non-profit, medical research organisation and charity, and DEBRA Austria, a patient organisation charity, are partnering to commit £2.5 million to fund projects to repurpose therapies that can be brought rapidly to... |
| 06.07.2023 | Catriona Crombie talks to Rare Revolution about LifeArc’s investment of more than £100 million into rare disease research by 2030 | This article was originally published in Rare Revolution Magazine
LifeArc, a self-financing medical research organisation and charity, has announced the launch of its Rare Disease Translational Challenge—a significant investment of more th... |
| 06.07.2023 | Groundbreaking new £100m LifeArc programme aims to improve the lives of people living with a rare disease |
LifeArc, the self-funded, non-profit medical research organisation and charity, is launching a new programme that will look to invest more than £100 million by 2030 to deliver new breakthroughs to improve the lives of people living wi... |
| 29.06.2023 | New UK-based research project brings together world-leading institutions to transform care for people living with dementia | 29 June, 2023 – Eisai, Gates Ventures, Health Data Research UK (HDR UK), LifeArc and The University of Edinburgh announced today a new two-year collaborative research agreement that aims to transform care for people living with dementia. Th... |
| 27.06.2023 | LifeArc strengthens Board of Trustees with new appointments | LifeArc, the self-funded medical research organisation, announces today that Dr Terri Cooper, Dr Sameer Mistry and Dr Rima Makarem have joined the Board of Trustees as Non-Executive Directors, effective from 27 June 2023.
Dr Terri Cooper, ... |
| 21.06.2023 | How LifeArc’s Neurodegeneration Translational Challenge is leading the charge against Motor Neurone Disease | June 21st is Global MND Awareness Day, a day to raise worldwide awareness of MND (Motor Neurone Disease) and to stand in solidarity with the MND/ALS community.
In December 2022, LifeArc officially launched its Motor Neurone Disease Transla... |
| 21.06.2023 | New programme to move potential MND drugs into clinical trials faster | A ground-breaking experimental medicine programme that will enable researchers to more rapidly screen potential drugs in people with motor neuron disease (MND, also known as ALS), is announced today on Global MND Awareness Day.
The EXPErim... |
| 30.05.2023 | LifeArc and Sarcoma UK fund research to guide treatment decisions in rare cancer | A £150,000 grant from LifeArc and the charity Sarcoma UK will fund a study of a new biomarker test that could improve outcomes for patients with a rare sarcoma cancer.
The grant will fund a four-year research project at The Institute of Ca... |
| 15.05.2023 | LifeArc announces strategic partnership with PrecisionLife as part of its Motor Neuron Disease Translational Challenge | London and Oxford, UK, 15 May 2023 – Self funded, not-for-profit medical research organisation LifeArc and techbio company PrecisionLife announce a strategic R&D collaboration to accelerate the discovery and development of targeted trea... |
| 11.05.2023 | LifeArc & Cystic Fibrosis Trust announce new £15m research funding to fast track treatment of lung infections | A new exciting and innovative £15m research programme has been announced to help improve the lives of people with cystic fibrosis (CF). Co-funded by not-for-profit, medical research organisation LifeArc and leading charity Cystic Fibrosis T... |
| 11.05.2023 | Meet our industrial placement students – class of 2023 | Every year LifeArc runs a salaried industrial placement scheme for up to 12 students. They develop valuable hands-on research experience and professional skills working in our state of the art laboratories, on real live drug discovery and d... |
| 09.05.2023 | Translational research into children’s rare diseases enters 5th year of collaborative funding | LifeArc is proud to be renewing our joint funding collaboration with Action Medical Research, a leading UK charity dedicated to saving children’s lives through the application of cutting-edge medical research.
As in previous years, the joi... |
| 02.05.2023 | Dr Jason Slingsby joins LifeArc as Chief Business Officer | LifeArc, the self-funded medical research charity, announces today that Dr Jason Slingsby has joined the Executive team as Chief Business Officer.
Jason will be responsible for developing, leading, and implementing LifeArc’s business devel... |
| 24.04.2023 | LifeArc launches £40m funding call to create Translational Rare Disease Centres | 24 April 2023: LifeArc is inviting applications from academic institutions for its latest £40m initiative to fund four to five new Translational Rare Disease Centres in the UK, along with a separate co-ordinating hub.
