Inge initiated this project in collaboration with Inge Huitinga from the Netherlands Brain Bank, a cohort that was founded in 1985 by Dick Swaab. In this cohort brain tissues from all over the Netherlands are collected, together with a lot of clinical data from the donors. This offers a wealth of data for researchers.
In her project, Inge wants to analyse the cohort in its totality. She will try to get a better understanding of how different neurological diseases develop by identifying which cells and molecules are affected and relate that back to the symptoms. To do so she will look at both the pathological data as the clinical data. Next, she aims develop an AI model to help recognize what symptoms emerged at which stage of the disease.
With the ERC Starting Grant Inge and her group will establish novel research lines into the cellular and molecular features associated with three major mental illnesses (bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and major depressive disorder). This work will build upon the Netherlands Neurogenetics Database, an ongoing collaboration between her research group and the Netherlands Brain Bank, and will aim to establish brain organoids models for psychiatric disorders.
Curious about her project? Listen the episode here!
