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Building REsilience against MEntal illness during ENDocrine-sensitive life stages

Project description

DEENESFRITPL

Improving mental health during critical life stages

Biological criteria accounting for differences among individuals must complement mental illness symptom-based diagnoses to support mental health. Improving early detection and prevention measures is also critical. The EU-funded Re-MEND project focuses on four critical life stages in which changes in endocrine signalling, including sex hormones, influence an individual’s susceptibility to mental illness: early life, puberty, the peripartum period, and transition into old age. The project will integrate data from extensive population-based longitudinal cohort studies to unveil risk and protective factors as well as biological patterns influencing mental states across these life stages. Moreover, it will combine epidemiological with experimental studies, and use advanced biostatistics, machine learning and AI for data integration and novel biomarker and drug target discoveries.

Objective

Mental illnesses represent a huge burden for society, the economy, and the aMental illnesses represent a huge burden for society, the economy, and the affected individuals. To significantly increase citizens? mental health, today?s symptom-based diagnoses need to be complemented by biological criteria accounting for individual and sex differences. Furthermore, early detection and prevention measures need to be improved. RE-MEND addresses the current gaps and challenges with an interdisciplinary approach by: i) focussing on four critical life stages in which an individual?s susceptibility to mental illness is strongly influenced by changes in endocrine signalling, including sex hormones, namely early life, puberty, peripartum, and transition into old age; ii) integrating data from large population-based longitudinal cohort studies allowing for discovery of risk and protective factors as well as biological patterns that influence mental states in the general population across these life stages; iii) complementing epidemiological with experimental studies to establish correlative and causative links leading to mechanistic understanding; iv) using advanced biostatistics as well as machine learning and artificial intelligence for data integration and biomarker and drug target discovery; v) combining the biological approaches with communication science studies to efficiently translate its results to societal impact. Ultemately, RE-MEND will result in: i) Significantly increased mental health literacy among stakeholders and citizens; ii) Validated biomarkers for assessing mental health state and its predisposition as well as more accurate diagnoses and personalised preventive and therapeutic measures; iii) Recommendations for early detection, better prevention, and drug design strategies to protect vulnerable individuals from mental illness in sensitive life stages; and iv) strategies on how these advances can be used to decrease stigma and increase prevention behaviour.

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Call for proposal

HORIZON-HLTH-2021-STAYHLTH-01

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Funding Scheme

HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation Actions

Coordinator

UPPSALA UNIVERSITET
Net EU contribution
€ 3 854 080,50
Address
Von kraemers alle 4
751 05 Uppsala
Sweden

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Region
Östra Sverige Östra Mellansverige Uppsala län
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
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Other funding
€ 0,00

Participants (15)

Partners (1)

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Last update: 16 December 2022

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Permalink: https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101057604

European Union, 2023