The Eurecat technology centre is working in the European OPADE project for the identification of key biomarkers in major depressive disorder to support healthcare professionals in their decision-making and increase the accuracy of diagnosis and antidepressant treatment.
Specifically, the Eurecat research team is analysing multi-omics data from hundreds of patients with severe depression “to find predictive biomarkers which allow more precise diagnosis to individually guide their treatment with the help of personalised medicine,” says Núria Canela, Director of the Centre for Omic Sciences (COS), a joint unit run by Rovira i Virgili University and Eurecat.
OPADE addresses the microbiota-brain axis which plays a key role in mental health and in major depressive disorders in particular, deepening knowledge of the mechanisms involved in these disorders and their relationship with microbiota and gut health.
The project is developing a predictive artificial intelligence tool equipped with machine learning which will be trained on the basis of cognitive assessment and biochemical parameters so that it can estimate the effectiveness of antidepressants and personalise treatment.
A patient empowerment tool is also being rolled out which features a chat room to gather their stories and give advice to enhance their quality of life.
The project’s goals include patient profiling to predict and optimise the efficacy of prescribed antidepressants with a higher remission rate while also improving diagnostic accuracy for primary prevention.
The OPADE project, led by the European Biomedical Research Institute of Salerno, is made up of 14 organisations from ten countries.
Personalised medicine applied to major depression
Over 280 million people suffer from major depression worldwide and 75 percent are untreated. Moreover, no more than 6 percent of patients under medication benefit from precise treatment.
Given this situation, “the search for personalised medicine, from diagnosis to treatment, is a key aspect of mental health care,” notes Salvador Fernández, a researcher in Eurecat’s Omic Sciences Unit.
Personalised medicine essentially means harnessing genetic information and other molecular, environmental and lifestyle biomarkers with the primary goal of enhancing disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment while helping to choose the most appropriate treatment for each patient.
When developing personalised therapies “it is essential to characterise individuals at the molecular level,” says Antoni Caimari, director of Eurecat’s Biotechnology Area. “This involves tapping cutting-edge technologies to compile information from the entire genome, proteins and small molecules in a sample.”
Omics technologies such as genomics, proteomics and metabolomics “make it possible to analyse large amounts of biological data on individuals and populations and thus help characterise diseases and interpret therapeutic response,” he adds.
