Gravitation Grant in Het Parool

25 March 2024

Seven research consortia, including the Institute for Chemical Neuroscience (iCNS), have been awarded a combined €160 million through the Dutch government's Gravitation (Zwaartekracht) programme. The goal: to position the Netherlands at the global forefront of research and to benefit society.

Mental health is facing increasing pressure worldwide, and the Netherlands is no exception. A growing number of people are affected by conditions such as depression and anxiety, yet effective and personalized treatments remain limited. The Institute for Chemical Neuroscience (iCNS), one of the selected consortia under the Gravitation programme, aims to change that.

At the heart of the iCNS mission is the development of a detailed molecular atlas of the human brain, focusing on regions involved in psychiatric disorders. This atlas is intended to provide the foundation for improved diagnostics and more targeted therapies in the future. Rather than looking only at brain activity, the project investigates the underlying chemical and genetic mechanisms at play. By bringing together experts in neurobiology, psychiatry, and chemistry, the project fosters interdisciplinary approaches to better understand and treat mental illnesses.

One of the unique aspects of the iCNS approach is its use of human brain tissue, collected by the Netherlands Brain Bank. This allows researchers to study psychiatric disorders directly at the cellular and molecular level—something that has rarely been done at this scale. The hope is that, within ten years, physicians will be able to determine not only what has changed in a patient's brain but also which treatment is most likely to be effective.

With the support of the Gravitation programme, iCNS is set to make significant strides in understanding the biological foundations of mental health and illness. The work promises to transform the way psychiatric disorders are diagnosed and treated.

Read the full Dutch article at the Parool website.