Bipolar Genes Project and Repository

The Prechter Fund has launched a national genetic research project to study the link between genes, stress and bipolar disorder. The Prechter Bipolar Genetic Repository housed at the University of Michigan Depression Center, with data collected in partnership with Stanford University, Cornell University and Johns Hopkins University.

The overall project cost is $5 million. Initial funding of $1 million came from the Heinz C. Prechter Bipolar Research Fund.

The Prechter Bipolar Genes Project is a large-scale genetic project and DNA repository that is studying 1,000 bipolar patients, particularly adolescents with early onset of the disease, and 1,000 matched control participants.

The Prechter Genetic Repository have a number of features that distinguish it from repositories at other national research institutions.

First, the samples are being collected by a group of participating investigators who follow standardized clinical assessments and procedures. The University of Michigan is incorporating a follow-up component and gathering far more extensive clinical data on the research subjects than what were a part of other samples currently available. The U-M is maintaining an ongoing relationship with the participating subjects during the follow-up. The U-M also blends neuroimaging, neuroendocrine, sleep measures and treatment outcomes with the genetic research to provide clues as to how each individual should be treated.

The Prechter Repository will allow for immediate access to DNA and cell lines for research investigators without the time constraints that exist at other institutions. Immediate access will help promote prompter assessment and translation.

A Treatment Resistant Depression Clinic has been established at the U-M Depression Center with generous support from the Noble Foundation. Michigan faculty can bank DNA samples and blood-derived cell lines from that clinic in the Prechter Repository. This enables a focus on the study of treatment-resistant individuals, an important group for investigation.

Lastly, the Prechter Repository at the University of Michigan enables pilot studies to address bolder questions. Studies that are based on new findings will be able to proceed more expeditiously. The Prechter Genetic Repository is a vitally important tool to rapidly accelerate genetic research, one of the most significant areas of study today.

In addition to sharing the knowledge between the universities, confidential, coded DNA repository samples and clinical information will be made available to scientists worldwide to accelerate and share clinical breakthroughs. "It is essential that this knowledge is shared with other scientists," said Wally Prechter. "We cannot work along parallel paths; we must come together to find the cure for bipolar disorder."

To learn more about the Genes Project, contact a Prechter Research Associate at:

1-877-UM GENES (1-877-864-3637)
bpresearch@umich.edu

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