Qualification and research programme ­ and how they intertwine.

The overarching aim of the IRTG qualification programme was to train a new generation of medical & clinician scientists capable of conducting translational research that bridges neuroscience and psychiatry findings with clinical practice, ultimately leading to substantially improved patient outcomes. The programme focused on investigating psychiatric disorders and driving the translation of experimental discoveries into clinical applications by integrating experimental insights with innovative therapeutic approaches.

While progress in the understanding of brain maturation and the role of genetic and environmental factors in the development of affective disorders has been made, fundamental questions remain: which risk factor constellation will lead in which individual at what time to the development of prodromal or manifest symptomatology and comorbid conditions? And which protective factor constellation is able to halt the developmental course at what turning points? Which pathomechanism is crucial at what developmental stage of the illness? Only in answering these questions, stratified medicine will be possible, translating advances in basic research by targeting aetiological mechanisms underlying mental disorders. The resulting advances in diagnostic precision and targeted interventions may provide an opportunity to address the enormous public health burden and individual suffering associated with affective disorders. This is the aim of the IRTG research programme.