Descripción del proyecto
Información sobre el mecanismo de los trastornos mentales
Las pruebas acumuladas indican que trastornos mentales como el autismo y la esquizofrenia se caracterizan por una conectividad disfuncional en el encéfalo. El objetivo del proyecto Syn2Psy, financiado con fondos europeos, es formar a investigadores noveles para que aborden cuestiones fundamentales relacionadas con los trastornos neuropsiquiátricos. La meta es investigar los defectos sinápticos y elaborar estrategias concretas para circuitos neuronales específicos como medio para modular el curso de la enfermedad. Los investigadores desarrollarán nuevos modelos de enfermedad para estudiar las vías que regulan el desarrollo y la plasticidad de las sinapsis junto con posibles intervenciones terapéuticas. Los socios industriales del proyecto ofrecerán su experiencia en el desarrollo de fármacos y tecnologías.
Objetivo
The large public health burden and individual suffering associated with mental disorders speaks to the need to study their biological underpinning. Genetic research, animal models of disease and human neuroimaging studies have provided convergent evidence to common pathways implicated in their aetiology, namely pathways that regulate synapse development and plasticity, which result in abnormal structural and functional connectivity in the brain of neuropsychiatric patients. The time has come to integrate studies across different levels, leading to the identification of signatures of illness associated to specific risk pathways, which can drive the development of novel therapies.
The objective of Syn2Psy is to provide high-level Ph.D. training for 14 early stage researchers (ESRs) to answer three critical questions: 1) What are the synaptic defects at the basis of neuropsychiatric disorders? 2) Which are the neuronal circuits that are disrupted, and may be targets for therapies? 3) How and when can we modulate the course of disease? Syn2Psy combines strong scientific with complementary know-how from the non-academic sector, and network-wide actions on scientific and complementary soft skills, to train a new generation of high achieving ESRs and provide them with the transferable skills necessary for thriving careers in a flourishing area. Industrial partners Lundbeck, Eurotrials and ZEISS provide experience on drug, clinical trials and technology development, the Coimbra University Hospital will expose the students to clinical research, while the clinic for child development PIN and the Marionet theatre company offer training in societal awareness and outreach. The excellent basic scientific knowledge and diverse skills acquired by ESRs will enhance their employment prospects in both the academic and non-academic sectors, and their scientific contributions will inform novel therapeutic approaches for alleviating this leading cause of disability worldwide.
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MSCA-ITN - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Innovative Training Networks (ITN)Coordinador
3004 517 Coimbra
Portugal