Maastricht University Research Master Drug Development and Neurohealth

04/11/2019

Hello everyone
I am forwarding a LinkedIn post from Elli Kaplan, CEO of Neurotrack, a company with an interesting biomarker approach for measuring cognitive health.
Enjoy the read!
Cheers
Rudy Schreiber
Coordinator DN & NeuroHealth

On Seahorses and Memory
OCTOBER 31, 2019 BY ELLI KAPLAN
It’s hard to believe it’s been two years since we launched our Neurotrack website. Today, I am excited to unveil both our new look as well as our renewed commitment to the critical area of cognitive health.

Since our launch, as much has changed as has remained the same. What hasn’t budged is my firm commitment to playing a role in offering a tangible solution to the exponentially growing onslaught of Alzheimer’s cases, as well as providing a new lens through which to think about, care for, and nourish our brains. What has changed is the rapidly increasing body of groundbreaking scientific evidence underscoring the notion that assessing brain health and Alzheimer’s risk as well as intervening early, in our ever-expanding lifespans, can indeed help combat cognitive decline.

Today, we offer a first glimpse into the latest suite of products that Neurotrack will launch commercially in early 2020: an integrated, easy-to-use, universally accessible cognitive assessment; and a customized, multi-domain lifestyle intervention that puts the power of brain health into patients’ own hands.

The soul, if you will, of our new product can be found in our new logo – two seahorses, facing one another. Why seahorses and why two of them? For one, I love seahorses, those small marine fish in the genus Hippocampus. And of course hippocampus is the Greek word used to name major components in the left and right hemispheres of our brain, which play a key role in the consolidation of short-term and long-term memory.

Our new logo
Seahorses also mate for life, and it is now becoming clear that social engagement is critical for both memory preservation and for keeping cognitive decline at bay. Our logo of two seahorses facing one another, as they are so often seen in the wild, is therefore rooted in this analogy of connectivity, both out in the world and within the confines of the brain itself.

I created Neurotrack to combat the uncertainty and fear associated with Alzheimer’s and dementia-related diseases with science and research. Our platform, to be launched in early 2020, will provide both information––a suite of simple at-home assessment tests to set your cognitive baseline and monitor it over time––and actual hope in the form of clinically proven, multi-domain interventions. These interventions were first highlighted in the 2013 FINGER study, and their efficacies were newly proven and expanded-upon via the work of Dr. Richard Isaacson, whose just-published clinical trial entered the mainstream in Wednesday’s Wall Street Journal, as we were relaunching our site. Our product, developed with scientists and doctors, uses groundbreaking eye-tracking technology as the centerpiece of a holistic program to measure, manage, and sharpen mental acuity.

The most exciting part of what we’ll be bringing you is a way for you to understand your cognitive health and your own specific risks for developing dementia in the comfort of your own home, via a camera-enabled device such as your phone, a tablet, or a personal computer and a few minutes of your time. Armed with this information, you will be able to first talk with your doctor, then sign up for our customized cognitive health program offering lifestyle interventions addressing your specific needs in six key areas: sleep, stress, diet, exercise, social engagement, and cognitive training.

Measure your cognitive abilities in the privacy of your own home.
I am thrilled to be on the brink of providing real tools I promised myself I might one day build as I watched my grandparents disappear into the abyss of Alzheimer’s – to offer more than hope of a cure at some nebulous point in an unspecified future, but rather a way of recognizing potential risk today, to intervene early, and to prevent decline before the onset of cognitive decline.

So, welcome to the family, Neurotrack seahorses. And may you serve as further inspiration both to our team on the ground and to the population at large. If seahorse males can carry the babies, surely we can change the Alzheimer’s paradigm as well.

19/03/2019

The NeuroHealth Research Master: a great experience!

Testimonial by Romain Hollands - Maastricht University

After having studied psychology at the University of Maastricht, I felt that my competences did not cover all areas that I wanted to be skilled at. I remember the first time that I was informed about the new upcoming research master track ‘Drug Development & Neurohealth’ very well. Combining psychology and biology for one common goal: developing new therapeutic drugs. This goal appealed to me on both, an academic and personal level.
During this research master I learned about all the different stages in the drug development process. How molecules are found or synthesized and how millions are tested against one or more targets and only a few of them being a ‘hit’. Next developing ‘hit’ molecules into leads and investigating their safety and toxicity. After that establishing whether this molecule also has the behavioural effects we would like to see. The wide range of animal, cell culture and computer models that drugs can be tested in showed me that pharma is so much more than simple behavioural testing. After positive results have been obtained, the next step in the process is human testing. We students learned from the experts how to set-up these clinical testing phases, which data can be used, and what this data actually tells us.
During this entire master I only came in contact with staff that were experts in their field, this triggered enthusiasm for topics that I hadn’t discovered before.
For my internship I went to the behavioural animal lab at Hoffmann- La Roche in Basel, Switzerland, working with mice and rat models of autism. I am grateful for the opportunities that I got there, and to not only develop myself at a career and academic level, but also at a personal level. Working at a company where the number of employees at the campus is comparable with the number of inhabitants of the town that I grew up in (10k+), was not only impressive but also exciting!
After returning to Maastricht, I felt the need to work in a job setting that would fit my personality and where I could use my skills, before getting back to research. That is why I applied for a job as teacher, project leader and coordinator at the University of Maastricht. The staff in Maastricht has always left a positive impression so there was little reason not to apply for a job here, even after having studied for 5 years in this city. Recently, I also started to work in research again, this time with humans.
I am certain that this research master has given me a unique set of skills that are applicable to many fields of research, drug development and policy.

27/11/2018

Congratulations to everyone that graduated last Saturday! An impressive 13 out of 14 students who started 2 years ago graduated or are about to graduate. And 10 of the graduates have alteady either secured a PhD position or are in the process of doing so. Students and course coordinators deserve a lot of credit for this excellent start of the still young Neurohealth research master! There is ample reason for my predecessor who started this research master, Wim Riedel, to be proud.
Meanwhile the recruiting process for next year has started. You can find more information on our website (https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/education/master/research-master-cognitive-and-clinical-neuroscience-specialisation-drug-development ) or simply email me at [email protected] with your questions.

Which brain drugs does our society need most? Do drugs work the same in everyone? What makes someone vulnerable to brain diseases? What makes them receptive to drug effects? Can we predict drug effects in the brain? Can diet be as effective as drug treatment? How do we translate new R&D knowledge in...

03/08/2018

Neurohealth Newsletter - august 2018

26/03/2018

Interview in the University paper 'Observant' about Drug Development and Neurohealth

It made headlines recently: “Pharma giant Pfizer quits research and development of new medicines for Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease”. And what’s worse, says Wim R...

26/03/2018

Interview in the University paper 'Observant' about Drug Development and Neurohealth

26/03/2018

Wim Riedel presents Drug Development and Neurohealth at the Masters open day. See the presentation here:

https://www.maastrichtuniversity.nl/file/modmarch2018researchmasterdrugdevelopmentandneurohealthpdf

20/03/2018

16/03/2018

2018 excursion to Grünenthal

13/03/2018

https://www.facebook.com/maastrichtfpn/videos/1724411724278266/