Grant: CIHR Fellowship

Mental illness is a significant problem in Canada, with millions of people not getting the help they need. Among psychiatric disorders, schizophrenia is particularly disabling and costs billions of dollars annually in Canada alone. Unfortunately, current treatments often fall short, and no new drugs for schizophrenia have come to market in a long time. Genetic research offers hope for finding better treatments. By discovering the genes that cause schizophrenia, we can pinpoint new targets for drugs that have a higher chance of working. This approach has been successful for many other diseases, like heart disease and HIV. Schizophrenia has a strong genetic component, and genomic studies have been highly productive identifying hundreds of genetic variants involved in the disorder. Identifying the exact genes responsible has been challenging because the genetic signals are complex, so we need a better way to pinpoint the genes causing schizophrenia. Cutting-edge technology now allows us to study the genomic profiles of individual brain cells in detail. We can look at how individual genes are turned on and off in each cell from a brain tissue sample, which was impossible before. This technique, called single- cell genomics, can help pinpoint the genes causing schizophrenia. To do this, I will create detailed maps of how genes are regulated in individual brain cells. Next, I will try to identify the specific genes that cause schizophrenia by combining my brain maps with genetic data from thousands of people with schizophrenia. Finding the genes that cause schizophrenia could lead to better treatments, because drugs that target these genes are more likely to work. Finally, I will check if genetic discoveries can improve our ability to predict who might develop schizophrenia and how it progresses. In summary, my research aims to uncover the hidden genetic causes of schizophrenia in order to improve the lives of those affected by this devastating illness.