Skip to main content
Go to the home page of the European Commission (opens in new window)
English en
CORDIS - EU research results
CORDIS

Transcending limitations of translational research on Multiple Sclerosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder - Spectral, brain-related disorder, patient outcomes, cognition, effect, symptoms

Project description

Translational research on chronic neurological disorders

Autism spectrum disorder and multiple sclerosis are characterised by complex symptoms with unclear underlying mechanisms. Despite a shift in healthcare towards interconnected views of health, biomedical research often uses reductionist approaches, failing to address patient-relevant outcomes and complexities adequately. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the TRANSCEND project aims to enhance translational research in complex and chronic neurological conditions. By adopting a networked approach, it seeks to improve the understanding of research from bench to bedside. This is vital as traditional reductionist methods have been largely exhausted. The project also aims to provide interdisciplinary training, focusing on improving the applicability of animal models, prioritising patient outcomes, reevaluating disease categories, and rethinking theragnostic strategies.

Objective

TRANSCEND brings together expertise in biomedical, computational, behavioural, clinical, epidemiological and philosophical
research to advance translational research in medicine. TRANSCEND aims to add to the chronological and epistemic order of research from bench to bedside to practice with a more networked-based understanding of translation. This is particularly important in translational research on complex and chronic neurological conditions where the few low-hanging fruits of reductionist approaches seem to have been picked.
TRANSCEND involves nine interlinked laboratories from clinical, biomedical, metamethodological, and philosophical sub-projects, which focus on autism spectrum disorder and multiple sclerosis. These conditions are characterised by an interconnected set of physical, cognitive and psychological symptoms, and unknown underlying disease mechanisms. While healthcare has been moving away from a purely single-cause view of medicine towards interconnected concepts of positive health, such a more complicated and nuanced notion of health and dis/ability is unintegrated within biomedical research. Most research designs are not well-suited to consider patient-relevant outcomes, the biological and social complexity of these conditions, and their implications in real-world healthcare settings, because their epistemology is oriented towards purification and reduction concerning research questions, disease models, and experiments.
TRANSCEND proposes an integrative approach to translational research that embraces instead of reduces the complexity and diversity of the biological, clinical and social manifestations of the diagnoses. It will provide an innovative, interdisciplinary training along four research objectives to overcome key limitations of translational research on complex, chronic conditions: (1) making animal models more translational; (2) focusing on patient outcomes and scoping “disease” categories; (3) rethinking theragnostic strategies.

Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)

Programme(s)

Topic(s)

Funding Scheme

HORIZON-TMA-MSCA-DN - HORIZON TMA MSCA Doctoral Networks

See all projects funded under this funding scheme

Call for proposal

(opens in new window) HORIZON-MSCA-2024-DN-01

See all projects funded under this call

Coordinator

AARHUS UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 671 780,16
Address
NORDRE RINGGADE 1
8000 Aarhus C
Denmark
Region
Danmark Midtjylland Østjylland
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Links
Total cost
No data

Participants (10)

Partners (11)