LifeArc specialises i... |
| 20.04.2023 | LifeArc plans two major funding calls to boost translational research in rare disease & lung health in cystic fibrosis | LifeArc is set to announce two major funding calls in the following weeks which will support the acceleration of new interventions in rare disease.
The first funding call is planned to establish up to four rare disease research centres and... |
| 13.04.2023 | Talking to FLIER future leaders about learning from COVID-19 and the power of collaboration | By Dr Melanie Lee CBE, CEO
Scientists have always understood the value of collaborative working. But the truly revolutionary advances in life sciences research, digital and technology happening at pace now make this a pre-requisite skill i... |
| 12.04.2023 | LifeArc joins the Campaign for Science and Engineering | Today LifeArc became the newest member of the Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE).
This network of over 115 members works to put research at the heart of the UK’s future and serve the needs of the public, not least patients. Commen... |
| 11.04.2023 | Highlights from Illumina for Startups Summit 2023 | By Dr Melanie Lee CBE, CEO
Last month I was pleased to take part online in a fireside chat at the Illumina for Startups Summit with Mostafa Ronaghi, Executive Chairman & Co-Founder, Cellanome and Paula Dowdy MBA, Board Director, Adviso... |
| 23.03.2023 | LifeArc Ventures launches new brand with dedicated website, LinkedIn and Twitter | LifeArc Ventures, which provides ventures investment for early-stage science-led companies, is growing fast. We’re reflecting this in a new identity and with the launch of its own website and social media platforms.
LifeArc Ventures is inc... |
| 21.03.2023 | From donkeys to diversity – Anji Miller reports from AUTM 2023 | I attended this year’s AUTM annual meeting last month with Madhu Madhusudhan, Chris Baker, Laura Stennett, 15 LifeArc AUTM fellows and two LifeArc fellows.
Two years post-pandemic restrictions, the tech transfer crowd returned to the full ... |
| 16.03.2023 | £3m fund to accelerate development of new CF therapies | LifeArc, as part of the CF AMR Syndicate, is providing £3m in collaborative funding to drug discovery innovators to accelerate the development of new treatments for people with cystic fibrosis.
The CF AMR Syndicate’s Collaborative Discover... |
| 15.03.2023 | LifeArc responds to the Government’s Spring Budget | LifeArc CEO Dr Melanie Lee responds to today’s Spring Budget:
“With the right Government support, we can make life science life changing. Today’s Spring Budget included some positive steps for turning the idea of a ‘science superpower’ int... |
| 08.03.2023 | International Women’s Day 2023 | This International Woman’s Day, we hear from some of LifeArc’s incredible women who are paving the way as leaders in innovation.
Here are the golden nuggets of advice they would give to their younger selves about starting out and moving up... |
| 01.03.2023 | The Aisling Burnand Daphne Jackson Research Fellowship, sponsored by LifeArc | The Board at LifeArc announces today it is sponsoring five Daphne Jackson Fellowships, in honour of our dear friend, colleague and trustee, Aisling Burnand CBE, 1964-2022.
Dr Melanie Lee CBE, CEO of LifeArc said: “Aisling was an exceptiona... |
| 28.02.2023 | LifeArc awards £3 million to advance promising early rare disease research from the lab to the patient | LifeArc has awarded £3 million to de-risk and accelerate around 30 innovative early research projects investigating the diagnosis and treatment of a wide range of rare diseases at six UK universities.
University College London, University ... |
| 28.02.2023 | Honouring the contribution of a remarkable trustee – Aisling Burnand CBE | By Dr Melanie Lee CBE, CEO
It is hard to find the right words to pay tribute to Aisling Burnand, her life’s work and what she meant to the board at LifeArc and our employees. Her values, her passion and the immense contribution she bought ... |
| 28.02.2023 | Rare Disease Day 2023 – Robbie’s story | For Rare Disease Day 2023, we shine a light on a partnership that aims to accelerate the search for a treatment for a devastating rare childhood disease
Robbie is nine and has a rare genetic neurodegenerative disease known as AP-4 Heredita... |
| 28.02.2023 | Four ways we support rare disease research | Medicine research and development is challenging and takes a long time. With licensed medicines only available for 500 of the 7,000 rare and ultra-rare diseases, it is even harder because of the lack of funding and the challenges of underst... |
| 15.02.2023 | LifeArc Ventures invests in Maxion Therapeutics | LONDON, UK, 15 February 2023 – LifeArc Ventures, the investment arm of LifeArc, today announced its participation in a USD $16 million (GBP £13 million) Series A financing for Maxion Therapeutics. The funds will be used to support the devel... |
| 10.02.2023 | Celebrating the International Day of Women and Girls in Science | “Science wins when it gets the brightest minds and talents, and that means everyone must have an equal opportunity to pursue it.”
