A collaborative research team from Canada and the United States has secured funding of CAD 45 million (approximately USD 33 million) from the National Institute of Mental Health to investigate innovative treatments for psychosis. This funding will support a five-year project aimed at understanding the mechanisms of action of new psychotropic medications, which are particularly critical for individuals experiencing early episodes of psychosis, often occurring in late adolescence or early adulthood.
The research team includes Sylvain Bouix from École de technologie supérieure (ÉTS), along with Martha E. Shenton and Ofer Pasternak from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard University, and René Kahn from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York. Under the leadership of Professor Bouix, the team will establish a center dedicated to the processing and analysis of data collected during proof-of-principle clinical trials.
Professor Bouix emphasized the challenges faced in validating promising therapeutic targets for this high-risk population. “Although we have identified potential treatment targets, their validation is complicated by the absence of reliable biomarkers that can predict disease progression,” he explained. The wide range of symptoms associated with psychosis, including anxiety and depression, further complicates the development of effective treatments.
To address these challenges, the research team will focus on enhancing data quality across various measures, including behavioral assessments, clinical evaluations, electroencephalography, magnetic resonance imaging, and audiovisual recordings. Ensuring high-quality data is crucial for achieving reliable and accurate outcomes in clinical trials. It also plays a vital role in the scientific rigor, patient safety, and regulatory approval of new therapies and medical interventions.
This initiative represents a significant step forward in psychosis research, with the potential to lead to more effective treatments tailored to the specific needs of patients.
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