PRISM 2 project – Precision medicine for psychiatry: from brain function to behaviour

Martien Kas is professor of behavioral neuroscience at the Groningen Institute for evolutionary life sciences at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. The research of his group focuses on determinants of behavior, especially of behavioral strategies and of biological processes that are essential across species and that are affected in various neuropsychiatric disorders (e.g., social interaction and sensory information processing). By means of cross-species genetic analysis of neurobehavioral traits (of mice and men), they aim to identify genotype-phenotype relationships relevant to the development and treatment of autism spectrum disorders, Alzheimer's Disease, eating disorders, and schizophrenia. These studies will lead to the understanding of conserved gene function in regulating essential behavioral strategies and will ultimately improve therapeutic and preventive strategies to contribute to healthy aging. In addition, he is Executive Committee Board member and President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP), Editorial board member of Mammalian Genome, and project coordinator of the PRISM1 and PRISM2 projects, two large EU Innovative Medicine Initiative (IMI) projects that aim to unpick the biological reasons underlying social dysfunction, which is a common early symptom of Schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease and Major Depressive Disorder.

Hugh Marston is head of CNS Research at Boehringer Ingelheim, where he leads Boehringer research developing novel therapeutics aiming to bring increasing precision to psychiatry. Based on a systems and circuits understandings of human disorders the program includes Iclepertin and CT-155 in phase III. Trained in Cambridge he completed 10 years in academe before joining industry. At Organon, then SP and Merck, Asenapine and Sugammadex were brought to market. Prior to joining Boehringer, he led Translational Neuroscience at Lilly. This and his leadership of the PRISM 1&2 initiatives reflects long-standing interest in reverse translation seeking transdiagnostic, quantitative biological phenotypes in CNS disorders.

Abigail Abrahams is a behavioral neuroscientist currently working as a senior scientist at P1vital Ltd. Abi has a BSc (Hons) degree in pharmacology from the University of Bristol, and a PhD in neuropsychopharmacology from the University of Nottingham, where she researched the neural mechanisms of oxytocin’s prosocial and antipsychotic-like effects. As a senior scientist at P1vital, Abi provides scientific expertise and leadership on a variety of R&D projects, including a leading role on the on the PRISM 2 project.