Helmholtz Munich
Germany
History
The Network was founded in 2014 by a group of translational neuroscientists from industry and academia who wanted to create a platform where leaders in preclinical, drug discovery & translational research could review the emerging issues related to rigor and robustness to provide recommendations, thought leadership and practical solutions for moving the field forward. Network discussions resulted in several funded collaborative projects such as EQIPD: Enhancing Quality in Preclinical Data, GOT-IT and PEERS, as well as training programs in research rigor and reproducibility and incorporating sex as a biological variable into preclinical research. The group has also published more than 30 articles to date, and through the support of ECNP and Cohen Veterans Bioscience, launched the first award program for best publication of negative (or null) data in neuroscience.
Our network will expand on previous work that resulted in the EQIPD quality system and the publication of guidance how to address pitfalls in translation. We aim to be at the forefront of communication efforts about the value of animal research, to significantly contribute to the education of the current and next generations of preclinical researchers in research best practices, and to technological developments that improve animal welfare and animal-free methods.
Goals
1
Engage the committed community of preclinical scientists from academia and industry.
2
Maintain a community forum that enables the exchange, development and dissemination of best preclinical research practices.
3
Develop a training course on “Preclinical Research in Applied Neuroscience”.
4
Contribute to formalizing the science of translatability.
5
Contribute to the development and validation of animal-free methods in preclinical research.
6
Communicate the value of responsible animal research.
Core members
| Member name | Institution | City | Country |
| Roger Adan | University Medical Centre Utrecht | Utrecht | The Netherlands |
| Jesper Bastlund | Lundbeck A/S | Valby | Denmark |
| Anton Bespalov | PAASP | Heidelberg | Germany |
| Christina Dalla | University of Athens | Athens | Greece |
| Suzanne Dickson | University of Gothenburg | Gothenburg | Sweden |
| Chantelle Ferland-Beckham | Cohen Veterans Bioscience | Cambridge | USA |
| Lucianne Groenink | Utrecht University | Utrecht | The Netherlands |
| Harro Jaanus | University of Tartu | Tartu | Estonia |
| Sabine Hölter-Koch | University of Munich | Munich | Germany |
| Patricia Kabitzke | Broad Institute of MIT & Harvard | Cambridge | USA |
| Martien Kas | University of Groningen | Groningen | The Netherlands |
| Elena Koustova | National Institute on drug abuse | Bethesda | USA |
| Simone Macri | Istituto Superiore di Sanita' | Rome | Italy |
| Silvia Mandillo | Institute of biochemistry and cell biology - CNR | Rome | Italy |
| Piotr Popik | Polish Academy of Science | Krakow | Poland |
| Christopher Pryce | University of Zurich | Zurich | Switzerland |
| Janko Samardzic | University of Belgrade | Belgrade | Serbia |
| Ioannis Sotiropoulos | University of Minho | Braga | Portugal |
| Per Svenningsson | Karolinska Institutet | Stockholm | Sweden |
Affiliated members
| Member name | Institution | City | Country |
| Andre Der-Avakian | University of California San Diego | La Jolla | USA |
| Ulrich Dirnagl | Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin | Berlin | Germany |
| Mark Geyer | University of California San Diego | La Jolla | USA |
| Malcolm Macleod | University of Edinburgh | Edinburgh | United Kingdom |
| Jos Prickaerts | Maastricht University | Maastricht | The Netherlands |
| Phil Skolnick | Opiant Pharmaceuticals | Santa Monica | USA |
| Thomas Steckler | Janssen Pharmaceutica | Beerse | Belgium |
Publications
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2020Christoph H. Emmerich et al.
Improving target assessment in biomedical research: the GOT-IT recommendations
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery -
2018Prager et al.
Improving transparency and scientific rigor in academic publishing
Journal of neuroscience research -
2016Bespalov et al.
Failed clinical trials for central nervous system disorders do not necessarily invalidate preclinical models and drug targets.
Nature Reviews Drug Discovery