WORLD CNS SUMMIT 2015: MODELING AND BIOMARKERS BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, USA - FEBRUARY 17-18, 2015

Biomarkers are essential for targeting clinical syndromes. Effective biomarkers embody mechanisms of clinical disease, and if a robust mechanism exists it can be targeted for treatment with therapy. The search for effective biomarkers is part of modern medicinal therapeutics. The identification of peripheral nervous system biomarkers has yielded significant success in several branches of medicine, including cardiology and endocrinology, but there is a sense that the search for biomarkers in the CNS has plateaued. The pharmaceutical industry may cease to treat CNS biomarker discovery as cost-effective and economical viable if the scientific payoff remains stagnant. Is the CNS the last great frontier in the search for biomarkers? What makes the search for CNS-related biomarkers challenging? What are the specific biological, scientific and financial challenges in this search? Is there hope for advancing the search for biomarkers to assist in the treatment and management of complex CNS-centric conditions such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder? What are the financial and scientific challenges associated with transition from phase I to III trials? Why do so many CNS-related drugs fail development? Can advances in the collection and analyses of biomedical signals in both humans and animals assist in the identification of novel biomarkers? These are all questions that were addressed in a wide-ranging discussion of industry leaders and academics over two days at the World CNS Summit in Boston, MA, organized by Hanson Wade. A goal of the summit was to bring diverse perspectives on some of these challenges in order to effect potential paradigm shifts in the search for CNS biomarkers.