Description of the Project

Expression of Interest on the following: Resistance to drugs: checkmate in the distant future...who/what shall outsmart whom? What do natural products and/or their synthetic derivatives have to offer? What combination of external signals and internal programming determines the fates of cells in the human body? How can stem cells be mobilised to heal multiple sclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, ALS, tissue damage from a cerebral vascular accident or head trauma? Which genes are active when? How can neural complexity and functional clustering be integrated with cytokine networks and internal homeostasis? The established dynamic plasticity of the nervous system (CNS, PNS, ANS) not only unveils the considerable healing, intellectual and creative potential of the human being but also means that approaches to many problems must be rethought.

Exploring novel approaches to therapy through a better understanding of disease and healing potential in the human being means not only articulating (and questioning) what is already known in a different way, but also a vertical integrated study in fields that education and the encultured brain have rendered separate, including: psychosomatics - placebo effect - cytokine networks – neurobiology - genomics - biophysics - fMRI - biochemistry - theory of complex systems - genetic algorithms et al - the neuroimmunoendocrine axis - cognitive neuroscience - stress - pain - the study of critical situations where drugs/medications are not necessarily available (i.e. long distance/duration space flight, so called “under-developed” countries) - infection, the immune system and Space travel/ageing - wound healing - acute/chronic inflammation - consciousness and beyond – fusion of classical/alternative medicine - bioengineering - stem cells - microbiology  - …

Milestones and Expected Results

Our group is presently comprised of at highly determined, qualified and gifted research scientists (cf. partial list at end of EoI NewPOL). The ultimate goal is the creation of the International Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Research Center, based on my book: “The Physics of Life: the Awakening of Intelligence”(under preparation) which the CNRS (or ELSEVIER) seems interested in publishing. This initiative has already received political support from the Research Directorate at the European Commission.

The ELSEVIER publications are very interested in the ideas exposed in the International Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Research Center's Programmes (cf. below) and in the Consortium NewPOL. They seem convinced that this whole initiative has the potential to develop into something highly worthwhile. They seem very keen on creating the Journal of the Center for world wide distribution, would certainly take part in symposiums and workshops that we would organise and become a long term partner for the years to come. The Journal would publish the Members’ work and give full publicity to their ideas and activities.

The Centre is indeed of quite a unique conception and encourages research between the conventions. Different departments, traditionally and artificially considered as separate (for example: neurophysio­logy, immunology, physics, internal medicine, medical imagery, psychiatry, engineering, space medicine, computer science, artistic [music, theatre, dancing, …], education, philosophy, political sciences, anthropology, ...) shall be centralised and working on a common theme: the Neurosciences, but in a very broad sense. We have indeed now reached the stage where a more concise and global approach to Life Sciences is necessary. This can be achieved by integrating and going beyond the highly focussed research done so far. A fundamental change in mentality is essential.

The location of the Research Centre is unimportant.  It may be in any country (EEC, North/South America, Africa, Far or Middle East, Australia, ...). What is important is that it is international.  The more there are participants from different cultures, the better. The political, scientific and economic benefit for the elected country/continent is quite obvious: international prestige, employment, new careers, opportunities for (and creation of new) SMEs, open challenges to human resources, new ideas and biotechnology.

The whole project is going to be integrated in a Space Programme.  The Medical Section of the Space Department shall focus its research on long distance flight and on prolonged stay in space.  NASA sent me a very interesting report on their activities and objectives.  The Director, Internatio­nal Relations NASA, told me that I could use some of their ideas for the Project.

I know that there are many research centres that do research of a very high standard in their respective fields, but I feel that the general approach is much too fragmented just as education is too fragmented.  Questions such as "What has theoretical physics got to do with cancer and brain function?" "What is the concrete influence of alternative medicines on the immune system?" "What is the relationship between physics and virus replication?" "What do you mean by the physics of medical microbiology or infection?" "How is one going to cope with disease and emergency situations when drugs are not necessarily available?" "Is ageing necessarily an irreversible process?" "How can Neurosciences fathom and blend within the Universe?” “SETI?" and many others (including existential issues) are considered with an uncompre­hending look of surprise when they are - in my experience - put forth to many scientists.

