Research and Development/研究發展

Brain Research Center

The twenty-first century has been named as the “century of the brain” to reflect the ultimate frontier in biomedical science. The complexity of the problems involved requires the participation of the best intellects in many diverse fields: mathematicians, physicists, chemists, information scientists, engineers, philosophers, artists and humanists, in addition to the biologists and physicians. It is inherently a multi-disciplinary activity that benefits from the input of every intellectual enterprise practiced by humanity (see figure below). The small and isolated nature of academic departments in Taiwan makes this endeavor difficult using our existing research infrastructure. To circumvent this problem of insufficient critical mass, the UST establishes the Brain Research Center (BRC) to draw on the complementary resources of the best research groups already working in this area on the four participating campuses. The goal of BRC is to integrate and strengthen existing biomedical, biophysical, and biochemical collaborations among the four universities, to encourage interdisciplinary research activities by inviting the participation of UST's mathematicians, information scientists, and engineers who are interested in the development of theoretical and computational neuroscience, and to recruit aggressively outstanding scientists to join our effort.

website：

http://bml.ym.edu.tw/~brc/

Objectives

(1). To enable Taiwan to compete at the international level in brain research.
(2). To serve as a model of how to conduct multi-disciplinary research and education in Taiwan.
(3). To stimulate interactions among scientists with diverse backgrounds to work on problems of common interest that have a grand scope.
(4). To attempt to shorten the time from basic biomedical research, to useful clinical applications through better coordination.
(5). To help to establish a vibrant biotechnology industry that will benefit the mental and physical health of the society as well as the economy of Taiwan.

Administration and Committees

The BRC is composed of a Management Office, Steering Committee, Advisory Committee, Research Programs, and Education and Clinical Training Programs. ACenter Director will manage the administrative business of the center through a Management Office. The Management Office has been established at National Yang - Ming University. Dr. Jen-Chuen Hsieh has been appointed as acting director of the Brain Research Center from 2008.

Steering and Advisory Committees

A panel of international experts will serve as members of the steering committee. They will give advice on research directions and strategies for the Center. Together with the Director, this panel will assist the MOE and the UST Steering Committee in their periodic evaluations of the Center's research progress and operational efficiency. A group of the members of the steering committee forms the Advisory committee. Before the Director is recruited, the Advisory committee will assist the acting director to manage the BRC office.

Research Themes

The goal of the BRC is to integrate research, teaching and medical resources with other universities and hospitals under the larger cooperative BRC framework. Under this framework, the brain is studied from various perspectives spanning basic and clinical sciences including genetics and molecular biology, behavioral animal models, neuro-chemistry and pharmacology, radio-physics and medical imaging, informatics, cognition, psychiatry, and neurology. BRC at NYMU have access to state-of-the-art neuroimaging facilities and patient populations through its affiliation with Taipei Veterans General Hospital (TPEVGH). Imaging techniques used for basic and clinical research encompass high-field magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, magneto-and electro-encephalography, and stereotaxic transcranial magnetic stimulation. A close collaboration exists between BRC at NYMU and TPEVGH within basic and clinical neuroscience.The six main research domains of BRC involves (1) molecular and basic neuroscience, (2) translational neuroscience, (3) cognitive neuroscience, (4) neuroimaging and neuroinformatics, (5) clinical neuroscience, and (6) consciousness neuroscience. The BRC promotes multidisciplinary and integrative disease-oriented research in collaboration with university hospitals and related medical teaching centers. It is the goal of the BRC to position itself as an internationally renowned center for brain science conducting research of the highest international standard.

Education Programs

A program at the forefront of education is essential for an adequate future supply of medical and scientific staff for clinical neurology and brain/neuroscience research. We will develop a comprehensive education program that will include graduate programs to train basic neuroscientists and medical fellows. To attract students with diverse backgrounds into the various exciting fields of neuroscience, we will revamp our undergraduate curricula and also institute novel summer courses and workshops。

Collaboration with Other Institutions

The BRC will share facilities and human resources with other related research centers and research laboratories that exist in the UST. The BRC will establish extensive collaborations with other national and international research institutions.