Maastricht University, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience

Research Master Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience: Drug Development and Neurohealth

Obtain a theoretical background & practical experience in pharmaceutical drug research & development, biomarkers and personalised healthcare. Discover the pipeline of drug research & development from molecule design to application in healthcare settings.

This specialisation provides you with a theoretical background and practical experience in pharmaceutical drug research & development, biomarkers and personalised healthcare. You will have interactions with industry and regulatory agencies. The overarching theme is the pipeline of drug research & development from the design of the molecule to its applications in healthcare settings.

Programme Outline

The programme covers the process of bringing a new pharmaceutical drug to the market once a lead compound has been identified (drug discovery).

You will gain a thorough understanding of:

• pre-clinical research (in-vitro/in-vivo)
• clinical trials (in volunteers and patients)
• obtaining marketing authorisation
• molecular, biological, neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, and behavioural techniques
• biomarker development into diagnostics
• clinical trial methodology
• pharmacovigilance

Internships

From November of the second year, you will devote your time to the preparation and execution of your research internship and master’s thesis. You will conduct your own research project (very often as part of a larger ongoing study), including the writing of a proposal, acquiring and analysing the data. The work is reported in a master’s thesis, written in the style of a scientific journal article. Given the strong multidisciplinary research infrastructure here in Maastricht as well as extensive international networks, you will have ample opportunities for internships related to any aspect of Drug Development & Neurohealth, either locally or at other top universities throughout the world. We will help you find a topic and location that best fit your own interests and career goals.

During the programme, you will be part of a multidisciplinary team of neuroscientists, including biological psychologists, pharmacists, molecular biologists and neurobiologists, neuroanatomists, pharmacologists and psychiatrists. These professionals participate in worldwide international networks of research in relevant fields in academia and industry. This offers excellent opportunities for internships at small, medium and large biotechnology / clinical research companies, pharmaceutical and nutrition industries, as well as governmental organisations in food and drug regulation.

Research Environment

The main research topics focus on clinical and pharmacological brain targets and biomarkers associated with affective-, neurodevelopmental-, neurodegenerative- and neurovascular disorders. Core courses are organised along these mechanisms/disorders, including practical training to acquire necessary laboratory skills. Specific workshops like 'Genes and Proteins', 'Drug Metabolism', 'Psychopharmacology' and 'Pharmaco-epidemiology', provide additional technical knowledge.

All research is organised within 5 research groups: Psychopharmacology, Toxicogenomics, Clinical Pharmacy & Toxicology, Pharmacology, and Neuroscience.