A history of innovation and excellence in academic and commercial contexts
Atuka’s lead scientists have been responsible for several important breakthroughs that have helped shape the direction of Parkinson’s disease research, while establishing the company’s reputation for industry-leading preclinical services.
ATUKA TIMELINE AND RESEARCH MILESTONES
1985
Future Atuka founder Jon Brotchie enters the University of Manchester to study medicine. There he becomes fascinated by the basal ganglia and develops a talent for research under the wing of renowned scientist and professor Alan Crossman.
1987-1990
While working toward his PhD, Brotchie refines new rodent and non-human primate (NHP) models to make them fit-for-purpose as therapeutic development platforms. He also validates the targeting of specific glutamate receptors as symptomatic approaches to Parkinson’s disease. This is the first of many targets Atuka’s scientists will validate.
1991
Brotchie is appointed a professor in the anatomy department at the University of Manchester. He continues to build an academic research program with a focus on novel therapeutics for Parkinson’s disease.
1992
Michael Hill joins the Brotchie academic lab. Hill’s PhD work on kappa opioid receptors will lead to the first demonstration of a systemically administered, non-dopaminergic drug being able to alleviate symptoms in an NHP model of PD.
1999
With his scientific mentor Alan Crossman, Brotchie co-founds Motac Ltd, with Hill as its first employee. In the company’s initial iteration, Motac is a CRO-drug discovery hybrid leveraging the commercial value of the NHP therapeutic platform as employed in the Brotchie Lab.
1991–2002
Working with Susan Fox— a key collaborator, former Brotchie PhD student, and future head of neurology at the University of Toronto—Brotchie and Fox build a research program that refines and optimizes the translation of efficacy data from NHP models of PD to Phase II proof-of-concept clinical studies. More than 35 potential therapeutics are evaluated in NHP; 10 are advanced to clinical studies. This focus on translatability across the pre-clinical/clinical divide remains central to this day in how Atuka designs its projects.
2002
Brotchie leaves Manchester and Motac and relocates to Toronto. There he joins the world centre of excellence in neurological and Parkinson’s disease research at University Health Network (UHN) to develop a new academic research program, again with a focus on discovering novel targets and therapies for Parkinson’s disease. This initiative is catalyzed by the significant philanthropic support of the Krembil Family.
2003
Brotchie founds Atuka Ltd, with David Sefton providing strategic commercial advice in establishing this new venture. Tom Johnston joins the Brotchie academic group at UHN and over time becomes increasingly involved in Atuka. Over more than 20 years, Johnston has established himself as an expert in employing NHP models to develop symptomatic therapies for PD. At Atuka he leads many projects where he demonstrates strong motor efficacy, particularly against dyskinesia. Several client projects progress to clinical development, such as NLX-112, Pridopidine.
2004
Led by Johnston, Atuka establishes its first NHP research facility in Beijing, China. Atuka’s first fee-generating NHP study successfully completed and the client program enters clinical development on the basis of Atuka data.
2007
James Koprich, a Harvard alumnus with expertise in alpha-synuclein pathophysiology, joins Atuka. Koprich has played a pivotal role in developing a novel model that utilizes gene delivery to induce synucleinopathy in rodents, a significant advancement in Parkinson’s disease research. This model, one of the first of its kind, has proved crucial in the evaluation of potential disease-modifying drugs for Parkinson’s disease.
2008
Atuka extends Koprich’s model to non-human primates. Atuka becomes the first CRO to offer a model of Parkinson’s disease with synucleinopathy.
2011
Atuka Ltd. is restructured as Atuka Inc., with Brotchie, Hill, and Sefton as co-founders, better positioning the organization to offer a broader range of models of Parkinson’s disease. The new company expands its laboratory and office space in Toronto, embedded within the world-renowned neuroscience centre of excellence at UHN.
2012
In collaboration with the Michael J. Fox Foundation and the Weston Family Foundation, Atuka further extended the model developed by Koprich to NHPs, offering a preclinical model that resembles human pathology as closely as is currently possible.
2013
Atuka collaborates with Jay Schneider at Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson University to expand its models to include non-human primates with cognitive impairment.
2013
Patrick Howson joins Atuka, bringing to the team his deep understanding of the drug development process, and what it takes to optimize target engagement in therapeutic programs, based on his decades of experience in the pharmacare industry.
2017
Atuka expands its services into gene therapy.
2023
Atuka moves into a new disease area, partnering with the US Department of Defence to develop NHP models of dystonia.
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