IDBS said this week that the National Centre for Mental Health in Wales will use its Enterprise Translational Medicine Solution to integrate clinical, biobanking, and genetic data as part of research efforts to improve understanding and treatment of mental health disorders.
The platform will be used in a study organized by the NCMH, hosted by Cardiff University, that aims to better understand potential causes and triggers of mental illness as well as to improve diagnosis and management, IDBS said.
According to IDBS, the NCMH’s Wales Mental Health Network intends to recruit 6,000 volunteers over the next two years to take part in a study. It plans to collect data on approximately 300 clinical attributes for each individual enrolled in the study including medical and family history as well as medication and therapy.
These data will be used in a “range of studies over the next few years, including looking at genetics and identifying genes that may influence or trigger illness, imaging studies, and outcomes studies,” Nicolas Craddock, NCMH’s director, said in a statement.
NCMH will use IDBS’ ETMS platform to define and analyze cohorts for these studies as well as to access 3,000 historic records. Research efforts will focus on illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, dementia, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder among others.