“Medical research is a field that simply needs the best scientists and researchers, of any gender. But I’m pr... |
| 01.02.2023 | LifeArc Ventures – strong performance in 2022 & sustained investment in innovation | Highlights
LONDON, UK, 1 February 2023 — LifeArc Ventures, which is committed to investing in innovative early-stage life science companies, today provides an update on its portfolio.
Clare Terlouw, Head of LifeArc Ventures, said: “Our te... |
| 24.01.2023 | £1 million awarded to develop cutting-edge therapies for motor neuron disease |
London, 24 January 2023: Medical research charity LifeArc, the Motor Neurone Disease Association (MND Association) and the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation have jointly awarded £1 million to researchers at University College London (UCL) to pr... |
| 10.01.2023 | LifeArc portfolio company RQ Bio’s antibody enters clinical trials | LifeArc Ventures’ portfolio company RQ Biotechnology has announced that the first of its discovered monoclonal antibodies to prevent COVID-19 in vulnerable patients, AZD3152, has entered clinical trials – less than 12 months after discovery... |
| 06.01.2023 | Alzheimer’s drug lecanemab approved by US regulator | On the news that lecanemab – a promising new therapeutic antibody that we played a small but important part in discovering – has received regulatory and safety approval from the FDA, LifeArc’s Chief Scientific Officer Dr Dave Powell said:
... |
| 21.12.2022 | Evolving our science to solve complex healthcare challenges | Dr Dave Powell joined LifeArc as our first Chief Scientific Officer earlier this year. He brings more than 27 years of experience in translational research in industry, biotech and academia. We asked him about why we are evolving the way we... |
| 20.12.2022 | 2022 wrapped – our highlights from a pivotal year | As another turbulent year draws to a close, we’ve been looking back at a significant year for LifeArc. We’ve seen some exciting scientific progress, forged new partnerships and launched some new landmark initiatives.
We couldn’t have done ... |
| 15.12.2022 | LifeArc partners with EMBARC to improve healthcare for people living with bronchiectasis | LifeArc is partnering with the European Multicentre Bronchiectasis Audit and Research Collaboration (EMBARC) to improve healthcare for thousands of people across Europe living with bronchiectasis.
The three-year partnership – part of LifeA... |
| 12.12.2022 | MND Collaborative Partnership cautiously welcomes new Government funding | We cautiously welcome the announcement from the Government outlining how the £50 million investment commitment into motor neuron disease (MND) research made in November 2021 will be spent.
We’re delighted that the MND Collaborative Partner... |
| 08.12.2022 | Repurposed flu medicine could help under 60s recover faster from COVID-19 | A flu medicine called favipiravir could help people under 60 recover more quickly from COVID-19, according to an international drug repurposing study co-funded by LifeArc.
The results of the international PIONEER study show that patients u... |
| 01.12.2022 | LifeArc bolsters executive team with communications expertise | Welcome to Anna Tomlinson, who joins LifeArc as our first Chief Communications Officer. Anna will join and work closely with our executive team to drive and shape our 2030 strategy and enhance our profile as an independent charity.
Anna br... |
| 23.11.2022 | LifeArc announces £10m funding call for new chronic respiratory infection therapies | LifeArc is committing £10m to fund up to five collaborative projects that seek to repurpose existing therapies and compounds as new treatments for bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis.
The collaboration opportunity is the first major funding... |
| 22.11.2022 | £100m programme to transform care for people living with chronic lung conditions | LifeArc is launching a landmark £100m programme to urgently develop new healthcare solutions for the more than 300,000 people living with bronchiectasis and cystic fibrosis in the UK today.
