Le Lézard
Classified in: Health, Science and technology
Subjects: NPT, SVY

BDČ Announces First $15 Million in Grants to Advance Genetic and Biological Understanding of Bipolar Disorder


The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, in collaboration with UCLA, and the New York Genome Center to create the BDČ Genetics Platform

The CommonMind Consortium (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, University of Pittsburgh, and California Institute of Technology) to launch the BDČ Brain Omics Platform

WASHINGTON, March 30, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- BDČ: Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder today announced its first grants, totaling $15 million, to advance scientific understanding of the genetic and biological foundations of bipolar disorder. These first-of-their-kind efforts aim to accelerate discovery and improve diagnosis and care for the more than 40 million people with bipolar disorder.

"These grants aim to close a fundamental gap in understanding of bipolar disorder," said Kent Dauten, a founding board member of BDČ and longtime funder of bipolar disorder genetics research. "This foundational research is one step toward the many breakthroughs that will help all people with bipolar disorder thrive."

Bipolar disorder is highly heritable, meaning a parent can pass it on to their child, but it is unclear how and what genes contribute to bipolar. The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard; the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA); and the New York Genome Center will create the BDČ Genetics Platform, performing genetic sequencing on one of the largest and most diverse populations of people with bipolar disorder. They will sequence more than 30,000 samples from people with bipolar disorder from Africa, Central America, South America, and Asia.

"In contrast to other mental illnesses, the existing sequencing data for bipolar disorder are too small to deliver strong genetic associations," said Benjamin Neale, PhD, co-director of the Broad Institute Program in Medical and Population Genetics and associate professor in the Analytic and Translational Genetics Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital. "This initiative will catalyze genetic discovery efforts for bipolar disorder and promises to deliver new biological insights, which we hope will be the foundation for new approaches to interventions."

The CommonMind Consortium, comprised of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, the University of Pittsburgh, and the California Institute of Technology, will launch the BDČ Brain Omics Platform to study human brain tissue from people who lived with bipolar disorder.

"This state-of-the-art approach will aid in understanding neural changes in bipolar disorder on a molecular scale, an approach used in other brain disorders but is unprecedented in bipolar disorder studies," shared Panos Roussos, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Disease Neurogenomics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai.

The BDČ Brain Omics Platform is a groundbreaking effort that will develop a brain atlas for bipolar disorder, a resource researchers will use to accelerate the understanding of how certain molecules contribute to bipolar disorder. The CommonMind Consortium will analyze the cells of pertinent regions in human brain tissue from people who lived with bipolar disorder and those who didn't have the disorder.

"The organizations being awarded today are at the forefront of research in genetics and molecular psychiatry," said Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, and chair of the scientific steering committee overseeing BDČ. "BDČ is the driving force bringing together foundational and hypothesis-driven research in bipolar disorder. The discoveries from this research will over time enable long-sought advances in clinical care." 

These Omics and Genetics teams, identified through rigorous external peer review, will work closely with the scientific advisory committees, other funded teams, and the philanthropic investors to ensure their work transforms the field for people with bipolar disorder. 

"We are excited to see the vision for BDČ coming to life," said Cara Altimus, PhD, managing director for BDČ and senior director at the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy. "We have supported new research and created scale and infrastructure that makes it possible to coordinate clinicians, researchers, and the lived experience community to create progress. This is just the beginning." 

About BDČ 

Through an integrated, collaborative approach, BDČ: Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder will address knowledge gaps in the basic disease mechanisms of bipolar disorder as well as factors influencing clinical approaches and outcomes. This initial $150 million effort provides an unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of people with bipolar disorder and those yet to be diagnosed.

About the Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy

The Milken Institute Center for Strategic Philanthropy advises individuals and foundations seeking to develop and implement transformational giving strategies. In addition, we provide resources and leadership to make the philanthropic landscape more effective. Our vision is for a more effective philanthropic ecosystem where dollars are spent strategically, donors realize the impact they seek, and people and the planet thrive.

SOURCE BDČ


These press releases may also interest you

at 10:42
Xplore Inc., a leading provider of Internet services to Canadians in rural communities, has been named Manitoba's best and fastest Internet service provider by PCMag, an expert in internet service benchmarking for over 40 years. Xplore has also been...

at 10:39
Report with market evolution powered by AI - The sports sponsorship market and it is set to grow by USD 26.6 billion from 2025 to 2029. However, the growth momentum will progressing at a CAGR of about 6.3% during the forecast period, according to...

at 10:37
The Traffic Enforcement Camera Market is projected to experience significant growth, expanding from USD 2,541.63 million in 2023 to USD 7,574.05 million by 2032, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.81% from 2024 to 2032. This growth...

at 10:35
Legible Inc. . On Wednesday, February 12, 2024 ("Legible" / "Company"), and CAMB.AI Ltd. ("CAMB.AI"), signed an agreement to enhance the digital reading experience, leveraging artificial intelligence ("AI") on demand to instantly convert millions...

at 10:33
Today, EasyPark Group, a leading provider of digital parking and mobility solutions, completes its strategic acquisition of Parkopedia, a global leader in connected car services and mobility data aggregation. Together, this acquisition creates a...

at 10:30
- Disease control rate (DCR) of 78% (7 of 9) in combination escalation arm of MDNA11 with Merck's (known as MSD outside of Canada and the US) KEYTRUDAź (pembrolizumab) in ongoing Phase 1/2 ABILITY-1 trial including one complete response, one partial...



News published on and distributed by: