Studying Behaviour Of Transgenic Mice That Simulate Nervous

Researchers of the Pablo de Olavide University, Seville, Spain, have started a project based on the study of phenotype techniques in mice and their applicability to the pharmaceutical industry and neurodegenerative medicine. It is a study conducted by the 慏ivisi髇 de Neurociencias' group, led by Jos?Mar韆 Delgado, that focuses on the development of new techniques for studying the behaviour and physiology of wild and transgenic mice's nervous system.

The goal of this Excellence Project, funded by the Andalusian Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise, is to have a full range of electrophysiological and behavioural techniques, available for contracting by the specialized pharmaceutical industry in order to study pro-cognitive drugs or the effects on the motor and sensorial human system as a previous stage for its possible application in patients with different diseases (Alzheimer-like dementias, affectation of the motor human system, ataxias, etc.).

As Prof. Delgado explained to Andaluc韆 Investiga, 憈he study of the behaviour and cognitive capacities in mammals whose biology is very close to humans will allow possible clinic applications in the short or medium term'. In that respect, this group of experts has scientific links to some companies such as French company Syntelabo - Aventis or Spanish companies Cibertec and Kytos, which has scientific and technological collaboration agreements in regenerative medicine and psychopharmacology. One of the developed products, specifically a pro-cognitive drug of Syntelabo - Aventis, is now in its phase 2, that is, about to be launched into the market.

In this line, these researchers mix with different national and foreign groups of their field of specialisation. So far there are 16 groups interested in this project and their animals are going to undergo trials too.

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Andalusia's I+D+I public system includes over 18,000 researchers and more than 1,700 research groups. Together with Madrid and Catalu馻, Andalusia has a great potential, with 14% of the nation's total scientific output. This privileged position has been possible thanks both to the regional government's financial support to the I+D+I and the aid of the private sector.

Last January 9, the Andalusian Programme for the Spreading of Scientific Knowledge created the news agency InnovaPress in Spanish, with the aim of providing prompt information about scientific developments in the region. The project follows the European Commission's guidelines for the creation of a major scientific news agency that will enhance the spread of such information, and will serve as a new tool for the EU's economic reforms set out in Lisbon, as debated in Brussels last December 2004.

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With the interaction of all these agents in mind, the Andalusian Ministry of Innovation, Science and Enterprise intends to create a major social alliance that will enable an 搃nnovation explosion?in Andalusia as exclusive guarantee of progress and welfare development. In this vein, the Andalusian Regional Government has increased its investment in I+D+I by 37% with regard to the previous year, when investment was also increased by 32%. This shows the government's commitment to double investment in this area in the course of the present term of office. Some of the actions carried out by the regional government include a brand new Multi-annual Plan for University Infrastructure Investment for the period 2006-2010, with a total budget of 480 million Euros for the ten Andalusian public universities.

With this new Plan, investment in university infrastructure and equipmentmte agents in mind,ry policiesm groups. is increased by 32% with regard to the previous five-year period. Also, within five years, the Plan will match all investment made in the last 12 years (1994-2005), which amounted to 504 million Euros. Also, a new system of incentives has been established for Research Groups and Excellence Projects, reaching a total of 87 million Euros, which means an increase of 79 million with regard to the previous official announcement made by the regional government before the new system was in force. In the new system, 12 million Euros have been allocated as incentives to the work of 1731 research groups, and 30 million more have made it possible to start 219 excellence projects dealing with Life Sciences, Food and Agriculture, Information Technologies, etc.

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Studying Behaviour Of Transgenic Mice That Simulate Nervous