Neuroscience
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Our commitment
Neuroscience is a highly collaborative organisation built for agility, innovation and delivery in neurodegenerative diseases, chronic pain and neuropsychiatric indications. We are working together with our partners to follow the science and discover life-changing medicines to improve patient care in neuroscience.
Our unique approach builds on strong collaborations with leading innovators across industry and academia, facilitating rapid progression of projects from target identification to proof-of-concept studies. Our aim is to address the unmet needs in neurology and chronic pain by advancing innovative molecules through preclinical and clinical development and working with partners to develop breakthrough medicines.
We harness advances in data science, artificial intelligence and multi-omics to address the particular challenges associated with treating the central nervous system. Through our novel targets and treatment modalities we are working to deliver a portfolio of first and best-in-class medicines for patients.
Unmet medical need and disease prevalence
55 million
More than 30%
Over 25 million
Over 80 thousand
Our disease areas
Neurodegeneration
Current treatment options for most neurological diseases are limited, particularly for neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, Huntington’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
We are following the science of key pathways to maximise our opportunity to deliver life changing medicines. Using CRISPR technology we are investigating the potential to repair the gene causing Huntington’s disease. In addition, with Takeda Pharmaceuticals we are exploring ways to reverse the build-up of the α-synuclein protein in brain cells that causes PD.
Chronic pain
Our work on analgesia – the treatment of pain – includes chronic pain and migraine. We are not simply looking to improve how patients manage pain, we are seeking new ways to transform the lives of people living with chronic pain.
In particular, we’re aiming to alleviate pain for people who cannot benefit from current therapies. This involves exploring all stages of pain sensing. For example, we have developed unique ways to target the protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2) protein that has been linked to migraine as well as joint inflammation.5
In addition, we are opportunistically researching the neuroscience of addiction with the goal of halting addiction and preventing relapse, even against more potent and addictive substances. With support from National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) and NIH we are investigating orexins, molecules that are thought to promote behaviours associated with addiction. Finding ways to block orexins could allow more people to overcome their addiction by developing new patterns of behaviour.6
Our people
The neuroscience team is a small, agile group that are uniquely positioned to rapidly progress opportunities through an extensive network of highly productive partnerships and collaborations.
Our team includes experienced scientists, clinicians, healthcare and commercial professionals that work closely together to develop and deliver projects with high impact in the neuroscience space.
Neuroscience is an area with many critical medical needs. Our team is a highly diverse and talented group that are uniquely equipped to build bridges across organisations and create powerful collaborations with great potential to transform our understanding and provide improved treatment and care for patients.
Join our team
Become part of a team addressing some of the biggest challenges in neuroscience. Our work is wide-ranging, ever-changing and provides the opportunity to work with leading experts across many different fields. We’re looking for people who are passionate about using science and innovation to improve the lives of people worldwide.
Our pipeline
References:
1. World Health Organization dementia fact sheet (accessed Feb 2023) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/dementia
2. Cohen, S., Vase, L. and Hooten, W. Chronic pain: an update on burden, best practices, and new advances. The Lancet 397;10289, 2082-2097 (2021) DOI: 10.1016/S0140-6736(21)00393-7
3. World Health Organization headache disorders fact sheet (accessed Feb 2023) https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/headache-disorders
4. CDC National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Overdose Deaths In 2021 Increased Half as Much as in 2020 – But Are Still Up 15%. Published: 11 May 2022. Accessed: February 2023 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/nchs_press_releases/2022/202205.htm
5. Kopruszinski CM, Thornton P, Arnold J, et al. Characterization and preclinical evaluation of a protease activated receptor 2 (PAR2) monoclonal antibody as a preventive therapy for migraine. Cephalalgia. 2020;40(14):1535-1550. DOI: 10.1177/0333102420966581
6. Mehr, J., Bilotti, M. and James, M. Orexin (hypocretin) and addiction. Trends in Neuroscience 44;11 852-855 (2021) DOI: 10.1016/j.tins.2021.09.002
Veeva ID: Z4-52073
Date of preparation: February 2023