BRAINMODEL

The BRAINMODEL consortium was founded by Matthijs Verhage (Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and Amsterdam UMC, chairperson) and Nael Nadif Kasri (Radboudumc, vice chairperson). Other knowledge institutions represented in BRAINMODEL are Erasmus MC, University of Twente, Radboud University and the Radboudumc expert center for rare genetic disorders. The consortium has received a grant of four million euros from ZonMw within the framework of the grant call ‘Multidisciplinary Consortia Programme Pluripotent Stem cells for Inherited Diseases and Embryonic Research' (PSIDER)... BRAINMODEL's new approach is based on patient-derived cells with which networks of living nerve cells are produced in a culture dish. These closely resemble the neural networks in our brains. This is known as ‘pluripotent stem cell technology (iPSC)' and offers new opportunities in terms of understanding human diseases and finding personalized treatments. IPSC-based strategies are particularly promising for developmental..