Project 2. Improving the translational research in neuroscience at UFC
Neuroscience research has acquired a degree of complexity proportional to technological progress in various areas of knowledge, including neuroimaging systems and protocols in Neurobiology. Scientific production in Neuroscience in high-level journals requires the efficient / rational application of state-of-the-art methods to evaluate biological phenomena and their high-quality documentation. Advances in Neuroimaging, Neuroimmunology and Functional Genomics have had a tremendous impact on Neuroscience research, increasing its translational application. This proposal brings together the efforts of Neuroscience researchers from different doctoral programs of the Faculty of Medicine of the Federal University of Ceará (UFC), including Medical Sciences, Pharmacology, Morphofunctional Sciences and Surgery Sciences, ensuring a more transversal and multidisciplinary approach and taking advantage of the benefits of an existing international collaboration network. Existing multi-user medical equipment (including magnetic resonance imaging, laser scanning confocal microscopy, fluid cytometry, luminex, real-time PCR, etc.) is available to our research team, but the availability of highly trained personnel to effectively exploit the protocols applied to translational neuroscience is still a necessity. This proposal aims to gather and integrate renowned international neuroscientists from our international collaboration network to train and qualify human resources in the areas of Neuroimmunology, Neuroimaging and Functional Genomics with emphasis on: Malnutrition/dyslipidemias and brain lesions and cognitive disorders related to stroke in early childhood and aging; Research of neuroprotection drugs in models of neurodegenerative disorders in vitro and in vivo; Sleep, circadian rhythm and neurodegenerative disorders: preclinical and clinical studies; and schizophrenia, depression, and bowel-brain axis. Strengthening UFC Neuroscience research groups will help narrow disparities across the country and underuse expensive equipment and promote a highly desirable integration of research lines into translational products.
