Schizophrenia Daily News Blog

New Research Identifies Candidate Genes for Schizophrenia

A team of researchers at the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI) in Melbourne, Australia have identified and isolated 69 genes that seem to be seriously implicated in the development of schizophrenia. This group of genes was selected from a larger group (153 genes) discovered to be expressed at higher or lower levels in subjects with schizophrenia as compared to controls. The genes in question, and the hundreds of proteins that they produce, are now being analyzed to determine how they affect the etiology of the disease.

The groundbreaking study used brain tissue samples collected post-mortem from subjects affected by either schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, a research technique made possible by cooperation from the State of Victoria, Australia. "This approach to understanding the causes of psychiatric illness has resulted from the generous act of tissue donation and therefore this research effort represents a unique partnership between scientists and the community in Victoria," said Associate Professor Brian Dean of MHRI.

The findings will be presented at BIO2004, the world's biggest biotechnology conference, in San Francisco (June 6-9, 2004).

Source: State Government of Victoria, Australia

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