NeuroCure
| NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence | |
|---|---|
| founding | November 2007 |
| place | Berlin |
| Homepage | www.neurocure.de |
| speaker | Dietmar Schmitz |
| Area of Expertise | Neuroscience |
| Institutions involved | Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin Humboldt University of Berlin Free University of Berlin Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology German Rheumatism Research Center |
NeuroCure - New Perspectives in the Therapy of Neurological Diseases - is an interdisciplinary consortium founded in October 2007.
As part of the Excellence Initiative, it was set up as a federal and state-funded neuroscientific cluster of excellence at the Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin in order to give patients access to new therapy and diagnostic options as quickly as possible. In the NCRC, findings from basic research are transferred directly to the clinic, i. H. made available to the patient. This translation (translation) is made possible by clinical studies.
With a total funding volume of more than 80 million euros up to 2017, the research of neurological and psychiatric disease mechanisms is the focus of the consortium.
aims
With the aim of transferring findings from basic neuroscientific research even more strongly than before into clinical studies and developing new therapeutic and diagnostic approaches, NeuroCure is particularly active in the areas of cerebrovascular diseases, neuroinflammation, neurodegeneration and disruption of functional network structures with diseases such as e.g. . B. stroke , multiple sclerosis , Alzheimer's dementia , epilepsy and developmental disorders. The focus is not only on the disease mechanisms on which the individual diseases are based, but in particular on the overarching research approach and the research concept. These are processed in seven thematic research areas of NeuroCure. In addition, the cluster of excellence is building various clinical and technological infrastructures that hold central know-how and can be used jointly by all scientists.
With currently almost 50 members, NeuroCure implements its scientific objectives at the highest level. An attractive research environment with international visibility and fast and high-level appointment procedures further expand the capabilities and interdisciplinary competencies of the Cluster of Excellence. NeuroCure thus makes a decisive contribution to a better understanding and therapy of neurological and mental illnesses as well as to strengthening the neuroscientific location of Berlin.
activities
Expansion of the neuroscientific location in Berlin
With the partner organizations Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin as well as the non-university research institutions Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC), Leibniz Institute for Molecular Pharmacology (FMP) and German Rheumatism Research Center Berlin (DRFZ), the is well established The neuroscientific location of Berlin was further expanded both through stronger networking of ongoing research activities and through the establishment of over 20 new professorships and junior research groups.
Expansion of the research infrastructure
The targeted expansion of the research infrastructure created an attractive environment for top research. With the establishment of an animal experimental facility for long-term observation and behavioral analysis, NeuroCure is expanding the results obtained in experimental and preclinical studies in an Animal Outcome Unit. The classic research processes are supplemented in a centrally kept unit by behavioral observations on animals in their natural environment.
The NeuroCure Clinical Research Center (NCRC) was founded to give patients the fastest possible access to new therapies and diagnostic options. The NCRC supports researchers in conducting clinical studies on neurological and neuropsychiatric diseases and was ISO 9001 certified in July 2014. The NCRC focuses in particular on the indications stroke, Alzheimer's dementia, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. But also less common diseases such as myasthenia gravis, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) and Duchenne muscular dystrophy are being researched.
With the Berlin Center for Advanced Neuroimaging (BCAN), NeuroCure, together with other partners from Charité and Humboldt University, is building a clinically oriented imaging facility for research into molecular, cellular, structural and functional brain pathology. New MRT sequences and methods are being developed and tested on various 3T MRT machines to better understand brain functions, and MRT techniques can also be used for therapy monitoring.
Other central facilities of the cluster are the Small Animal Imaging Center (SAIC), the experimental 7-Tesla MRI facility, the Viral Core Facility (VCF) and the Microscopy Core Facility.
Promotion of young talent
A particular focus of the Cluster of Excellence is on supporting young academics and on measures to promote equality. NeuroCure is committed to increasing the proportion of female neuroscientists in higher academic positions on a sustainable basis with special funding measures early on in their career. NeuroCure specifically supports the scientists in balancing work and family. In addition, NeuroCure is involved in various structured doctoral training programs at Berlin universities, both in terms of content and through the funding of PhD and Master's scholarships in the medical neuroscience course.
equality
NeuroCure promotes professional equality between women and men and participates in the opportunities for improved family care set up by the Charité. The principles of equal opportunities are taken into account when selecting young academics, filling vacancies, supervising and teaching. NeuroCure enables, within the real and legal possibilities, the compatibility of family and work with separate financial means. When filling the professorships, particular emphasis was placed on a balanced ratio of women and men. In addition, post-doctoral scholarships for young female researchers and places on the Charité mentoring program were awarded, which are equipped with additional funds for childcare. The proportion of women among NeuroCure members (Principal Investigators) is 27%.
Promoting innovation
By funding highly innovative projects, clinical studies and tandem projects between experimental and clinical researchers, NeuroCure is able to react flexibly and quickly to new trends in neuroscience. The allocation of funds is carried out efficiently and transparently on the basis of internal allocation procedures that have been developed according to high quality standards.
research
The NeuroCure Cluster of Excellence combines basic research with clinical practice. However, the main focus of the organizational structure is not the individual illnesses, but the illness mechanisms that are often the basis of the illness. The focus is therefore on the research approach and the research concept. The research is thematically divided into seven research areas, in which a basic scientist and a clinician are always responsible for implementing the research goals of NeuroCure.
