Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA)
Lead Research Organisation:
Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
Nucleic acids represent a new class of therapies that specifically target the gene’s associated with disease. They are applicable to treat both rare and common diseases and can be developed in a shorter period of time than conventional medicines, NATA will enable the nucleic acid technology platform to advance by overcoming current scientific challenges.
Technical Summary
The Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA) was funded to unlock the potential of precision genetic medicines by enabling state-of-the-art interdisciplinary research partnerships to solve critical issues in the development of these drugs. This will be an internationally unique resource, bringing together world-leading academic expertise with innovative businesses in carefully targeted public-private partnerships. NATA will capitalise on the UK’s industrial and research centres to create partnerships between academia, large pharma, biotechs, and firms with disruptive physical science technologies. The partnerships will exploit cutting-edge physical science technologies to discover and test viable ways of delivering high reward nucleic acid therapy. Located on the Harwell Campus near Oxford, NATA Hub will exploit, and contribute to, the local world class scientific talent and scale-up ecosystem.
The long-term objectives and anticipated effects of the NATA programme centre around:
a) Promote the development of nucleic acid therapies
b) Catalyse industry engagement and leverage investment in the area of nucleic acid therapies
The initial investment in the Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA) is funded in the region of £30m in total. With some of the funds assigned to the Hub and at least two research funding calls where we will work with academia and commercial entities.
The long-term objectives and anticipated effects of the NATA programme centre around:
a) Promote the development of nucleic acid therapies
b) Catalyse industry engagement and leverage investment in the area of nucleic acid therapies
The initial investment in the Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA) is funded in the region of £30m in total. With some of the funds assigned to the Hub and at least two research funding calls where we will work with academia and commercial entities.
Organisations
- Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD (Collaboration)
- AstraZeneca (Collaboration)
- Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) (Collaboration)
- University of Manchester (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM (Collaboration)
- Medical Research Council (MRC) (Collaboration)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Mark Cunningham (Principal Investigator) |
Publications
Anna L. Malinowska
(2022)
Targeting the lncRNA SMILR Using siRNA for Therapeutic Intervention in Vein Graft Failure
| Title | NATA Branding Pamphlet |
| Description | A four-page A5 pamphlet describing NATA, who it is, what it does and how to get in contact; scientific content is from the NATA team. |
| Type Of Art | Artwork |
| Year Produced | 2022 |
| Impact | Increased visibility at conferences. |
| URL | https://www.natahub.org/application/files/2816/6817/6075/Nata_Leaflet.pdf |
| Description | Interferon beta knockdown using nucleic acid therapeutics: a novel approach for treatment of juvenile and adult dermatomyositis |
| Amount | $121,040 (USD) |
| Funding ID | NATAUK22 |
| Organisation | Cure JM Foundation |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United States |
| Start | 11/2022 |
| End | 10/2024 |
| Description | Targeting the long non-coding RNA SMILR using small interfering RNA for therapeutic intervention in vein graft failure |
| Amount | £368,867 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | TA/F/20/210022 |
| Organisation | British Heart Foundation (BHF) |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2021 |
| End | 09/2024 |
| Description | DTP PhD Studentship |
| Organisation | AstraZeneca |
| Department | Research and Development AstraZeneca |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Academic co-supervision of a PhD student. |
| Collaborator Contribution | MRC Tox hosting student with some time at Astra Zeneca. |
| Impact | Student is in place. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | DTP PhD Studentship |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Department | MRC Toxicology Unit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Academic co-supervision of a PhD student. |
| Collaborator Contribution | MRC Tox hosting student with some time at Astra Zeneca. |
| Impact | Student is in place. |
| Start Year | 2021 |
| Description | Exactmer Oligonucleotides (CPI Challenge) |
| Organisation | Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Providing Exactmer with some comparator solid phase generated oligos. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Performing comparator work. |
| Impact | Oligo's compared. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | MRC National Mouse Genetics Network |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Department | The Mary Lyon Centre |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | NATA is an associate partner in the National Mouse Genetics Network. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Network consists of multiple disease-focused clusters pursuing distinctive, but complementary, challenge-led research and the Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell acting as a central hub generating and robustly phenotyping strains, performing pre-clinical trials, and providing training. Key within these clusters will be both experts in developing mouse genetic models, and translational and clinical scientists to provide a clear path to clinical translation. |
