Matthew D. Disney, PhD; Mark Henderson, PhD; Miratul Muqit, MBChB, PhD; Michael P. Rapé, PhD; and Timothy A. Ryan, PhD
Before the Deadline, Hear from Researchers Inside the SPARK NS Program
by Ariella Bersan,
SPARK NS Senior Manager of Communications and Marketing
Why do so many promising Parkinson’s and autism discoveries never become therapeutics? As the June 5th application deadline for the SPARK NS Translational Research Program, 2027 Cohortapproaches, principal investigators currently in the program share the realities of drug development and the value of support.
Michael Rapé, PhD: Targeting Mitochondria to Treat Parkinson's Disease
by Danielle Gerhard, PhD,
SPARK NS Scientific Writer and Editor
A surprising discovery about cellular stress responses led Michael Rapé, PhD, and his team to develop a small molecule that may help restore mitochondrial function in Parkinson’s disease.
Opher Kornfeld on Bridging the Gap Between Discovery and Therapeutics
Moving an idea from target identification to a therapeutic requires bridging the “Valley of Death”—the gap where many promising ideas lose momentum due to lack of funding, expertise, and development support.
In the ASF Weekly Science Report podcast, Opher Kornfeld, PhD, SPARK NS Managing Director, Translational Research and Development, explains how SPARK NS helps bridge that gap, supporting researchers to advance discoveries closer to patients and their families.
Shannon Atkinson joins SPARK NS as Director of Finance & Accounting, bringing extensive experience in nonprofit and research finance, complex grant and contract management, and building the systems that help organizations grow. Over time, she will also help lead our HR and people operations infrastructure, ensuring finance and HR work together to support a healthy and scalable organization.
Shannon's expertise will help strengthen SPARK NS as we continue to advance promising neuroscience discoveries toward the clinic.
Meet
Skanda Goudar
Director of Project Management
Skanda Goudar joins SPARK NS as Director of Project Management, bringing experience in project execution, portfolio coordination, and supporting teams as they move complex work forward. As our portfolio continues to grow, he will help strengthen coordination across projects and enhance support for scientists and project managers.
Skanda's expertise in project management and portfolio coordination will help support our mission of accelerating the development of new therapeutics for patients.
SPARK NS
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SPARK NS is an independent nonprofit organization dedicated to efficiently advancing promising academic discoveries in neuroscience from the lab to the clinic.
