The University of Barcelona, a Catalonia.health member, has presented the strategic project VISI-ON-BRAIN (Cutting-edge Human In Vitro and In Silico Biomedical Tools on Brain Disorders), a European training and research program with €4.5 million in funding that connects UB with the best research centers in Europe.
Paradigm Shift in Brain Disease Research
VISI-ON-BRAIN is a training and research program for fifteen doctoral researchers focused on developing next-generation human models to advance the study of complex brain pathologies, such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease. The key point of the initiative is the paradigm shift it proposes, as the research moves away from animal models and seeks more ethical science, using experimental (in vitro) and computational (in silico) models.
Professor Josep M. Canals from the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences is in charge of directing this project, which is part of the Horizon Europe program and has €4.5 million in funding within the framework of the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN).
New Ethical Models for Studying Human Biology
VISI-ON-BRAIN is designed to reduce the translational gap by building an integrated chain of predictive, reproducible, and clinically established experimental and computational tools, while training researchers who can work at the interface of biology, data, engineering, and regulatory relevance.
A Pan-European and Cross-Sectoral Platform
The program brings together fifteen academic, clinical, and industrial partners from eight European countries, a structure that will allow doctoral researchers to combine laboratory innovation with advanced models, analysis, and translational validation. The project is coordinated by the University of Barcelona through Creatio.
Impact on Health and Competitiveness
Neurological pathologies are a major challenge for global health and a substantial social and economic burden. VISI-ON-BRAIN will accelerate the development of relevant tools for decision-making in patient treatment that enable earlier and more reliable decisions, reduce risks, and improve the efficiency of discoveries and therapeutic development.
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