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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 will be 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 will cost $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 will study 1,000 bipolar patients, particularly adolescents with early onset of the disease, and 1,000 matched control participants. The Prechter Repository will have a number of features that will distinguish it from repositories at other national research institutions. First, the samples will be collected by a group of participating investigators who follow standardized clinical assessments and procedures. The University of Michigan will incorporate a follow-up component and will gather far more extensive clinical data on the research subjects than what were a part of other samples currently available. The U-M will maintain an ongoing relationship with the participating subjects during the follow-up. The U-M will also blend 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 Michigan 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, with generous support from the Noble Foundation, as a part of the U-M Depression Center. Michigan faculty will be able to bank DNA samples and blood-derived cell lines from that clinic in the Prechter Repository. This will enable focal study of treatment-resistant individuals, an important group for investigation. Lastly, the Prechter Repository at the University of Michigan will enable 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)
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