Pten Research Foundation

Charity Number: 1173589

Annual Expenditure: £24.6M

Stay updated on changes from Pten Research Foundation and other funders

Get daily notifications about new funding opportunities, deadline changes, and programme updates from UK funders.

Free Email Updates

Quick Stats

  • Annual Giving: Approximately £24.6 million committed to date
  • Success Rate: Not publicly available
  • Decision Time: Varies by application; timelines provided upon submission
  • Grant Range: £10,000 - £270,000 (Innovation Awards capped at £270,000; clinical research may exceed this)
  • Geographic Focus: International - eligible applicants worldwide

Contact Details

  • Website: www.ptenresearch.org
  • Email: research@ptenresearch.org (for research funding enquiries)
  • General Email: CONTACT@PTENRESEARCH.ORG
  • Phone: 020 7493 1432
  • Pre-application Support: Applicants exceeding maximum funding amounts are strongly encouraged to contact the Foundation before submission

Overview

Established in 2017, PTEN Research Foundation is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1173589) dedicated to funding research globally to develop targeted treatments for PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (PHTS). The Foundation has committed approximately £24.6 million to research projects to date. Their mission is to have transformative therapies available as treatment options for people with PHTS within 10 years. The Foundation's strategy centres on repurposing existing drugs targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway, with particular focus on non-malignant manifestations of PHTS associated with high unmet medical need, namely neurodevelopmental delay and vascular anomalies. In May 2024, the Foundation strengthened its Scientific Advisory Board with the appointment of Prof Sir Mene Pangalos (former Executive Vice President of R&D at AstraZeneca) and Dr Donald Ogilvie (independent scientific consultant in cancer drug discovery).

Funding Priorities

Grant Programs

Innovation Awards: £10,000 - £270,000 (rolling basis)

  • For preclinical/translational medicine research projects
  • Maximum £270,000 cap applies to new applications received from June 2, 2025 onwards
  • Project lengths typically 2-3 years
  • Applications accepted on an ongoing rolling basis via email to research@ptenresearch.org

Clinical Research Projects: No funding cap

  • Interventional clinical studies
  • Patient registries and natural history studies
  • Clinical endpoint development
  • Epidemiological studies

Targeted Calls: Variable amounts

  • Periodically issued to address specific research questions
  • Funding amounts specified within each call

Priority Areas

The Foundation takes a risk-balanced approach to prioritising funding with emphasis on:

  • Clinically focused projects or preclinical projects with translational potential
  • Multicentre and consortium applications combining analysis of banked biosamples and/or clinical data
  • Drug repurposing studies targeting the PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway
  • Non-malignant PHTS manifestations: neurodevelopmental delay and vascular anomalies
  • Cancer management and prevention in PHTS
  • Novel target validation for therapeutic development
  • Pre-clinical PHTS models development
  • Clinical datasets and outcome measures creation

The Foundation will also consider exceptional basic research projects including those with a focus on target identification.

What They Don't Fund

While not explicitly stated, the Foundation focuses exclusively on PHTS/PTEN research. Funded costs include staffing, consumables, equipment, travel, and publication costs.

Helpful Hinchilla

Ready to write a winning application for Pten Research Foundation?

Our AI helps you craft proposals that match their exact priorities. Save 10+ hours and increase your success rate.

Get Free Beta Access

Governance and Leadership

Board of Trustees

The trustees oversee how the charity is managed and run and have the final say on research projects funded. They bring diverse business backgrounds including pharmaceutical development, law, technology, and communications:

  • Riccardo Zacconi - Founder of PTEN Research and Chair of Trustees
  • Dr. Robert Williams - Translational Science Specialist
  • Dr. Renata Crome - Pharmaceutical Development Specialist
  • Siriana Baldini - Legal Advisor
  • Susannah Clark - Communications Specialist

Executive Leadership

  • Thomas Pepper - Chief Executive and Director of Clinical Development

Scientific Advisory Board (selected members)

  • Prof Sir Mene Pangalos - Former Executive Vice President of R&D at AstraZeneca (appointed May 2024)
  • Dr Donald Ogilvie - Independent scientific consultant in cancer drug discovery (appointed May 2024)

Thomas Pepper stated the Foundation was “honored that two such senior leaders with drug development experience agreed to join the Scientific Advisory Board.”

