Status: Open for applications
Rare Disease Clinical Trials Programme
Our Rare Disease Clinical Trials Programme aims to progress innovations that could change the lives of people living with rare diseases, through the clinical development pathway.
About the programme
This programme is an exciting opportunity for researchers working on any rare disease to apply for up to £5 million in funding, alongside advice and support from our internal teams, to progress their innovations through clinical trials.
We are looking to fund clinical trials for rare diseases that will deliver high-quality efficacy and safety data, with a view to driving patient impact within the next 3–5 years.
Funding availability and process
We’re interested in hearing about innovative new clinical trial projects and will be reviewing proposals on a rolling basis.
If you have a project that aligns with the scope of the programme, we’d love to hear from you. You can share brief details with us using the form at the bottom of the page and if there is interest in exploring your proposal further, we will be in touch.
Overview
LifeArc aims to translate promising research into life-changing innovations for people living with rare diseases within 5 years. To help deliver this ambition, our Rare Disease Clinical Trials Programme exists to help progress potentially transformative rare disease innovations through clinical development.
The programme supports academic institutions and industry to deliver high-quality clinical data through early-stage clinical trials. These must focus on proof of efficacy, with consideration of the route to patient impact within 5 years. Interventions can include:
- therapeutics (including repurposed drugs) and advanced therapies (including gene and cell therapies); or
- medical technologies or devices; or
- diagnostics that demonstrate potential to improve decision-making and outcomes.
Eligibility
Applications are open to not-for-profit institutions (including academic institutes, healthcare organisations, public sector research establishments etc) and SMEs, either in the UK or abroad.
Scope
What is in scope?
We welcome any well-developed clinical-stage projects, particularly those that are ready to progress to the next stage of clinical development within the next 12 months. Those which align with one of our Translational Challenges (rare neurodegenerative, rare respiratory, childhood cancer), are especially encouraged.
Proposals should:
- address an unmet rare disease medical need;
- be underpinned with a strong scientific rationale;
- be well developed with a clear clinical trial plan;
- have consideration of the future route to patient impact within 5 years;
- have an established manufacturing process for GMP trial supplies (or equivalent for non-therapeutic interventions);
- include prior or planned patient and public involvement and engagement;
- include objectives to develop/validate biomarkers and enable targeted treatment;
- include a clear plan on the approach to access and recruitment of the rare disease population.
Proposals can include:
- co-funding with other partners;
- trials centred in the UK or abroad.
What is not in scope?
Proposals that focus solely on non-clinical development or manufacture will not be considered.
Proposals focused on running clinical studies and not clinical trials, such as clinical studies focused only on biomarker discovery / validation or projects focused on natural history studies or equivalent types of clinical studies, will not be considered.
Proposals that are not sufficiently developed for rapid progression to clinical development (e.g. do not have sufficient non-clinical evidence, manufacturing or clinical trial plans in place) will not be progressed.
Available funding
Applicants can request up to £5 million per proposal. Lead applicants can only submit one application as the lead.
Submitting an expression of interest
Applicants must engage with LifeArc before applying.
If you believe you have a project within scope and would like to learn more, please contact us below to arrange a follow-up meeting.
Contact us
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