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H2020Staff exchange2017–2022

SZ_TEST · Towards Early Molecular Diagnostics of Schizophrenia

Horizon 2020 — Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions

Duration
2017-01-01 → 2022-06-30
EU contribution
€990,000
Participants
12
Scheme
MSCA-RISE

Lines connect the coordinator with its partners.

Results in brief

Towards Early Molecular Diagnostics of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe mental disorder affecting more than 0.7% of the adult population. One of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man, SZ is also associated with considerable socioeconomic burden. Unfortunately, poorly understood aetiology and limited diagnostic arsenal make it difficult to detect and treat SZ in a timely and efficient manner. This underscores a critical need for better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this disease and development of new knowledge for diagnostic improvements allowing its early detection, ideally prior to the onset of psychosis. SZTEST, a consortium supported by Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (RISE) program, has addressed these challenges by coordinating efforts of academic and industrial partners with complementary areas of expertise in genetics, transcriptomics, neurodevelopment, molecular psychiatry, clinical immunology and biotech R&D. The overarching hypothesis underlying our work is that a systematic multivariate analysis of disease-contributing factors should result in improved diagnostic tools and potentially contribute to better therapies. The SZTEST project aimed to investigate the following: 1) what are the molecular mechanisms driving SZ 2) can we develop biomarkers for early detection of SZ 3) is a peripheral blood test for SZ diagnostics feasible? SZTEST brought together 11 partners from research and industry sectors across Europe. Overall, >130 secondments were carried out as a part of this program, involving >40 fellows at both ER and ESRs levels. A key output of SZTEST has been publication of 28 high-quality scientific papers, with several additional manuscripts still in preparation or in revision. The consortium has also allowed us to establish new collaborations addressing important aspects of SZ R&D. Furthermore, SZTEST organized 6 very successful international events at the interface between academia and industry, which have been extensively publicized. Several SZTEST alumni made excellent career moves in the US and Europe.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union

Project objective

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a severe mental disorder affecting more than 0.7% of the adult population. One of the most disabling and emotionally devastating illnesses known to man, SZ is also associated with considerable socioeconomic burden. In general, the chronic nature and the high degree of patient disability make SZ the fourth leading cause of disease burden across the globe with the management costs making up ~3% of the total healthcare budget in the Western countries. The situation is even direr in some regions, including northern Sweden and Finland, where relative prevalence of SZ exceeds two to three times corresponding national or regional averages. Poorly understood aetiology and limited diagnostic arsenal make it difficult to detect and treat SZ in a timely and efficient manner. This underscores a critical need for better understanding of the mechanisms underlying SZ and development of new diagnostic possibilities allowing its early detection, ideally prior to the onset of psychosis. The SZ_TEST will address these challenges by coordinating efforts with complementary areas of expertise in genetics, epigenetics, neurodevelopment, molecular psychiatry, clinical immunology and biotech R&D. The overarching hypothesis underlying our work is that genetic vulnerabilities, neurodevelopmental defects, exposure to pathogens, immune system status and specific lifestyle choices may compound the risk of SZ and that a systematic multivariate analysis of these factors should result in substantially improved diagnostic tools. SZ_TEST will work towards the development of molecular diagnostics tools for early detection of SZ, by using relevant cohorts of human subjects, unique animal and cell models, and combining unbiased high-throughput omic screens with knowledge-based candidate marker analyses. SZ_TEST training network is expected to have a major impact on improving the quality of life and reducing the health care costs in Europe and worldwide.

Original text from CORDIS.

Participants

  • PROTOBIOS OU · TallinnCoordinatorEstonia
  • ELVESYS · PARISFrance
  • HELSINGIN YLIOPISTO · HelsinkiFinland
  • HUS-YHTYMA · HelsinkiFinland
  • KING'S COLLEGE LONDON · LondonUnited Kingdom
  • LINKOPINGS UNIVERSITET · LinkopingSweden
  • LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN · PlaneggGermany
  • OU QURETEC · TartuEstonia
  • SIHTASUTUS TARTU ULIKOOLI KLIINIKUM · TartuEstonia
  • SYSTASY BIOSCIENCE GMBH · PlaneggGermany
  • TALLINNA TEHNIKAÜLIKOOL · TallinnEstonia
  • TARTU ULIKOOL · TartuEstonia

Links

Data: CORDIS, © European Union