One of only eight biomedical researchers recognised by The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine this year, Dr Janin Lautenschläger says the Fellowship – which includes £300,000 in flexible five-year funding – will help take her project to the next level.
According to Parkinson’s UK, more than 173,000 people nationwide will soon be living with the progressive neurological condition, which impacts movement, balance, coordination and even cognitive function. Investigating the earliest signs and stages of the disease at a molecular level, Dr Lautenschläger’s research has the potential to speed-up understanding, diagnosis and treatment.
“Supporting early-stage research is vital; as in this case, it can lead to breakthroughs in our understanding and treatment of disease,” says Paul White, ACT’s Director of Communications and Impact. “Thanks to our generous supporters, ACT is able to invest in projects like this which have genuine potential to change lives.”
Dr Lautenschläger, who is an Honorary Visiting Fellow at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and has lived in Cambridge for more than a decade but now works as an Associate Professor in the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at UCL, has kept the letter confirming her initial funding from ACT.
At that time, five years ago, her project was in its infancy and the ACT grant was not only a game-changer financially, it was also a reminder she was on the right path. “The letter named the individuals who had contributed, including people who’d left money in their will and had specifically wanted it to go to Parkinson’s research,” she says. “To know that makes you feel ‘Wow’, you know? That you need to run with it and really make a difference.”
“The funding also meant I was able to hire a post-doc, so I went from a one-person lab to having someone else working with me, which was huge at the time,” continues Dr Lautenschläger, who later won a second ACT grant. “We started small, so to have that support really helped us to grow as a lab and in our science – it really, really contributed to where we are now in our research. It’s so important to have funding like this to lift research up.”
Fast-forward to today and Dr Lautenschläger’s project – entitled “Gluey” Beginning: Investigating Alpha-Synuclein Condensates to Uncover Early Mechanism in Parkinson’s – has teams in both London and Cambridge. It is investigating the behaviour of the protein alpha-synuclein within nerve cells, how it helps organise communication between those cells, and how changes in that behaviour may contribute to the development of Parkinson’s disease.
The Lister Prize is one of the UK’s most competitive biomedical research awards, providing funding to support “outstanding early-career scientists as they pursue ambitious and innovative research programmes”. Dr Lautenschläger joins a cohort of eight researchers selected this year, working across neuroscience, immunology, ageing, cancer biology, respiratory disease and human development.
The official hospital charity for Addenbrooke’s and the Rosie, ACT funds cutting-edge equipment, specialist staff, extra comforts and pioneering research that helps change and save lives, above and beyond what the NHS can provide.
To make a donation, visit: Help your hospitals - Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust
