Watch: What does the future hold for CNS research?

CNS: Commitment Never Stops

Dr. Michael Sand, Senior Clinical Program Leader, CNS at Boehringer Ingelheim

The human brain is perhaps the most wonderfully complex structure in nature. And I have been fortunate enough to research it. Due to these complexities, scientists have long recognised that research into the human brain is fraught with challenges and that failure rates are high. Because of these challenges, many companies have withdrawn from the neuro-research field altogether. But because something is difficult is not a reason to shy away or give up. I am one small part of a committed team at Boehringer Ingelheim who is not only actively pursuing brain research with a long-term commitment, but doing so with a totally new approach. 

Traditionally, mental health research has been looked at in the context of an individual diagnosis such as schizophrenia or depression or impulse control disorders. One of the exciting things about the way we are now approaching brain research at Boehringer Ingelheim is in studying the symptoms of brain disorders and what may be their underlying biology irrespective of what the disease diagnosis or the indication is. Someone with schizophrenia may have problems in terms of their cognition, social interactions, recognising cues and emotions in people; but these symptoms may be common across a range of mental illnesses, not just schizophrenia. Instead of studying them as a feature of a single illness we're now studying the biology of the brain across these symptom domains. We hope this will have greater utility for solving many problems instead of just one.

We know more about the brain than ever before, yet still far too little. Brain research has never been more important. The statistics show brain disorders are increasingly affecting many groups in our society from young people with depression to those living into older age with dementia. It is a sad reality that each and every one of us is likely to know someone living with a serious mental illness such as depression, Alzheimer’s disease or schizophrenia. What makes research all the more important for me is that currently there are few, if any, new treatments for these devastating, life-changing conditions.

From a personal perspective, I have held a lifelong awareness of the importance of effective mental health care. My father, my son and I all served in the military, and we know suicide rates among veterans are unacceptably high. And in the early days of my career as a clinician, I saw how frightened people felt about their illness and treatment, not understanding what was happening to them. Even if manifested in anger or hostility or agitation, what was behind these signs was fear; patients were terrified. These experiences are what motivate me to persist in the pursuit of advances in brain research every day.

As researchers, we are more than familiar that in order to progress we will face inevitable setbacks, and no more so than in brain research. However, it is critical that we work together with the wider brain research community to make advances that will make a real difference to people’s lives. For the many millions of people living with, and their families affected by, mental illness we must do all we can to remove misunderstandings and stigma and continue our research until we've exhausted the possibilities in research that are there.

We are not going to give up on this. It is an exciting time and we are learning new things every day about the brain. It's too important. Even if we're not successful in the short-term, if we do the research and the science well, the next generation of scientists and research projects benefit too. And that is something that Boehringer Ingelheim is committed to doing. It's going to continue on long beyond my career. It's going to be a long-term committed effort and I think that's something that Boehringer Ingelheim can, and should, be proud of. For Boehringer Ingelheim this means Commitment Never Stops.

Look out for further personal perspectives on brain research at Boehringer Ingelheim