Neurobasic2: pharma phenomics consortium commences activities
On March 2, the “Neurobasic2: pharma phenomics” consortium officially commenced its activities. All CNCR departments take part in the initiative, which is funded by the Dutch ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
The collaborative bundles the expertise and experimental power of 17 partners, working in fields that range from molecular biology to translational medicine. The consortium’s multidisciplinary approach seeks to translate pre-clinical animal studies into new treatment methods for diseases of the central nervous system.
The consortium builds on the accomplishments of its predecessor, “NeuroBSiK: mouse phenomics”. The former consortium developed new methods for medium- and high throughput assessment of disease-related phenotypes in animal models. These are utilized by “Neurobasic2” as it focuses on the next step towards patient treatment: drug discovery.
Pharmacological intervention studies on mouse models for disease will be conducted in order to identify potential pharmacons. The most promising of these will be taken into the consortium’s final phase, where pre-clinical studies are translated into human clinical trials.
The role of the CNCR in this process in fourfold: The MCN department assesses the effects of pharmacological compounds on synaptic protein interaction. The FGA department will elucidate these effects on neurotransmitter secretion, while the INF department investigates on the level of systems neuroscience, as it will explain effects on neuronal network activity.
Sylics, a CNCR spin-off company, will assess the behavioral effects of compounds, utilizing the “Phenotyper”, an automated homecage tracking environment for rodents. This system was developed and validated as part of the “NeuroBSiK: mouse phenomics” consortium. It offers a unique method of investigating rodent behavior without the necessity of repeated handling of the animal by the experimenter. Hence, less stress is inflicted on the animal during behavioral testing. This benefits the animal’s well-being while at the same time it reduces stress-induced variance in test results.
For more information, please visit www.neurobasic.nl.
Kevin Janssen