| Impact | NMGN Associates Meeting - 25th November 2022 |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | NATA-SP-003 Manufacturing Challenge (Nick Turner, MIB) |
| Organisation | University of Manchester |
| Department | Manchester Institute of Biotechnology MIB |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | NATA has awarded an academic/industry consortium led by Nick Turner, Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, £6M over 4 years to develop new oligonucleotide production methods using biocatalytic routes. |
| Collaborator Contribution | The Manchester Institute of Biotechnology will lead the consortium. |
| Impact | The collaboration has just started. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | NATA-SP-007 Collaboration with University of Nottingham (James Dixon) |
| Organisation | University of Nottingham |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | NATA synthesised oligonucleotides (siRNAs) against the hsoGLUC2 gene and, following QC, transferred them to the University of Nottingham to enable further research. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Received oligonucleotides. |
| Impact | NATA synthesised oligonucleotides (siRNAs, n=9) against the hsoGLUC2 gene and, following QC, transferred them to the University of Nottingham to enable further research. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Description | NATA-SP-008 Deliver Challenge (Matthew Wood, UoO) |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Department | Institute for Developmental and Regenerative Medicine (IDRM) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | NATA has awarded Matthew Wood from the Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine, University of Oxford, £8M to lead an academic/industry consortium investing methods to improve the delivery of oligonucleotides. |
| Collaborator Contribution | University of Oxford will lead the consortium. |
| Impact | Collaboration has just started. |
| Start Year | 2023 |
| Description | 6th Form Student work experience |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | NATA hosted a 6th Form student from Didcot. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | Business engagements on behalf of Oxfordshire Life Science Cluster |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Various engagement events promoting NATA, RCaH at Harwell. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022,2023 |
| Description | Crick Institute Panel Member |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Participated as an expert panel member held at the Crick Institute on RNA Theraeutics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | ERUK Navigator Series Genetic Therapies in Epilepsy Symposium: Speaker |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Presented on general research in Epilepsy using NATs. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | MSc Lecture at UCL |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lecture on "Introduction to RNA Therapies". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Nucleic Acid Therapeutics Delivery Workshop - Organised by SAE Media Group (20.09.2022) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | The purpose of the workshop was to stimulate debate amongst peers regarding the particular challenges facing the delivery of nucleic acid therapeutics to specific cells/organs in the body. The workshop was broken down into 3 sections - state of the art, toxicology and lipid nanoparticle delivery methods. The workshop was attended by ~ 12 individuals from the UK, Europe, USA and Singapore from both industry and academia. The outputs for NATA were an increase in brand recognition and new industry contacts. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| Description | PharmaTech Integrates Speaker 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Participation on an expert panel (see below) Gene Genie Identifying the next steps to drive forward the potential of oligonucleotides, DNA and RNA based therapeutics FACILITATED BY Dave Laffan | Senior Director in Chemical Development | AstraZeneca PANELLISTS Jeske Smink | Head of Drug Substance | Silence Therapeutics plc Mark Cunningham | Head of Operations | NATA, MRC, UKRI Juliana Haggerty | Head of Centre of Excellence - Lipid Nanoparticles | CPI Anna Perdrix Rosell | Founder & Co-CEO | Sixfold Bioscience Peter Smith | Principal Scientist, New Modalities (Oligonucleotides) | AstraZeneca |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.lifescienceintegrates.com/agenda/pharmatech-integrates-2022/ |
| Description | Royal Society Meeting: Oligonucleotides Therapeutics: Challenges and Opportunities (08.02.2022) |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Other audiences |
| Results and Impact | This was a prestigious online event hosted by the Royal Society and attended by a large number of national and international researchers from the nucleic acid therapeutics community. This was an opportunity for NATA to introduce itself (in the form of a 15 minute presentation) and generate interest and PR. The event significantly raised the profile of NATA and led to enquiries from a number of potential partners including big pharma. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://royalsociety.org/science-events-and-lectures/2022/02/Oligonucleotide/ |
| Description | SEA MEDIA RNA Therapeutics Conference Panel Member |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Industry/Business |
| Results and Impact | Participation as an expert panel member discussing the future of RNA Therapeutics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Undergraduate lecture at University of Oxford |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Lecture on "Genetics of neurological disease and precision medicine". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |