A new initiative, the NEWMOOD project, was launched at the annual
Human Genome Meeting in Berlin last week. The project is a multinational study into the genetics of depression and mood disorders. A team of researchers in thirteen laboratories from ten different countries, co-ordinated by Professor Bill Deakin of the University of Manchester, will search for genes related to depression with the aim of driving the discovery of novel drug targets. Current anti-depressant drugs largely work by increasing levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin in the brain, but are ineffective in up to half of patients; it is hoped that NEWMOOD will identify alternative targets, as well as furthering understanding about depression and potentially creating new animal models for study of the disease. Clinical depression, a condition that affects some 120 million people worldwide and is thought to be to be increasing in incidence, is known to have both genetic and environmental causes. The five-year project has been awarded funding of € 7.3 million by the European Union
Sixth Framework Programme (FP6). Researchers plan to compare gene expression in healthy and depressed rats, mice and humans, with a view to identifying key genes involved in the initiation of the disease process. The project will use microarrays to study the expression of several hundred genes with a putative link to depression, involved in processes including metabolism, growth and cell communication.