NCCR Neuro - Neural Plasticity and Repair (2001-2013)

The SNSF funded the NCCR Neuro with CHF 42.8 million. In addition, the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich invested CHF 18 million and CHF 17 million respectively. The participating research groups and institutes contributed more than half of the NCCR budget.

Funding 2001 - 2013

29 collaborative projects of NCCR members with external parties in EU framework programmes, 214 joint projects with research institutions in the EU, and 105 with institutions in North America, are indicators of the high reputation and international visibility of the NCCR Neuro. Almost 2000 peer-reviewed publications and more than 3100 presentations at conferences add to that. Five researchers of the NCCR Neuro were awarded an ERC grant in the course of the programme.

Publications

• Most important publications of the NCCR (source: NCCR final report) (PDF, 88 KB) (PDF)

To strengthen neuroscience research at its home institutions, the NCCR has established nine new professorships: A new chair for animal imaging at UZH/ETH and eight assistant professorships (clinical multiple sclerosis research, experimental MS research, rehabilitation engineering (two positions), stem cell biology, experimental neurorehabilitation, clinical neurorehabilitation and systems biology of Alzheimer's disease). By the end of the NCCR, four of these assistant professors had received permanent professorships at the home institutions and two at other universities. All assistant professorships were funded by the NCCR Neuro with additional help from industrial partners, foundations and private donors. In addition, two independent junior research groups in proteomics research and super-resolution microscopy were set up.

The establishment of centres of expertise for transgenic technology, analysis of complex behaviors in rodents, cell surface proteome analysis and animal imaging as service platforms for all projects was extremely fruitful in expediting experimental progress and knowledge transfer within the NCCR. The Center for Animal Imaging was opened in 2005 as the first high-field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) facility for animals in Switzerland. This service platform continued permanently after the completion of the NCCR and is one of the greatest structural achievements of this NCCR​

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The discovery of the occurrence of antibodies that recognise and initiate clearing of amyloid plaques and tangles in healthy human subjects led to the production of new, therapeutic, recombinant fully human antibodies. A clinical trial in Alzheimer's disease patients was initiated in 2011. The research on the development of antibodies for neurodegenerative diseases will be continued.

A major breakthrough in neuronal regeneration was the discovery of neurite growth inhibitors, in particular the protein NOGO, discovered prior to the NCCR. Its functional blockade by an anti-NOGO antibody was found to strongly enhance functional recovery after spinal cord injury, as demonstrated impressively in rodents and non-human primates within this NCCR. A phase I clinical trial performed in collaboration with Novartis and a European clinical network for para- and tetraplegic patients was completed successfully, showing no side effects. The further clinical development of the anti-NOGO antibody continued after the end of the NCCR.

New robot-assisted training devices were developed by combining novel technologies of sensory-motor rehabilitation with close input from basic physiological sciences and with consideration of clinical requirements. Some of these devices were introduced into the market by spin-off companies, in particular for locomotion and arm movement training for spinal cord injury and stroke patients. The successful inclusion of engineering solutions into neurorehabilitation research is one of the major achievements of this NCCR.

Knowledge and technology transfer

The International PhD Program in Neuroscience of the ZNZ (Neuroscience Center Zurich), established in 1998, became the main instrument for the education and training of young researchers in the NCCR. At the end of the NCCR, more than 240 graduate students were enrolled in total and more than 55% of them were international students. The program was linked to a neuroscience training network of the European Union: the 'Cooperation in Research and Training for European Excellence in the Neurosciences' (CORTEX) of EU FP6 from 2005 – 2009, and after 2010 it participated in the Erasmus Mundus Joint PhD Program in Neuroscience with four European partners.

In spite of equality measures on several levels (e.g. personal mentoring, day care offers), the ratio of men to women on the different hierarchical levels has remained more or less constant over the duration of the NCCR. As in many other fields, the percentage of female scientists drops dramatically beyond the postdoc level.

227 PhD theses had been completed by the end of the NCCR Neuro; 80 were still in progress.

• Status of training of NCCR PhD-students (March 2014) (JPG, 141 KB) (JPEG)
• Domain of first employment of young scientists (March 2014) (JPG, 159 KB) (JPEG)