SPARK NS Selects Nine Projects to Receive Up to $18 Million in Funding for Autism and Parkinson's Research

The nonprofit organization's translational research program now includes 22 projects eligible for up to $44 million in total funding.

Published on Feb. 25, 2026

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SPARK NS, a nonprofit translational research organization, has announced the selection of nine new projects focused on developing therapeutics for autism and Parkinson's disease. The projects, based at academic and nonprofit institutions in the US, UK, and Europe, will each receive up to $2 million in milestone-based funding over the next two years as part of the SPARK NS Translational Research Program. This brings the total number of projects in the program to 22, collectively eligible for up to $44 million in funding and support.

Why it matters

The SPARK NS program aims to help academic researchers overcome the many obstacles in translating promising discoveries from the lab to the clinic, where they can directly benefit patients. By providing funding, industry expertise, education, and a collaborative community, the program has achieved an exceptional 50% success rate in guiding projects through the drug development process.

The details

The nine new projects selected for the 2026 Cohort of the SPARK NS Translational Research Program cover a range of therapeutic approaches, including targeting neuroinflammation, modulating lipid metabolism, and enhancing the autophagic-lysosomal pathway for Parkinson's disease, as well as developing RNA-targeted small molecule therapies and gene therapies for autism. Each project is led by a principal investigator from a prominent academic or research institution.

  • SPARK NS will release a Call for Proposals for the 2027 Cohort of the program in March 2026.
  • The 2027 Cohort will launch in January 2027.

The players

SPARK NS

An independent nonprofit translational research organization founded in 2023 to advance promising academic discoveries in neuroscience from the lab to the clinic.

Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD

A SPARK NS Board Director and Chief Science and Education Advisor who has firsthand experience with the challenges of academic drug development.

Veerle Baekelandt, PhD

Professor and Head of the Laboratory for Neurobiology and Gene Therapy at KU Leuven, leading a project on targeting neuroinflammation for Parkinson's disease.

Tobias M. Boeckers, MD

Professor and Head of the Institute of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Ulm University, leading a project on a therapeutic for Shank3-related autism (PMS).

Joseph D. Buxbaum, PhD

Professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, leading a project on RNA-targeted small molecule therapeutics for autism.

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What they’re saying

“As an academic with a potential therapeutic I learned years ago that drug development is difficult, takes a long time, and is very expensive. I also realized that most academic researchers lack the expertise and know-how to overcome the many obstacles on the path to commercialization of even the most promising discoveries. At SPARK NS, we provide funding. We also bring a high level of support and accountability to the process that most academic researchers have never experienced. The combination improves the odds that promising therapeutics will make it to market where they can directly benefit patients.”

— Daria Mochly-Rosen, PhD, SPARK NS Board Director and Chief Science and Education Advisor (SPARK NS)

What’s next

SPARK NS will release a Call for Proposals for the 2027 Cohort of the program in March 2026, and the cohort will launch in January 2027.

The takeaway

The SPARK NS Translational Research Program is helping to bridge the gap between promising academic discoveries and the development of new therapies that can benefit patients with autism and Parkinson's disease, demonstrating the value of providing comprehensive support and funding to academic researchers to overcome the challenges of drug development.