Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a common psychiatric disorder that is associated with a high burden on patients and their families. The World Health Organization estimates that, for every euro spent on digital solutions for mental health, countries can reap a return of four euros in improved health and productivity. Unfortunately, clinical trials indicate that current best-practice methods of determining the optimal treatment for a specific MDD patient lack efficiency. This inefficiency is plausibly caused by the polygenic nature and the phenotypic heterogeneity of MDD. Recent technological advancements lead to the accumulation of data through electronic health records, next-generation sequencing technologies, and sensory devices. This has paved the way to a new era of brain research; now we can start using Machine Learning (ML) as an advanced approach to understanding MDD.
Applying machine learning methods to the accumulating data derived from Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies, Electronic Health Records (EHR), and sensory devices can transform the way psychiatric disorders are treated.
The PREDICTIX Antidepressant tool was developed out of this growing need for personalized treatment selection for patients diagnosed as suffering from depression. We aspired to create a prediction tool that relies on combinatorial data of clinical, demographic, and genetic information of each patient, in accordance with the applicable literature and guidelines. The project has the overall objective of optimizing and further improving the software engineering and clinical validation of the platform