Project description
Predicting young people’s mental health trajectories through gene-environment interactions
The interplay between genetic, epigenetic and environmental risks is considered the main determinant of mental health and illness in young people. However, scientific evidence for this is sparse. The EU-funded Youth-GEMs project will provide the world’s first evidence-supported knowledge base of functional (epi)genomics of the developing post-natal human brain in direct relation to developmental trajectories. The project will develop a set of evidence-based behavioural, environmental, biological and psychological-informed instruments for robust quantitative clinical assessment of mental health for young people (aged 12 to 24). Bringing together a multidisciplinary consortium, Youth-GEMs will also provide reliable predictive models while identifying gene-environment interplay, as well as actionable markers of trajectories of mental (ill) health in young people through the use of AI.
Objective
Youth mental health is heavily burdened, with life-long enduring impact on European citizens and societies. Trajectories of mental health and illness in young people are assumed to be determined by interplay between genetic, epigenetic, and environmental risk impacting during development. However, direct evidence for this is sparse and scientific progress is challenged. We recently initiated substantial advances enabling us to create necessary breakthroughs at the most pressing needs and challenges. Aiming to significantly reduce mental suffering and illness among European youth within the next 5-10 years, we will provide 1) the world?s first, evidence-based knowledge base of functional (epi)genomics of the developing post-natal human brain in direct relation to developmental trajectories of trans-syndromal phenotypes of mental illness, providing improved risk markers and actionable biological targets, 2) reliable predictive models, while identifying gene-environment interplay, as well as actionable markers of trajectories of mental (ill)health in young people through the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based and inference-based analyses of unprecedented sets of longitudinal general population datasets, 3) the first comprehensive, validated set of evidence-based behavioural, environmental, biological, and psychological-informed instruments for the robust quantitative clinical assessment of mental health for help-seeking young people aged 12-24 years, harmonised across European clinical settings, and 4) youth- and clinician-empowering AI-driven instruments for early (self)detection, prediction and monitoring of mental ill-health trajectories in youth. Our multidisciplinary consortium is uniquely equipped and positioned to enforce the necessary breakthroughs for significant reduction of mental illness and suffering of young people, and to translate our findings into clinical innovation and life-long impact in Europe and beyond.
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Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
6200 MD Maastricht
Netherlands
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Participants (13)
2 Dublin
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80539 Munchen
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3584 CX Utrecht
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08007 Barcelona
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Participation ended
4 Dublin
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3584 CH Utrecht
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08003 Barcelona
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51005 Tartu
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11000 Belgrade
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20155 Milano
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
21000 SPLIT
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28007 Madrid
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90014 Oulu
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Partners (5)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
4072 Brisbane
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
EX4 4QJ Exeter
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
WC2R 2LS London
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
CF24 0DE Cardiff
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
WC1E 6BT London
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