Development of a Biomarker Panel for Antidepressant Response

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  A feasibility study to identify genetic, epigenetic and inflammatory biomarkers to predict response to antidepressant treatment in patients diagnosed with depression and matched healthy controls.

• IRAS ID

  154560

• Contact name

  Elaine Murray

• Contact email

  e.murray@ulster.ac.uk

• Duration of Study in the UK

  5 years, 0 months, 1 days

• Research summary

  Depression is a complicated and debilitating disorder characterised by a range of symptoms; including a persistent low mood,inability to experience pleasure, disturbed sleep and energy, and in some cases suicidal thoughts; depression often impacts social and occupational responsibilities for sufferers. Currently, the third leading cause of global disability, 350 million people are diagnosed with depression worldwide and the number is rising. Depression is principally treated with antidepressants, but this is not straightforward as over 30 different kinds of antidepressants are currently available. There is significant variation within individual response; generally only a third of patients no longer have symptoms of depression after their first prescription, and up to a third of patients with depression do not respond to multiple antidepressant treatments.
  There is no test to determine how someone with depression will respond to treatment, and doctors often use a trial and error based approach to find a successful treatment. Recent studies have identified a number of biological markers found in the blood including genes and inflammatory proteins that may be useful in predicting response to treatment when examined alongside clinical data. The proposed study is part of a PhD project, with the purpose of developing a blood test that will help doctor’s determine the most appropriate treatment for each patient. To do this we will conduct a feasibility study to establish normal and abnormal levels of a panel of potential biomarkers present in the blood of patients before, during and after treatment with antidepressant medications. We will also compare these biomarkers in patients that respond well to treatment, those who do not respond well to treatment and a group of healthy individuals. This work will be used to design future studies that may validate this new blood test by observing patient outcomes over a long period of time.

• REC name

  HSC REC A

• REC reference

  15/NI/0146

• Date of REC Opinion

  4 Aug 2015

• REC opinion

  Unfavourable Opinion