
Today there is a growing need for translational research, putting valuable theories as obtained in the functional analysis of biological systems at molecular, cellular, and whole organism level to be connected to the clinical practice. It's the bridge from discovery to delivery. It has a clinical goal or target in mind, which isn't the case for basic research. Translational research involves a multidisciplinary approach. For drug discovery and development, investigations should focus on combining data at different levels: genotype/phenotype; concentration of drug and metabolites; molecular target occupancy; molecular target activation; physiological measures; pathological measures and clinical ratings. Thus, translational research needs to focus on the integration of activities from bench to bedside, including disease-based programs, access to animal models and proximity to relevant groups of patients, and the ease of communications among basic scientists and clinicians. Of all the therapeutic areas, neurological diseases provide the biggest challenges to translational research, both the acute and chronic ones. To that end, monitoring techniques such as NMR, PET, EEG, and microdialysis are of added value. Those techniques have enabled an enhancement of the collection efficiency and therewith the value of pharmacological data on obtained in vivo, and can be used at or easily combined with the above mentioned levels in translational research. Purpose: To further develop an understanding of the potential contributions of (the combination of) monitoring techniques in translational research related to neurological diseases, in order to increase efficiency of cross-fertilization of knowledge between basic research and clinical practice.
Elizabeth C. de Lange, Ph.D.
LACDR
Helene Benveniste
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Human Gene Therapy and Imaging in Neurological Diseases
Andreas Jacobs
Max Planck-Institute for Neurological Research
Translational Neurochemical Research in Acute Human Brain Injury: The Current Status and Potential Future for Cerebral Microdialysis
Lars Hillered
Uppsala University
About Migraine – From Mice to Men
Michel Ferrari
Leiden University Medical Centre
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