The scientific activity of the Centro de Investigación en Enfermedades Neurológicas (CIEN) is structured around research platforms with complementary functions:
CIEN has a clinical assessment platform, made up of specialists in neurology and neuropsychology who work in daily contact with patients attending the Reina Sofía Foundation Alzheimer Center (CAFRS) and participating in the Vallecas Alzheimer Project – Reina Sofía Foundation (VARS), as well as with their caregivers and other participants in ongoing research projects. These professionals act as mediators between basic researchers and patients’ families and caregivers. This role is essential for ensuring that patients and their families understand CIEN’s research goals, give their consent, and actively collaborate in its research lines.
One of the main research activities of this platform is the clinical, syndromic, and etiological diagnosis of patients at CAFRS, whether they are residents in long-term care units or attending the day care center.
In addition, a comprehensive set of clinical data is collected, which proves highly valuable for the research carried out by CIEN’s other platforms.
On the basic science side, CIEN’s original framework includes a Neuropathology and Brain Bank Platform, a Biomarkers/Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics Laboratory, and a Neuroimaging Platform. These three areas represent some of the most promising fields for understanding the biological processes involved in dementias.
CIEN has a strong multidisciplinary approach, maintaining constant interaction between clinical and basic research teams to develop and test hypotheses and to carry out a wide range of research projects. This cross-cutting orientation was further strengthened in 2023 with the creation of a new Database and Bioinformatics Platform, designed to collect, organize, harmonize, and analyze data generated across platforms. This platform supports and connects all other research units.
CIEN’s scientific activity is centered on a key idea: translating advances in basic research into clinical practice. Achieving this goal requires effective communication channels that help to focus and optimize research efforts.
