Research Platforms' Performance Reports BRIMS 2015-2017 | Page 15

RESEARCH ACTIVITIES
Research Clusters
BRIMS aims to provide a unique opportunity to work across key disciplines for the progress of Brain Sciences. The current
main themes aim to identify the causes and possible treatments of Depression and Anxiety, Addiction, Neurodegeneration
and Autism. Through these high-impact researches, BRIMS continues to enhance neuroscience research output from
Asia-Oceania region to the world.
The Depression and Anxiety theme strives to understand the causes of depression and anxiety from a range of aspects
including genetic, environmental and social factors using biochemical, pharmacological, physiological and behavioural
techniques. This group also works closely with the Drug Discovery Platform which utilises human pluripotent stem cells to
establish a stem-cell based human brain disease model for drug screening.
The Addiction theme aims to understand the neuronal circuits which link the negative emotional state of drug withdrawal
and the emotional memories of protracted abstinence. This themes also investigate into addiction using anatomical and
histological techniques combined with bioimaging and molecular biological techniques.
The Neurodegeneration theme utilises genomics approaches such as transgenic and knock-out, single-cell gene
expression analysis, DNA microarray, RNAi, and microRNA to understand the molecular mechanisms of age-related
human neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.
The Autism theme seeks to understand the etiology of autism – a complex neurodevelopmental disorder – and to discover
possible treatments for it through molecular biological, biochemical, pharmacological and behavioural approaches.
The Reproductive Neuroendocrinology theme seeks to identify the key factors involved in reproductive ageing and
related neuropsychiatric disorders.
Alignment with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
BRIMS research clusters are aligned with one of seventeen Sustainable Development Goals planned under the
United Nations Development Program. BRIMS particularly focuses on Mental Health, which remains one of
the most neglected global health issues, as recently highlighted by UN Secretary-General, António Guterres
(https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/blog/2018/05/mental-health-neglected-issue-but-key-to-achieving-
global-goals-say-un-chiefs/).
Externally Funded Projects
14