What Makes SPARK NS Different

David K. Simon, MD, PhD - Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School & Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

According to Dr. Simon, unlike many funding organizations, SPARK NS does not ask researchers to have every detail figured out from the start. Instead, the SPARK NS helps teams refine their strategy, budget, and development plan toward clinical readiness. The emphasis is on advancing the best therapeutic ideas, not just funding experiments.

Michael P. Rapé, PhD - Professor of Molecular Therapeutics and Investigator, HHMI, University of California, Berkeley

For Dr. Rapé, the strength of the SPARK NS program lies in community. Investigators, advisors, students, and postdocs come together around the shared goal of advancing treatments to patients who need them.The infrastructure of the program has enabled his lab to transition molecules into animal models more quickly and effectively than would have been possible in an academic environment.

Alice S. Chen-Plotkin, MD - Parker Family Professor of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Chen-Plotkin describes the SPARK NS advisor model as both surprising and invaluable. Instead of reviewing work only to point out weaknesses, as can be the case in academia, advisors help researchers make key strategic decisions such as narrowing therapeutic paths or protecting intellectual property. She compares the SPARK NS experience to working with a long-term collaborator you already trust—except that the trust and support are present from day one.

Miratul Muqit, MBChB, PhD - Professor of Experimental Neurology, University of Dundee

Dr. Muqit appreciates how SPARK NS goes beyond funding by providing training and hands-on guidance from advisors with decades of drug development experience. Even with strong academic and industry connections, he had never received formal training in therapeutic development. Through SPARK NS, that expertise is shared directly in a practical, accessible way.

Mark Henderson, PhD - Group Leader, Biology, NCATS / NIH

Dr. Henderson is energized by the unique pace of SPARK NS and its method of bringing together experts in different areas of drug development to work alongside investigators to drive his progress more quickly. The energy, collaboration, and shared determination to move the science forward make for a dynamic and supportive environment.

Matthew D. Disney, PhD - Institute Professor and Chair, The Herbert Wertheim UF Scripps Institute for Biomedical Innovation & Technology, University of Florida

As a principal investigator, for Dr. Disney having a voice in strategic decisions is essential when translating work from an academic lab to drug development. In his view, SPARK NS advisors help teams clearly define the path toward developing a medicine and encourage researchers not to avoid challenges, but to identify and solve them directly.

Timothy A. Ryan, PhD - Professor of Biochemistry, Weill Cornell Medicine

Dr. Ryan values working with SPARK NS experienced advisors, a dedicated project manager, and clinical neurologists who help him move forward more efficiently and with greater clarity. These collaborations give him confidence in the direction of his team’s work and their chances of success!

Translational research doesn’t happen in isolation. It requires expertise, coordination, and collaboration across different skill sets, from basic science to regulatory strategy and clinical insight. SPARK NS exists to make this possible. Together with principal investigators and industry expert advisors, SPARK NS is working to bring treatments for autism and Parkinson’s disease closer to the patients who need them.

The next Call for Proposals for the SPARK NS Translational Research Program will open in the first quarter of 2026. Eligible applicants include biomedical researchers at academic or nonprofit institutions in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Europe who are advancing promising discoveries in Parkinson’s disease or autism.

Sign up to stay updated on calls for proposals, our program, short courses, and other opportunities to get involved with SPARK NS.