Our unique opportunity

The Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center is well positioned to accelerate the search for meaningful treatments and cures for neurodegenerative diseases. 

The Harvard community and beyond

Drawing on the intellectual strength and proven capability of Harvard Medical School and its 20 affiliated medical centers, we are uniquely situated to attract leading neuroscientists from this remarkable community of world leaders in biomedical research. Over 600 investigators have joined the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. Our members come from diverse backgrounds and contribute skills in neuroscience, genetics, biostatistics, immunology and many other areas.  And, we regularly reach out well beyond the Harvard community to team up with others who share our mission — including other leading academic research groups, foundations, selected biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies and the philanthropic community.

The right time

In recent years, the research community has made significant progress toward understanding the human brain in health and disease. For example, advances in sophisticated instrumentation and technologies permit scientists to peer into the mechanisms of disease with unprecedented precision. Similarly, powerful imaging techniques allow scientists to detect telltale changes in brain structure and function resulting from disease. Scientists also now have access to better animal models (to test new treatments) and innovative techniques to screen thousands of chemicals at once (to identify compounds that may lead to the next drug). The time is right for us to extend and translate this understanding unto procedures and drugs that will help patients.

The right approach

The fastest way to develop real-life medical solutions is by accelerating the pace of discovery and then quickly applying knowledge of underlying disease mechanisms to the design and development of meaningful treatments. However, this approach — called "translational research" — rarely happens naturally or by accident. It must be designed into our work, fostered and pushed. It requires that a broad range of expertise, technical know-how and specialized resources are brought together and coordinated. It also requires a sense of urgency and relentless focus on a common goal. That's the approach of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. Our goal is to deliver meaningful treatments for patients.