Subtlety chases the obvious up a never-ending spiral and never quite catches it… and just as there are inconsistencies in the quantum theory and relativity so there are too many deadlocks in the medical/life sciences.  I am proposing a holistic integrated approach that includes the whole spectrum of hidden variables starting from theoretical physics, chemistry, molecular biology, the living cell and human organism and going on to astrophysics and cosmology. The Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre shall precisely try to find the "missing links" between these “different” fields.

The problem that is all too often encountered is that the person who has studied a single specialty (in physics, medicine, ...) doesn't always "see" the relationship between fields which apparently have nothing in common, and when he/she does "see", he/she doesn't "see" how to bridge the gap. A prerequisite to understanding our world (within and without) seems to be multidisciplinary training. Conventional academic degree courses are far too long, ill adapted to this task and are therefore quite inadequate to meet future needs.  Completely new educational programmes must therefore be created to acquire integrated multidisciplinary competence on a faster and more effective basis.

Finally, the Multidisciplinary multicultural Neuroscience Research Centre has obvious political (in the noble sense of the word) and peaceful implications. We live in a world of "ideas" and yet cannot answer the simple question: "what is an idea?".  I am hoping to achieve some kind of "osmosis" between decisions in everyday life (including political...) and the underlying brain mechanisms concerned, the Centre being some kind of "objective" reference basis. International relations and politics thus restructured may then gain some credibility and reliability.

The project is presently in its first phase, which consists of trying to catalyse similar initiatives on an international scale and achieve a first exchange of correspondence between the Governments/Research Centres of the Countries interested in the Project. I am trying to set up a network/cluster of Institutions - both in and outside the EU – and also looking for "hosts"/potential collaborators....

Diplomatic/Political considerations, co-ordination between the different Research Centres of potentially participating countries, a wish to reduce the administrative load, the delay in the correspondence, ... all these factors must be integrated in my underlining concern that the international movement around this Project be in phase and co-ordinated.  This means that the second phase (i.e. the detailed programme) shall be proceeded to once the number of countries interested in principle in the Project has reached a satisfactory level.

Any interdisciplinary research beyond the conventions, which can be integrated within our overall programme, is welcome.  I am therefore encouraging researchers to send me, either directly or through their Embassies in Brussels, research projects for the proposed Multidisciplinary Research Centre. Research areas are necessarily and voluntarily broadly defined so as to give ample research opportunities.

In order to activate the administrative proceedings, I have also sent letters to the U.N.O. and O.A.U.

I have already received suggestions from European Countries, U.S.A., China, the Far and Middle East and Africa. A satisfactory way to proceed would possibly be to centralise the suggestions per continent or group of countries so that I could perhaps meet delegations of researchers in a given country belonging to this group/continent and then go on from there.

The methods whereby participants find ways to raise funds for the Project differ from country to country.  The State or Government may directly take charge of the Project.  Another possibility is an extension of a given national project.  Still another possibility being considered is exposing the basic ideas of the International Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Research Project to the Press and raising funds through creative and dynamic publicity by giving concerts, lectures and so forth.

I am hoping to reach an official signed agreement between poten­tial participants by 2004-2005 (inclusive). I am hoping that the actual construction of the International Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Research Centre shall be completed by 2007.  This may seem a long time but the project is a formidable task and requires a great deal of co-ordination. The Administrative Office shall remain in Tervuren (Belgium).

The following forms the basic framework of the International Multidisciplinary Neuroscience Research Center. The overall Programme is presented in the form of key word summaries of the subject material, the problems yet unresolved and offers suggestions for research in these fields. We wish to integrate our efforts with forthcoming EU Calls for Proposals for future scientific, educational and political purposes.

The Project is a challenge to preconceived ideas in the scien­tific and political fields. I am looking for anyone who is willing to take up the challenge with me.