Applying the New Developments in Molecular Genetics for the benefit of people with Bipolar Disorder or Depression

Sir Robin M Murray, Professor Cathryn Lewis, Dr Evangelos Vassos, Dr Marta Di Forti, Dr Conrad Iyegbe, Dr Gerome Breen, Dr James MacCabe, Professor Mick O’Donovan and Dr Alex Richards

We propose to study the DNA (taken from a blood sample) of 5,000 people who have presented to psychiatric services with serious conditions including bipolar disorder, depression, and schizophrenia, comparing the findings to those from healthy people who have never had psychiatric disorder. The bulk of the data has already been collected. However, the PRS-BP was not available then. Now we have the opportunity to apply this new technique.

This request is for a research co-ordinator plus two PhD students to carry out the complex job of analysing the genetic data gathered and relating it to the large amount of clinical data collected including symptom patterns and information on social and environmental factors. The students will also help in obtaining new blood samples and in following patients who were studied at the onset of their illness.