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British Neuroscience Association Chief Executive Laura Ajram told News Medical that neuroscience research should involve people with lived experience, patients, clinicians and caregivers from the outset. She also emphasized early communication between academic and industry partners, whose priorities may differ. The interview describes her views and career; it does not announce a new research program or policy.
British Neuroscience Association Chief Executive Dr. Laura Ajram has called for patients and people with lived experience to be involved from the beginning of neuroscience research, describing their input as important to understanding what research should aim to address. In an interview published by News Medical on November 2, 2026, she also discussed how clearer communication among academia, industry, healthcare and charities can help align research partnerships.
Ajram told News Medical that her approach reflects her own research and career across several sectors. She trained in pharmacology at King’s College London, including a year in industry at GlaxoSmithKline, and later completed a neuroscience PhD focused on the neuropharmacology of autism spectrum disorders. The doctorate was jointly based at King’s and Eli Lilly and included preclinical and clinical research, she said.
Meeting people living with the conditions she studied influenced how she thinks about research. Ajram said autism is heterogeneous, with people reporting different experiences, challenges and expectations. On that basis, she argued against assuming that one research approach or outcome will suit everyone, particularly in mental health and neurodevelopmental conditions.
She said research planning should include patients, clinicians, caregivers and people with lived experience, alongside charities and drug-discovery teams. As BNA chief executive, she leads the organization’s strategy and oversees its team and operational priorities. The association supports neuroscience researchers through training, networking, events and opportunities to connect, according to the interview.
Patient Input Can Shape Research Priorities
Ajram’s comments focus on who helps define research questions and what counts as a useful result. When researchers hear directly from people affected by a condition, they can better understand the range of experiences and expectations that a project needs to account for. Her remarks describe a principle for research planning, not evidence that any specific patient-involvement model has improved outcomes.
Her emphasis on collaboration also reflects the different aims that can exist within a partnership. Academic teams may prioritize answering a scientific question or publishing findings, while industry partners may want to assess biological mechanisms quickly to decide whether to advance a drug-discovery program. Making those expectations explicit early, she said, can help partners understand each other’s objectives and work together without treating one set of priorities as inherently correct.
For readers, the issue matters because neuroscience research spans laboratory science, clinical care and drug development. Bringing those groups together with people affected by the conditions being studied may help research address practical needs, although the interview does not report a particular project, clinical result or change in treatment.
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Ajram’s Career Across Research Sectors
Ajram described a career that moved between settings rather than remaining solely in academia or pharmaceutical industry. Her pharmacology training and industry placement first exposed her to how research may feed into drug discovery. Her PhD then combined academic and industry research, with both preclinical and clinical work. She said this experience led her to focus on connecting people with different expertise.
The BNA is a membership organization for neuroscientists working in laboratories, universities and clinical settings. In the interview, Ajram described its role as supporting members’ careers and research through professional development and opportunities to meet others in the field. She said her executive responsibilities include understanding members’ needs and shaping services accordingly.
Her comments also draw on experience in the NHS and charity sector, as well as academia and industry. She said partners can share a broad scientific goal while defining success differently. Her stated leadership approach is to ask what each group needs, communicate clearly and agree on expectations before work proceeds.
““We need to understand the individuals we’re trying to help and what they actually want from research, rather than assuming what would be most beneficial.””
— Dr. Laura Ajram, speaking to News Medical
No New Program or Policy Announced
The interview presents Ajram’s perspective and career experience; it does not announce a new BNA initiative, funding commitment, formal policy or research partnership. It also gives no specific project, timetable or measure for evaluating the effects of patient involvement or cross-sector collaboration.
Ajram described the value of including people with lived experience, but the interview does not detail how participants would be selected, compensated or represented across different conditions. Nor does it establish that collaboration by itself leads to faster drug discovery or better clinical outcomes. Those questions remain outside the information provided in the report.
BNA Work Continues Through Member Support
Ajram’s account points to the BNA’s ongoing work supporting neuroscience members through training, events and networking, but the interview does not identify a forthcoming event or new research milestone. The association’s next steps on any specific patient-involvement or partnership initiative are not stated.
Any further development would need to be assessed through concrete details, such as the projects involved, how patients and other partners participate, and what outcomes are tracked. For now, the news is an interview setting out Ajram’s approach to research collaboration rather than a report of a newly launched program.
Key Questions
What is the news development?
News Medical published an interview with Dr. Laura Ajram, chief executive of the British Neuroscience Association, about patient involvement and collaboration in neuroscience research.
What did Ajram say about patient involvement?
She said patients, clinicians, caregivers and people with lived experience should be involved from the beginning, so research reflects the needs and expectations of people affected by the conditions being studied.
Why can academic and industry partners have different priorities?
Ajram said academics may focus on publishing or answering a scientific question, while industry partners may seek to understand biology quickly enough to decide whether to advance a drug-discovery program. She said partners should discuss those aims early.
Did the interview announce a new BNA program?
No. The report discusses Ajram’s career and views, along with the BNA’s member-support role. It does not announce a new program, funding award or research result.
Source: news-medical.net
