ECNP Experimental Medicine Network
Capabilities and Interests Survey
Introduction
It is increasingly recognised that the introduction of experimental and translational medicine
models at the interface between Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical trials will be crucial for future
success in neurological and psychiatric drug development. Experimental medicine studies are
essential to bridge the gap between animal and human studies and to mitigate and manage the
risk in this particularly difficult area of drug development. While this strategy commands a
broad consensus, the tactics to enable its development are in their infancy. Expertise in
experimental medicine resides largely in clinical academic centres that have access to
volunteers, patients and the technology to develop such models. ECNP is supporting an
initiative to build a European wide consortium of academic centres to develop, validate and
maintain state of the art human experimental medicine models to support the discovery and
development of new drug treatments in psychiatry and by building a network of European
Centres with complementary expertise.
High-level Network Objectives

Development of experimental medicine models to support new treatments for CNS
disorders, with a focus on:
o Therapeutic areas of greatest need:
 Alzheimer’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, mood disorders, schizophrenia,
cognition.
o Human experimental medicine models (in healthy volunteers and patients) with
back translation from clinical outcomes in the patient.
o Optimal use of neuroimaging technologies, including in a multi-centre situation:
 fMRI/phMRI, PET, EEG, MEG, TMS etc.
o Tools, outcome measures and tasks that can be used across several disorders.
o Biomarkers with potential to qualify for application in clinical trials in drug
discovery.

Implementation of experimental medicine to enable better stratification of patients:
o Enrichment of clinical trial populations.
o Better matching of patients to treatments.
o Development of companion diagnostics.

Support of specialist training of medics/researchers to conduct experimental medicine
studies and continue research.
Objectives of this Survey

To compile an inventory of members’ capabilities and interests and hence:
o Identify members with established experimental models that could be shared.
o Identify groups of members with complementary interests and expertise that could
work together on developing and validating experimental medicine models.
Once formed, it is expected that groups of members will:


Pursue funding (for example from IMI2 or Horizon 2020) for collaborative projects.
Form training consortia under, for example, the Marie Curie Initial Training Network (ITN)
or European Training Network (ETN) initiatives.
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Section A: Administrative Details
1. Institution Details
Name:
Location:
Website:
2. Your Contact Details
Name:
Position:
Postal Address:
E-mail:
Office Telephone:
Fax:
Mobile Telephone:
3. Alternative Contact Details (e.g. Admin Assistant or colleague) [optional]
Name:
Position:
Postal Address:
E-mail:
Office Telephone:
Fax:
Mobile Telephone:
4. ECNP Membership
Are you currently a member of ECNP?
Please select
If no, are you willing to join ECNP in order to continue involvement with the Experimental
Medicine Network?
Please select
Section B: Facilities and Capabilities
1. Scientific
Please outline your scientific interests and capabilities, and those of other key members of
scientific staff with whom you work, relating to experimental medicine and the high-level
objectives of the network. [Please limit your answer to around 150 words.]
If applicable, please give the names of the other key members of scientific staff involved in the
work described above.
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2. Technical
Please list the technologies (e.g. neuroimaging facilities) available in your institution to support
experimental medicine. [Please limit your answer to around 100 words.]
3. Clinical
Please outline the clinical capabilities of your institution that support experimental medicine
(e.g. availability of patient or volunteer databases, easy access to particular patient or volunteer
groups through locally affiliated clinics etc.) [Please limit your answer to around 100 words.]
Do you have access to a clinical research unit (CRU) with facilities for conducting Phase 1 and
Phase 2 clinical studies with novel and/or un-marketed compounds?
Please select
If yes, how many such studies have you conducted in the last 5 years?
4. Training
If the network supported the creation of a training consortium with other academic and
industrial partners to provide specialist training in experimental medicine to PhD or medical
students, would be interested in participating?
Please select
If yes, please outline your track record in providing training in experimental medicine, including
the number of PhD and medical students you have trained over the last 5 years. [Please limit
your answer to around 75 words.]
5. Publication Record
Please provide references to 5 recent publications related to experimental medicine from your
group/institution.
Publication 1:
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Publication 2:
Publication 3:
Publication 4:
Publication 5:
Section C: Interests
1. Established Experimental Medicine Models
Please list any experimental medicine models or techniques that you have established and
would be willing to share with others as part of a future collaboration. [Please limit your answer
to around 100 words.]
2. Project Proposals
Please give brief outlines of up to 3 specific projects that you would suggest as part of a future
collaboration (these will be used to identify common interests of the institutions and do not
imply commitment at this stage). [Each outline should be 50-100 words.]
Projects should be focused on the key objectives of developing, validating or
disseminating/maintaining experimental medicine models. You may wish to consider basing
suggestions on the use of tool compounds from the ECNP Medicines Chest. Further information
and a list of current and potential compounds is available at:
http://www.ecnp.eu/~/media/Files/ecnp/Projects%20and%20initiatives/Medicines%20Ches
t/ECNP%20Medicines%20Chest%20Update%20December%202013.pdf
Project Outline 1:
Project Outline 2:
Project Outline 3:
Please contact Fred Wilson (fred.wilson@physics.org) with any questions or
technical issues.
Please return your completed survey by e-mail to ecnp-networks@ecnp.eu
as soon as possible and no later than Friday 31st January 2014
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