Neural understanding
IMEC, Europe's leading independent nanoelectronics research center, VIB, Flanders' leading life science institute,and the Leuven University, K.U.Leuven, set up a joint basic research initiative to unravel the neuronal circuitry of the human brain:Neuroelectronics Research Flanders (NERF). Supported by the Flemish Government,NERF will look into fundamental neuroscientific questions through collaborative, inter disciplinary research combining nanoelectronics withneurobiology. It intends to push the boundaries of science, by zooming in on the working of neurons at an unprecedented level of detail. In the long run, NERF will generate new insights in the functional mapping of the brain, as wellas research methodologies and technologies for medical applications, i.e.diagnostics and treatment of disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system.
NERF will be housed on the IMEC campus where researchers will work in cross-disciplinary teams, benefitting from IMEC's state-of-the-art clean room infrastructure and a new 1,000m2neurolab. NERF will be organized around teams of top-notch researchers doing world-class basic research.
They will be able to work closelytogether with a wide range of experts from the 3 founding fathers, providing aunique leverage. By 2014, NERF aims to expand its team to about 50international top-researchers. NERF starts off with a 3 million euro researchgrant from the Flemish Government for the first 3 years. IMEC, VIB andK.U.Leuven will equally invest in NERF.
"NERF fully leverages andcomplements IMEC's semiconductor research and infrastructure and that makes itunique in comparison to other neuroscience centers. Today, both neurobiologyand nanoelectronics work at the same dimensions. Therefore, it becomes possibleto develop nanoscale structures that "listen in" to neural circuits, learn their "language", actively communicate with them and thusdetect pathology at an earlier stage than currently possible," said Kris Verstreken, director Human++/BioNanoElectronics at IMEC. "NERF researchers will unravel the functioning of the brain and the peripheral nervous system through intensive application of these new tools. This will yield vital knowledge for the pharmaceutical and medical industry and is crucial for thestudy of pathology such as Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease or even forpsychiatric disorders. Advanced therapies are often a serendipitous result of such fundamental research."
"NERF will focus on basic neurobiological questions, best addressed through an interdisciplinary approach using cell biology, genetics, nanoelectronics and nanoscale engineering. Combining these approaches in one new grassroots initiative is for the time being unique inthe world and quite exciting, as can be seen from the very enthusiasticresponse of the research community involved worldwide", says Jo Bury,Managing Director of VIB. "We capitalize on the tremendous opportunity ofhaving the background technologies and approaches available at high excellence level in the research labs of the 3 founding partners of NERF."
"The link of neurobiology and nanoelectronics with the imaging, data-mining and translational medicine competencies available at K.U.Leuven, makes our partnership unique and highly promising. We are convinced that NERF will become the cornerstone of a vibrant, path breaking community of scientists and engineers. We all look forward to this unique research journey;" says Koenraad Debackere, Managing Director of K.U.Leuven R&D.NERFwill officially take off on October 29, 2009 with a first assembly of the scientific advisory board. On this occasion the founding partners organize aunique neuroelectronics workshop to discuss the research roadmap of NERF with some 50 top world experts in different disciplines of importance to the successof NERF.
