To better understand neurodegenerative processes, developmental disorders, and mental illnesses, we need to know how brain function changes across different stages of life. This requires data from studies involving both healthy individuals and patients, emphasised Prof. Daniel Wójcik, Head of the Neuroinformatics Laboratory at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Polish Academy of Sciences, during the 2nd Brain Health Summit in Warsaw.

Prof. Wójcik took part in the “Brain Plan for Poland” panel, where he discussed how to align the needs of scientific research, clinical practice, and patient care to enable the healthcare system to develop new therapeutic approaches.

“Two pillars of brain health are particularly important here: strengthening scientific research and innovation, and systematically monitoring patients. However, we need to look at both more broadly. To treat brain disorders more effectively, we must first understand the brain itself. And that requires both the right data and long-term investment in scientific research,” the Nencki Institute researcher stressed.

As he pointed out, Poland already has a wealth of patient health data. The problem is that these data are fragmented, often difficult to compare, and not readily accessible for research purposes.

“We need more than records of diagnoses, hospitalisations, or medical procedures. We need data that allow us to track an individual's brain health over time, bringing together clinical information, neuroimaging, electrophysiology, and cognitive, environmental, and social data. Crucially, these data must cover not only patients but also the healthy population,” Prof. Wójcik explained.

Such information is essential for understanding how neurodegenerative processes, developmental disorders, and mental illnesses develop. To study these conditions, we first need to understand how brain function normally varies across different stages of life.

“In this context, the proposed annual ‘Report on Brain Health in Poland’ should be more than a compilation of disease statistics. It should highlight trends, inequalities in access to care, and treatment outcomes, while also identifying gaps in our knowledge and helping to set research priorities,” he said.

Another key priority, according to Prof. Wójcik, is building bridges between research and clinical practice.

“We usually think of translation as the process of bringing findings from basic research into clinical practice. But I believe this process should work both ways. Clinical challenges must inspire new research questions, while discoveries about underlying biological mechanisms should lead to new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches,” he noted.

Prof. Wójcik also stressed that we cannot expect every research project to deliver immediate clinical benefits. History shows that many breakthrough technologies and therapies have emerged from research whose practical applications were not initially anticipated.

Examples include CRISPR genome editing, which emerged from research on bacterial genomes and earned its pioneers the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Today, the first CRISPR-based therapies are already available. Another example is optogenetics, recognised with the 2026 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, which is already being tested as a potential treatment for blindness.

“That is why we need programmes that bring together biologists, physicians, psychologists, physicists, computer scientists, and engineers. We need shared research infrastructure, interoperable data, and opportunities to carry out long-term projects,” Prof. Wójcik concluded.

The 2nd Brain Health Summit took place on 29 October 2026 in Warsaw.