Opportunity profile: Rare disease needs input from outsiders

Action for A-T is a rare-disease charity in a rare situation: it has funding for research but few applicants. Sean Kelly, the charity’s chief executive, tells Ashleigh Furlong why ataxia telangiectasia is a condition more researchers should work on.

Sean’s top tips

• Consider applying even if you have not worked specifically in A-T research before.
• Check your facts and figures, ensuring that everything is backed up by previous research.
• Try to focus on one issue that you want to tackle rather than approaching many at once.
• Do not be put off if you are an early-career researcher.

Action for A-T is a charity that funds research into ataxia telangiectasia, a rare genetic degenerative disease that affects the entire body. In A-T, a gene called ATM is mutated, causing problems for the nervous, immune and reproductive systems.