Michael J. Fox Foundation Grant for Arjan Kortholt
Dr. Arjan Kortholt of the research group Cell Biochemistry (Groningen Biomolecular Sciences and Biotechnology Institute, GBB) has been awarded a new grant by the Michael J. Fox Foundation (MJFF) to characterize and optimize inhibitors for LRRK2-mediated Parkinson's disease. In the first phase €100,000 is awarded that following an assessment after one year substantial funding may become available for the next phase.
Mutation in LRRK2 are the most frequent cause of late-onset Parkinson’s disease. Although the biological function of the multi-domain LRRK2 protein is not fully understood, it is clear that the pathogenic LRRK2 mutations result in hyper-activity of the protein. Therefore inhibitors of LRRK2 have the potential of being used as therapeutic drugs or to prevent Parkinson's disease.
V arious classes of LRRK2 kinase inhibitors with various shortcomings have been identified. The main target of these inhibitors is the LRRK2 kinase domain. However, the optimization of this class of drugs is hampered by the lack of three dimensional structures of the LRRK2 kinase domain bound to the compound. Although a large number of academic and industrial laboratories have attempted to solve the three-dimensional structure of the kinase domain of LRRK2, no such structure has been described. The objective of this project is to develop a LRRK2 structural reagent to shed light on compounds which bind to kinase domain. Such a structural surrogate probe for LRRK2 kinase will accelerate discovery, characterization and optimization of novel inhibitors and the progression of inhibitors to more drug-like molecules will be accelerated.
This project is a collaboration between Merck Research Laboratories (Boston MA) and the MJFF structure and function consortium.
Last modified: | 31 January 2017 11.14 p.m. |
More news
-
03 July 2025
Erik Heeres receives RUG Impact Innovator Excellence Award
During the RUG Ventures Innovation Day, Prof. Erik Heeres of the Faculty of Science and Engineering (RUG) was awarded the Impact Innovator Excellence Award.
-
02 July 2025
€ 30 million investment for UG spin-off Portal Biotech
Portal Biotech, a pioneer in nanopore-based protein identification and sequencing technology, has raised € 30 million in Series A funding. The funding will support commercial rollout and team growth.
-
01 July 2025
‘Give seals space’
The Wadden Sea is constantly changing. Native animals need to be able to adapt in order to thrive in an environment that is shaped by the tides. By conducting research on seals in the area, PhD students Margarita Méndez-Aróstegui and Beatriz...