A new national research hub is set to position the UK as a world leader in the emerging global field of long-acting therapeutics (LATs).
A multidisciplinary team of experts from the University of Nottingham are part of The EPSRC Hub for Advanced Long-acting Therapeutics (HALo), which is led by the University of Liverpool.
The new hub is supported with a £11 million grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and leverages a further £49.1 million in funding from partners.
HALo will drive research, public and patient engagement, and the translational infrastructure required for the development and manufacture of new LATs to ensure the UK is at the forefront of this strategically important healthcare area.
HALo is a national facility and involves key partners from Queens University Belfast and the Universities of Manchester and Nottingham, alongside the Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, Alder Hey Children’s Foundation Trust and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
It will be primarily hosted within the University of Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT), the world’s first academic centre of excellence focussed on LATs.
Professor Steve Rannard, from the University of Liverpool’s Centre of Excellence for Long-acting Therapeutics (CELT) and Department of Chemistry will lead HALo, which brings academics, industry and clinicians together with other stakeholders including patient groups and policy makers.
Professor Rannard said: “Long-acting therapeutics have the potential to simplify the administration of medicines, improve clinical outcomes and reduce the costs of healthcare provision.
“They are widely predicted to revolutionise disease treatment and healthcare management.
“HALo provides a much-needed focal point for new LAT developments in the UK and by working with partners it will ensure the UK is on the path to global leadership in this exciting new field.
“The outcomes from HALo will have far-reaching benefits globally and also enable the CELT focus on low and middle-income country healthcare needs where LATs are expected to be transformational.”
LATs are set to revolutionise how we treat diseases and manage health conditions by replacing weeks or even months of pill taking with a single administered dose.
Already available in the fields of contraception, HIV therapy, and the management of mental health conditions, this new approach addresses the issue of missed daily drug doses which can cause a range of complications from a lack of efficacy to pathogen resistance.
LATs are a growing area of research globally, with pharmaceutical companies realising the benefits for clinical outcomes and patient well-being.
HALo will focus on understanding the physical science that underpins existing successful LAT medicines and use this knowledge to create new proof-of-concept LAT medicine candidates for diseases and conditions where no LAT option exists yet, such as high blood pressure and asthma.
The project aims to create a national strategy for translational LAT development to ensure a smooth pathway for future LAT candidates through to clinic as well as conducting the first UK-wide engagement with patients and the public to ensure meaningful and appropriate future research is driven by patient involvement with an understanding of needs and preferences.
HALo is one of five new healthcare hubs supported by a total investment of £54 million from the UKRI Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and an additional £64 million of cash and in-kind support.
The five new hubs aim to transform healthcare through the development and application of revolutionary new technologies.
EPSRC Executive Chair Professor Charlotte Deane said: “The five new hubs bring together a wealth of expertise from across academia, industry and charities to improve population health, transform disease prediction and diagnosis, and accelerate the development of new interventions.
“They represent an exciting range of adventurous techniques and approaches that have great potential to improving the lives of millions of people here in the UK and across the world.”