The interdisciplinary approach is represented by seven main research areas:
Damage Mechanisms
Protecting brain cells from this is one of the main challenges in acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases. NeuroCure scientists have already described and characterized a number of cell death mechanisms in neuronal, glial and vascular cells for the first time, discovering new therapeutic principles, some of which are currently being tested in clinical trials. Based on these preliminary findings, the research groups will jointly look for further damage mechanisms and thus new therapeutic approaches. The focus here is initially on aberrant cell cycle activity, epigenetic mechanisms, the ubiquitin-proteasome system and protein misfolding, protein-protein interaction networks, but also clinical phase II studies in subarachnoid hemorrhage.
Endogenous CNS protection
Understanding the brain's own protective mechanisms and using the underlying signal cascades therapeutically is the common goal of the NeuroCure researchers in order to develop innovative forms of treatment for stroke, multiple sclerosis and epilepsy. The strategies are aimed, among other things, at the protective effects of HIF-1 and erythropoietin, the preconditioning by means of the upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, the protective effects of multi-drug transporters in the event of disorders of the blood-brain barrier function, and epigenetic modulation. These innovative therapeutic approaches to the use of endogenous repair mechanisms may in the near future also be of clinical benefit for stroke patients as well as patients with other brain diseases.
regeneration
The central nervous system (CNS) is barely able to regenerate itself after damage. NeuroCure scientists have therefore set themselves the long-term goal of restoring neurological functions through structural reconstitution of the brain after damage or illness. Functional or lost nerve cells and myelin sheaths should be replaced, nerve fiber regeneration stimulated and plasticity promoted. To this end, the research groups use the therapeutic potential of adult stem cells of the bone marrow and CNS as well as stem cell-based methods of gene therapy. In addition, they work on stimulating the outgrowth of axons and the formation of new synaptic contacts of non-degenerated fibers after damage. The hope is to better promote the healing of the brain through a better understanding and exploitation of the complex interactions between the nervous system, immune system and hemangiopoietic system after damage or illness.
Interactions between the nervous and immune systems
More recent findings show that immunological processes not only play an important role in classic inflammatory diseases of the CNS such as multiple sclerosis, but also in primarily non-inflammatory pathologies such as stroke and epilepsy. In all of these diseases, immune cells interact with cells of the CNS. Although the triggering processes differ significantly, common underlying mechanisms can be assumed. These processes are to be investigated using molecular and cell biological methods in combination with modern brain imaging. In-vitro and in-vivo approaches are used in conjunction with various animal models for acute and chronic diseases of the CNS. The aim of the research groups is to analyze the influence of inflammatory and regulatory immune cells on cells of the CNS, taking into account direct cell-cell interactions as well as soluble factors. In addition, it should be clarified which capabilities the CNS has under pathological conditions to modulate an immune response on site. The focus of the researchers is the development of new, innovative therapeutic approaches that help fight CNS diseases by influencing the immune system.
Developmental disorders in the nervous system
The past two decades have seen a new understanding of the processes that control the development of the nervous system. In particular, genes, genetic codes and molecular mechanisms have been described that are important for pattern formation, differentiation and maturation of the nervous system. The rapid advances in the discovery of these mechanisms by molecular and cellular neurobiology now open up the possibility of placing this knowledge in the clinical context of neonatology, pediatric neurology and neuroendocrinology. This makes it possible on the one hand to use precise diagnostic strategies and to carry out specific genetic counseling, but on the other hand to develop new therapeutic perspectives.
Molecular neuropathology of ion channels and transporters
Ion channels and ion transporters are found on every cell in the nervous system. Numerous diseases are based on a hereditary defect in these channels. Such defects hinder the normal workflow of the proteins and disrupt both cellular processes and the rapid transmission of signals between the nerve cells. NeuroCure scientists use the latest genetics, cytochemistry, biophysics and imaging technologies to study the role of these ion channels and transporters in healthy and diseased brains. The particular strength of NeuroCure lies in the analysis of ion channels and their functionality in the entire organism. These in vivo studies are complemented by research into the biophysical and biochemical mechanisms of the channel receptor complexes and their composition. High throughput screening methods available to the cluster are used to find new pharmacological substances that act on ion channels. Finally, extensive patient studies enable access to patients with ion channel diseases as well as synergies between molecular and cellular biology and neuropathology. These enable fundamental insights into the pathophysiology and the development of new treatment concepts.
plasticity
Synapses experience both temporary and permanent changes in their transmission strength. This plasticity contributes significantly to the formation of well-functioning neural circuits and is essential for learning and memory formation. Synaptic plasticity changes the properties of neural networks by modifying the input-output functions and internal information processing. Plasticity also often plays an important role in diseases of the nervous system. Damage events or genetic mutations can often disturb the balance between arousal and inhibition, leading to severe symptoms such as epilepsy, neuropsychiatric disorders and intellectual disabilities. The analysis of synaptic plasticity as well as the function or dysfunction in synaptic interconnections is one of the core competencies of NeuroCure.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ List of ongoing Clusters of Excellence
- ↑ NeuroCure at mdc-berlin.de, accessed on November 16, 2015.
- ↑ a b New perspectives in the therapy of neurological diseases at excellentenz.hu-berlin.de, accessed on November 16, 2015.
- ↑ The Clinical Research Center of NeuroCure ( Memento of the original from August 19, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at neurocure.de, accessed on November 16, 2015.
- ↑ junior promotions at neurocure.de, accessed November 16, 2015.
- ↑ equality in neurocure.de, accessed November 16, 2015.
- ↑ Intramural funding ( memento of the original from November 29, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. at neurocure.de, accessed on November 16, 2015.
- ↑ a b c d e f g h research
