About FutureNeuro

FutureNeuro is the SFI Research Centre for Chronic and Rare Neurological Diseases, hosted by RCSI.

Funded by Science Foundation Ireland and industry, we are the national centre dedicated to brain research. We connect national and multinational industry with key academics and clinicians based in our leading hospitals to provide diagnostic, therapeutic and eHealth solutions. Our projects with industry partners will bring diagnostic supports to market, a pipeline of new drugs, and connected health solutions that enable patients to monitor and report their health better than ever before.

Initially focusing on Epilepsy and Motor Neuron Disease, we will build rapidly to help transform the lives of the approximately 800,000 people affected by neurological disorders in Ireland.

Our people are internationally recognised neuroscientists, clinical neurologists, geneticists, cell-biologists, analytical and materials chemists from five different third level institutions (RCSI, TCD, UCD, DCU, NUI Galway), as well as a wider network of clinical neurologists and other collaborators based around the country.

Challenges faced by patients and clinicians are at the centre of what we do. We have established expertise in epilepsies and Motor Neurone Disease, as well as expanding capabilities in other brain diseases. Using our knowledge across disease areas, we work together to develop and drive research.

We conduct translational research projects across the themes of Diagnostics, Therapeutics and eHealth with leading academic institutions, Irish and international industry and a national clinical network.

Through our academic partners, we have access to state-of-the-art research infrastructure. Our ability to combine and apply these technologies across our themes of Diagnosis, Therapeutics and eHealth makes us distinctive and excellent

One in four people in Ireland will be directly affected by a neurological disorder during their lifetime. We will develop new technologies and solutions for the treatments, diagnosis and monitoring of chronic and rare neurological diseases.

Neurological diseases pose enormous scientific and clinical challenges. For many brain diseases we either have therapy with limited efficacy or we simply have no effective treatment. There are complex factors underlying this – and progress has been made - but a starting point is our still incomplete understanding of the mechanistic basis of many brain diseases. Diagnosis is the cornerstone of clinical care as it is the primary tool for decisions on treatment, prognosis and patient management - but for many neurological diseases this remains largely reliant on clinical examination and history. The ability to rapidly and sensitively detect biomarkers of disease and disease-risk, ideally in a point-of-care setting, would transform clinical practice. At FutureNeuro, we aim to deliver these advances in understanding disease initiation and progress. With this understanding, we will develop new technologies and solutions for the treatments, diagnosis and monitoring of chronic and rare neurological diseases

• Significant advances have been made in genomic medicine – the core research platform is based on discoveries made by our PIs. 
• The cost of genomic sequencing has reduced significantly, this enables clinical and scientific progress.
• Recent advances in development of molecular therapeutics and biomarkers have resulted in a more-directed therapeutic intervention to change the underlying pathology.
• Advances in eHealth will impact on the way patient health can be monitored and care is being delivered (e.g. Lighthouse project). At a national and global level the development of disease registers facilities the mining of genetic data and proper insights into suitable treatments.
• The size of the healthcare system in Ireland. There is a large enough population for results to be relevant and the small number of linked clinicians allow a national collaboration to identify disease-linking biomarkers.