TRANSCEND Network

Transcending limitations of translational research on Multiple Sclerosis and Autism Spectrum Disorder – Spectral, brain-related disorder, patient outcomes, cognition, effect, symptoms

Project Description

The doctoral network TRANSCEND brings together the perspectives from science, philosophy and patient-centred care to develop and evaluate a new transdisciplinary approach to translational research on autism spectrum disorder and multiple sclerosis. Going beyond traditional reductionist approaches, a key idea of TRANSCEND is to explicitly recognize and embrace the complexity of chronic neurological conditions as a crucial aspect in translational research. 

The Bielefeld site at ISoS is especially involved with work package 2: "Focusing on Patient Outcomes". The overall aim in this work package is to shift from a focus on mechanistic and disease-centered outcomes to patient-centered treatment approaches. The project "The translation of what? A philosophical analysis of scoping methods in post-clinical research" will primarily be hosted at Bielefeld University. 

In her doctoral research, Pravajya Pandey examines scoping methods in translational research from a  philosophy of science perspective.

Lara Keuck, PI in work package 2, will also act as co-supervisor for planned secondments of doctoral researchers in Bielefeld:

• Writing and Re-Writing the History of Autism: A Philosophical Inquiry into the Interplay of Clinical Histories, Social Representations, and Scientific Understanding

• Disconnected behavior in psychiatric disorders

• Filling the translational gap of oxytocin treatment for autism

• Humanizing animal experiments through backward translation – adding relevant multiscale read-outs to mechanistic experiments

• Patient stratification in multiple sclerosis – the added translational benefit of peripheral multi-level analysis in diagnosis and therapy

Project Duration

2025 - 2029

Participating Universities

• Amsterdam UMC
• Aarhus University
• University of Bielefeld
• Bordeaux Montaigne University
• University of Copenhagen
• KU Leuven
• University of Oslo
• University of Porto
• Radboud University
• Vita-Salute San Raffaele University
• UMC Utrecht

Funding Volume

approx. EUR 4 Mio

Funded by

Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) of Horizon Europe