EBRAINS CoCreate: Epidemiology and Non-Invasive Biomarkers to Improve the Understanding of Brain-Related Disorders

EBRAINS CoCreate is a forward looking cocreation process that delivers roadmaps of visionary science and innovation targets that are important for EBRAINS as an infrastructure and for the multi-actor and interdisciplinary environment around it. The vision in a CoCreate is a societally beneficial one and, accordingly, the roadmap should lead towards positive impacts for society and the individual citizen. A roadmap splits the realization of the vision up into a stepwise process and identifies needed collaborators and funding paths for at least the first steps. EBRAINS CoCreate aims to address the issue of the availability of non-invasive screening methodologies towards brain-related disorders. Epidemiological correlations between various factors such as lifestyle, phenotypes, environmental exposure, and brain disorders can provide correlations as a starting point for new research on causality. Adding to this, access to more and improved non-invasive biomarkers such as genotypes and brain scanning methods may give promises of effective screenings. In combination, they give a promise of earlier and better detection, prediction and prognosis, and of increase in causality research. The EBRIANS CoCreate workshop on Epidemiology and Non-Invasive Biomarkers to Improve the Understanding of Brain-Related Disorders will work towards developing a roadmap that integrates the availability of non-invasive biomarkers with improved epidemiology. You will, as workshop participant, part take in creating a roadmap that researchers and innovators can use to develop new focused projects. The goal of this initiative is to improve the overall well-being of citizens by being better at early detection, diagnosis, prognosis, and prevention, and ultimately at treating and curing brain-related disorders. An EBRAINS CoCreate has the clear aspiration to sketch an ambitious and promising roadmap and define which first steps can be realized by collaboration across disciplines and stakeholders. To this end, we want to gather a multidisciplinary group of stakeholders that collectively has insights into the relevant challenges and possibilities, as well as potential solutions and their realisation. Ideally, this means participation from experts and stakeholders in the fields of epidemiology, neuroscience, neurology, psychology, psychiatry, ethics, health data security, AI, and big data analysis, and patient organisations, health authorities, industry, and funding agencies.