The LifeArc Chronic Respiratory Infection Transla... |
| 17.11.2022 | LifeArc responds to the Government’s renewed pledge to increase R&D funding | LifeArc CEO Dr Melanie Lee welcomes the Government’s restatement of its commitment to increase R&D funding in today’s Autumn statement:
“Today the Chancellor made it clear that UK life science is a key driver of growth.
“I am delighte... |
| 16.11.2022 | LifeArc plays key role in discovery of new Alzheimer’s treatment | Our antibody humanisation work played an important part in the discovery of lecanemab, an experimental drug that has recently shown small but clear benefits for people with early Alzheimer’s disease.
In October, a landmark phase 3 clinical... |
| 16.11.2022 | LifeArc funds home monitoring trials for people with chronic respiratory conditions | LifeArc is partnering with researchers at Royal Papworth Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to fund new UK-wide trials investigating if machine learning technology can transform how people living with chronic respiratory conditions manage their ... |
| 15.11.2022 | LifeArc Ventures invests in Surgery Hero, world’s first digital coaching clinic for patients | LONDON, UK – LifeArc Ventures, the investment arm of LifeArc, today announced its participation in a Seed investment in Surgery Hero, formerly Sapien Health Limited. Headquartered in London, Surgery Hero is a digital clinic that helps peopl... |
| 11.11.2022 | Call for Government to place medical research at the heart of economic plans | Ahead of the Autumn Statement, LifeArc and other leading life science organisations have written to the Chancellor calling for the Government to place medical and health research at the heart of its economic growth plans.
The letter, signe... |
| 21.10.2022 | LifeArc contributes to organic chemistry breakthrough | LifeArc scientists, working with researchers in Manchester, have contributed to a fundamental breakthrough in organic chemistry that will help accelerate drug discovery.
The findings reveal that seemingly impossible chemical reactions can ... |
| 20.10.2022 | AbbVie acquires LifeArc portfolio company DJS Antibodies | AbbVie (NYSE: ABBV) has acquired LifeArc’s portfolio company DJS Antibodies Limited (“DJS”), a privately-held UK-based biotechnology company dedicated to discovering and developing antibody medicines that target difficult-to-drug disease-ca... |
| 13.10.2022 | LifeArc’s new fund to advance gene-based medicines for genetic diseases | Researchers can now apply to LifeArc’s new £5 million Gene Therapy Innovation Fund to progress their exciting gene therapy research through the Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies.
This dedicated scheme was created to address the current UK... |
| 10.10.2022 | New toolkit launched to help repurposed medicines reach patients | Charities, researchers and others hoping to repurpose existing medicines for treating other diseases can now find help and support in the form of a new free online toolkit developed by LifeArc and the Medical Research Council (MRC). The new... |
| 07.10.2022 | LifeArc scientist awarded prestigious industrial fellowship | LifeArc scientist Finbar Gaffey has been selected as one of 10 young innovators to receive a coveted industrial fellowship from the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 for his project on motor neuron disease (MND).
In partnership... |
| 28.09.2022 | LifeArc joins forces with Cystic Fibrosis Trust and Medicines Discovery Catapult to strengthen antimicrobial discovery efforts | Pivotal partnership seeks to transform cystic fibrosis research
LifeArc, a national medical research charity, is joining the Cystic Fibrosis (CF) Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Syndicate in a strategic partnership alongside Cystic Fibrosis... |
| 22.09.2022 | Aisling Burnand CBE, 1964-2022 | It is with deep sadness that we share the news that our trustee, colleague and friend, Aisling Burnand CBE, passed away on Monday 19 September 2022.
Aisling was an experienced, inspiring and supportive member of the LifeArc Board and a lif... |
| 21.09.2022 | Separate science from politics: save the UK’s science sector | The current direction of the Horizon Europe situation is a cause of concern. Exclusion of the United Kingdom from the programme would be highly damaging to the UK science sector – and science generally. A solution must urgently be found.
E... |
| 16.09.2022 | Promising new antibody treatment for osteoporosis and multiple sclerosis | LifeArc scientists, in collaboration with Prof. Thomas Worzfeld and Prof. Stefan Offermanns from Marburg University and the Max-Planck-Institute for Heart and Lung Research in Germany, have generated a humanised antibody targeting Plexin-B1... |
| 09.09.2022 | Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II | We at LifeArc are deeply saddened by the passing of our monarch, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.
We join others today in remembering her life dedicated to serving the country and the Commonwealth.