Application Process and Timeline

How to Apply

Two-Step Review Process:

  • Serves as concise summary including hypothesis, objectives, methodology, timelines, and budget
  • Submissions accepted on an ongoing rolling basis
  • More detailed documentation required
  • Subject to Terms and Conditions of Applications

Important Notes:

  • If proposing to exceed maximum funding amount, strongly recommended to contact the Foundation before submission
  • Applicants should provide a comprehensive project plan justifying the requested funding amount and project duration

Decision Timeline

  • Acknowledgment: Within one week of receipt
  • Review Timeline: Timelines associated with application review provided upon submission
  • Process: Full Applications undergo scientific, budgetary, and programmatic assessment by Foundation's scientific research team, followed by external peer review by minimum of three independent experts
  • Final Assessment: Applications assessed by Scientific Advisory Board; final funding decision made by trustees
  • Feedback: Applicants provided with feedback on their application and opportunity to respond to questions raised by reviewers

Success Rates

Success rates and application statistics are not publicly available.

Reapplication Policy

Specific reapplication policy for unsuccessful applicants is not publicly detailed. Applicants should contact research@ptenresearch.org for guidance on resubmission.

Application Success Factors

Critical Eligibility Requirements

  • Principal Investigators must hold MD and/or PhD
  • Must have established research programme in recognised academic or clinical research institution
  • No geographic restrictions - worldwide eligibility

Enhance Your Application

For applicants without previous PHTS/PTEN expertise: The inclusion of collaborators or advisors with complementary expertise in these areas is strongly encouraged.

Multicentre and consortium applications: Particularly welcomed, especially those combining analysis of banked biosamples and/or clinical data.

Translational focus: Emphasis on clinically focused projects or preclinical projects with translational potential significantly strengthens applications.

Examples of Funded Projects

Recent funded research includes:

  • University of Melbourne, Australia: “Exploring a Two-Hit Genetic Model in PHTS-related Vascular Anomalies” (clinical-translational research)
  • Radboud University, Netherlands: “Assessing the outcomes of cancer in PHTS” (clinical natural history study)
  • Boston Children's Hospital, USA: “PHTS induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) generation” and testing of Flt3 kinase inhibitors for neurological manifestations
  • Charles River Laboratories, UK: “Repurposing of PI3K pathway modulators for PHTS” (pre-clinical translational research)
  • Cleveland Clinic, USA: Managing PHTS registry and biorepository
  • Renown Health Foundation, USA: Novel target validation using pre-clinical models
  • Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, USA: Non-canonical PTEN functions and neuronal activity
  • University of British Columbia, Canada: PHTS-associated missense variants and disease mechanisms

Strategic Terminology

The Foundation uses specific language that applicants should mirror:

  • “Translational potential”
  • “Clinically focused”
  • “Drug repurposing”
  • “PI3K/AKT/mTOR signalling pathway”
  • “Non-malignant manifestations”
  • “Unmet medical need”

Key Takeaways for Grant Writers

  • Translational focus is paramount: Emphasize clinical applicability and translational potential of your research; the Foundation prioritizes projects that can lead to treatments within their 10-year therapeutic timeline
  • Collaboration strengthens applications: If you lack PHTS/PTEN expertise, include collaborators or advisors with relevant experience; multicentre and consortium applications combining biosamples/clinical data are particularly welcomed
  • Align with strategic priorities: Focus on drug repurposing (especially PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway), neurodevelopmental delay, or vascular anomalies for strongest alignment
  • No geographic barriers but high scientific standards: While worldwide eligibility exists, rigorous peer review by minimum three independent experts plus Scientific Advisory Board assessment means scientific excellence is essential
  • Budget flexibility for clinical research: While Innovation Awards are capped at £270,000, clinical research projects have no funding cap - contact the Foundation early if you anticipate exceeding limits
  • Rolling submissions with feedback opportunity: Take advantage of ongoing submissions and feedback loops; applicants receive feedback and can respond to reviewer questions
  • Pre-submission contact encouraged: For projects exceeding funding caps or unique proposals, early contact with research@ptenresearch.org is strongly recommended

🎯 You've done the research. Now write an application they can't refuse.

Hinchilla combines funder's specific priorities with your organisation's past successful grants and AI analysis of what reviewers want to see.

✓

Data privacy and security by default

✓

Your organisation's past successful grants and experience

✓

AI analysis of what reviewers want to see

✓

A compelling draft application in 10 minutes instead of 10 hours

Get Beta Access NowLearn More

References