Illuminating human disease
Genomics is laying the groundwork for a new generation of diagnostics and therapeutics, built on our growing understanding of the biological mechanisms of disease. At the Ó³»´«Ã½, biologists, chemists, physicians, mathematicians, computational biologists, and software engineers are using systematic, unbiased approaches to identify the root causes of disease and find new opportunities for therapeutic intervention. Learn more about #HowWeScience.
Psychiatric disorders
Charting a path to new therapies by unraveling the genes and mechanisms that drive psychiatric disorders
Psychiatric disorders exact an enormous toll on human health, yet little is known about their underlying biology. Many currently available drugs only treat symptoms, have limited effectiveness, and are based on compounds discovered by chance over a half-century ago. To open new avenues for therapeutics discovery, scientists in the Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research are using state-of-the-art experimental and computational tools to reveal the biological underpinnings of these diseases. In 2016, for example, they generated evidence that excessive pruning of neuronal connections may contribute to schizophrenia. These and other key genetic insights are transforming research on psychiatric disorders into a modern field, focused on understanding the molecular and neurobiological mechanisms behind these conditions and paving a path to better therapeutics.