Our thoughts are with her family at this ... |
| 08.09.2022 | LifeArc portfolio company Ducentis BioTherapeutics acquired by Arcutis Biotherapeutics for up to $400 million | LONDON, UK, 08 September 2022 — LifeArc today announced that its portfolio company Ducentis BioTherapeutics, a preclinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel therapies for inflammation and autoimmune diseases, has been ... |
| 06.09.2022 | Seven questions about LifeArc’s 2030 ambitions |
At LifeArc, we have an ambitious goal – to spend £1.3 billion by 2030, translating science into medical breakthroughs that will change patients’ lives.
We are often asked what science translation is and what we actually do. In this video... |
| 01.09.2022 | LifeArc helps create new MRC spin-out company | Our technology transfer team played a crucial role in the formation of Constructive Bio, a new Medical Research Council (MRC) spin-out company that aims to reprogramme microbes to enable new materials to be produced – such as drugs and biod... |
| 17.08.2022 | Driving translational research into childhood rare diseases | LifeArc and Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s charity (GOSH) have jointly awarded more than £1.3 million of funding to help four GOSH researchers, based at the UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street ... |
| 27.07.2022 | Advancing novel gene therapies into the clinic | One year on, we report on the progress made to date to establish a national network of Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies to advance promising academic research into life-changing new medicines for patients.
New classes of highly specialis... |
| 26.07.2022 | Study reveals potential new way to treat colorectal cancer | Scientists have discovered an IL-17B receptor (also known as IL-25 receptor) antibody could be used to treat colorectal cancer. These latest findings follow the recent news that the humanised version of this antibody will also enter clinica... |
| 21.07.2022 | Startup wins first Advise & Connect Innovation Award | During the pandemic, we launched the Advise & Connect service as part of our wider effort as an organisation to support the research ecosystem to rapidly develop solutions to fight COVID-19. Medical researchers could come to us for spec... |
| 27.06.2022 | Milner Therapeutics Institute and LifeArc extend strategic partnership | Our collaboration with the Milner Therapeutics Institute has been expanded into a five year strategic partnership until 2026. This is great news as it means we can build on the work we’ve already done to identify new drug targets for a rang... |
| 21.06.2022 | New £4.25 million grant kick starts UK-wide collaborative research effort to end motor neuron disease | A group of charities and government research organisations has awarded £4.25 million to MND experts at six UK universities to kick start collaborative efforts to end motor neuron disease (MND).
This new ‘MND Collaborative Partnership’ brin... |
| 16.06.2022 | New £30 million translational partnership will accelerate development of new treatments for people with dementia | LifeArc and the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) have today launched a new partnership to accelerate development of new diagnostic tests, treatments, and devices from scientific research discoveries to benefit people with dementia, w... |
| 15.06.2022 | Promising new asthma medicine ready to enter early clinical trials | LifeArc scientists were instrumental to the development of the world’s first monoclonal antibody targeting a receptor related to inflammation in the airways – now poised to enter a first-in-human, early clinical trial in the US.
An Investi... |
| 18.05.2022 | Pandemic Science Hub to develop better drugs to fight lung disease | A new multi-million pound research programme at the University of Edinburgh will develop treatments for lung infections, building on the success of groundbreaking projects funded by LifeArc to fight COVID-19.
The Baillie Gifford Pandemic S... |
| 17.05.2022 | LifeArc co-founded company RQ Bio signs licensing agreement with AstraZeneca worth up to $157m plus royalties for monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 | LONDON, UK, 17 May 2022 — LifeArc today announced that RQ Biotechnology Ltd (RQ Bio), a company it co-founded, has signed a licensing agreement with AstraZeneca PLC (AZN). Under the terms of the agreement, RQ Bio has granted AstraZeneca an ... |
| 17.05.2022 | Action Medical Research and LifeArc announce another round of funding to support translational research into children’s rare diseases | Children’s charity Action Medical Research and independent medical research charity LifeArc are pleased to announce a fourth joint funding round aimed at supporting UK-based translational research projects that could lead to new interventio... |
| 13.05.2022 | Accelerating progress against dementia | – by Dr Melanie Lee, CEO
It is a shocking fact that, according to the Dementia Statistics Hub, one in three people born in the UK this year will develop dementia in their lifetime. But yet there is still little hope that can be offered to ... |
| 05.05.2022 | Learning from translational research success stories during the COVID-19 pandemic | by Dr Melanie Lee, CEO
I recently chaired a panel at a Royal Society event that took us behind the scenes of some of the urgent and unprecedented collaborative efforts to find solutions for overcoming the COVID-19 pandemic in its early day... |
| 27.04.2022 | Hackathon brings scientists together to tackle brain health | Together with the patient charity Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, LifeArc co-sponsored an MND challenge within a four-day ‘hackathon’ event, which brought together a diverse group of scientists to help tackle key brain health chall... |
| 24.03.2022 | LifeArc and Scottish Government work together to drive Scottish research into rare diseases | LifeArc and the Chief Scientist Office (CSO) for the Scottish Government have today jointly awarded a total of £300,000 to researchers at The University of Edinburgh to progress their exciting research towards helping people living with rar... |
| 18.03.2022 | Covid-19 hub shortlisted for Scottish award | CRUSH, a Covid-19 hub enabling the delivery of translational science in the virology field and co-funded by LifeArc and the Medical Research Council (MRC), is a finalist in the prestigious Scottish Knowledge Exchange Awards.
Congratulation... |
| 07.03.2022 | Study reveals gene faults underpinning severe Covid-19 | The world’s largest study of the genetics of severe Covid-19, that we have helped to fund, reveals fresh information about why some people are more likely to become seriously ill with Covid-19.
In the GenOMICC study, which involves more th... |
| 28.02.2022 | Can an innovative gene therapy help people with Hunter syndrome? | Hunter syndrome, also called mucopolysaccharidosis type II, is a rare genetic disease that almost always affects boys.
Caused by a faulty gene, children born with the condition can experience a wide range of symptoms affecting many tissues... |
| 28.02.2022 | Living with a rare but incurable liver disease | A young actor battled a rare liver disease through college and drama school before getting fit enough to start a successful career.
Actor Ashley Hudson from Norfolk lives with primary sclerosing cholangitis or PSC. It is a rare liver disea... |
| 28.02.2022 | Living with genetic sight loss – a family story | Late-onset retinal degeneration (L-ORD) is a rare inherited eye disease that leads to blindness in older people. Sadly, there are currently no treatments that can help prevent people losing their sight.
In L-ORD, faults in a gene called C1... |
| 28.02.2022 | LifeArc – advancing innovation in rare disease | There are more than 7,000 rare diseases. A rare disease is defined as one that affects less than 1 in 2,000 of the population and most are caused by a faulty gene.
Although a single rare disease will affect only a small number of people, w... |
| 16.02.2022 | LifeArc elects new Board Chair to drive charity’s ambitious strategy | Dr Ian Gilham has been appointed as our new Chair of Trustees and will succeed Dr John Stageman CBE when he steps down on 4 April after eight years leading the Board.
Ian became a LifeArc Trustee in October 2021 and will take up the Chair’... |
| 15.02.2022 | New study explores unique approach to treat a rare liver disease | A UK research study looking into a new approach to treat primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) – a rare disease where the body’s immune system attacks its own liver – has been given the green light thanks to vital funding from LifeArc and th... |
| 11.02.2022 | Celebrating our inspirational women scientists | Today is the UN’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science and we are delighted to have so many inspiring scientists working with us at LifeArc.
See how some of our inspirational women – including our CEO Dr Melanie Lee – were motiv... |
| 01.02.2022 | LifeArc bolsters scientific leadership by appointing new Chief Scientific Officer | Welcome to Dr Dave Powell, who has joined LifeArc as our first Chief Scientific Officer (CSO). Dave is an experienced scientist and leader, with exceptional translational knowledge and a fresh perspective who will accelerate our commitment ... |
| 22.12.2021 | Reflecting on 2021 – a year of progress | As we bid farewell to another challenging year, we reflect on everything that has happened during 2021 and how we have worked with our partners and colleagues.
Here’s a snapshot of what we’ve achieved together this year. Thank you to every... |
| 08.12.2021 | LifeArc appoints first Chief Operating Officer | Richard Godfrey has joined LifeArc as its first Chief Operating Officer (COO). The new role will strengthen leadership at the charity as it evolves to deliver its new 2030 strategy, ‘Making life science life changing’.
Richard will play a ... |
