Cardiff University has formed a partnership with Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (Takeda) for a drug discovery collaboration to identify new approaches for treating schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders.

The collaboration will combine the University's large scale genomic data and world-class expertise in psychiatric genetics, genomics, clinical and basic neuroscience with Takeda’s extensive drug discovery and clinical development capabilities.

The collaboration will allow Takeda access to world-leading biological psychiatry research and the related infrastructure across the University, including the

• MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetic and Genomics
• Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute
• National Centre for Mental Health
• Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics Unit.

Enquiries

For more information regarding the Takeda partnership, please contact:

Neurodevelopmental disorders such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affect at least 1 in 10 children.

They are thought to begin in early life and, until recently, most children were thought to grow out of their problems. However, we now know that adults are also affected but not much is known about what these problems look like in adults. To start, we need to know what is “normal” or typical.

Research approach

For the first time, neurodevelopmental problems will be assessed in a group of around 8,000 adults (26 year olds) who have taken part in repeated assessments since they were in the womb. We will also assess anxiety, depression and irritability using the same measures that were used in childhood and adolescence.

We will describe neurodevelopmental problems at age 26, as well as patterns of comorbidity with anxiety, depression and other mental health problems. We will find out how neurodevelopmental problems are linked to child/adolescent neurodevelopmental profiles and work with population cohorts in other countries to ensure our findings are robust.

We will also test the extent to which early life experiences (in the womb and the early years) make a difference to life-long (at least up to age 26) neurodevelopmental health using a variety of methods to test causal inference, including Mendelian Randomization.

We will also examine the contribution of genes. Working across different populations will internationally strengthen this type of research. This work has been funded as a Wellcome Trust Collaborative Award.

Proposed outcome

First, we will characterise the natural history of neurodevelopmental disorders from childhood to adult life (aged 4 to 26 years) in a UK population cohort where people have been assessed multiple times at different ages.

We will then investigate the longer-term impacts of early life exposures and risks including links with depression.

Finally, we will apply novel epidemiological methods to infer which early life exposures have causal impacts.

Research team

We are collaborating on this project with researchers at University of Bristol, including:

Co-investigators

• Professor George Davey Smith
• Dr Evie Stergiakouli
• Professor Kate Tilling

Postdoctoral researchers

• Dr Beate Leppert

Mae’r Prosiect Ymchwil Gydweithredol i Gydafiachedd ar draws y Rhychwant Oes (LINC) yn astudio cydafiachedd corfforol a meddyliol ar draws y rhychwant oes.

Mae cydafiachedd yn golygu bod gan unigolyn ddau neu fwy o gyflyrau iechyd cronig ar yr un pryd. Mae gan unigolion o’r fath anghenion cymhleth sy’n anodd ac yn ddrud eu trin. O'r herwydd, mae cydafiachedd yn flaenoriaeth i lawer o wledydd.

Mae dioddef o gyflwr corfforol ar y cyd â chyflwr iechyd meddwl yn rhywbeth cyffredin.

Rhywbeth arbennig o gyffredin yw dioddef o iselder a gorbryder ar y cyd â chlefyd cardiofasgwlaidd, ond nid ydym yn deall yn iawn sut a pham mae’r cyfuniad hwn o gyflyrau mor gyffredin.

Mae LINC yn ceisio helpu i ateb y cwestiynau hyn.

Ein hymchwil ni

Gall LINC wneud hyn gan ei fod yn brosiect cydweithredol. Mae'r prosiect yn elwa o arbenigedd ym meysydd meddygaeth ac ymchwil, a hynny mewn sawl sefydliad ymchwil. Mae hefyd yn gallu gweld data arhydol manwl a fydd yn ei helpu i ymchwilio i’r canlynol:

1. Sut mae iselder a gorbryder a chlefyd cardiofasgwlaidd yn datblygu yn yr un person ar wahanol gamau bywyd (h.y. plentyndod, oedolaeth ifanc, oedolaeth hwyr)?
2. Beth yw’r ffactorau risg genetig, niwroddatblygiadol ac amgylcheddol ar gyfer datblygu iselder a gorbryder a chlefyd cardiofasgwlaidd?
3. Pa bethau sy’n cael effaith ar risg rhywiau a grwpiau ethnig gwahanol o ddatblygu iselder a gorbryder a chlefyd cardiofasgwlaidd, a sut?

Bydd LINC yn gwneud ei ymchwil ar y cyd â rhanddeiliaid ac yn gweithio’n agos gyda’r cyhoedd a grwpiau o gleifion i rannu ei ganlyniadau a dylanwadu ar bolisïau. Nod sylfaenol LINC yw hwyluso’r gwaith o ymyrryd yn gynnar mewn ffordd sydd wedi’i thargedu er mwyn lleihau’r risg o gydafiachedd ymhlith unigolion.

Prif ymchwilydd:

Aelod-sefydliadau cydweithredol a chyd-ymchwilwyr:

Prifysgol Caerdydd (Ysgol Meddygaeth ac Ysgol Busnes Caerdydd)

Prifsygol Bristol

Yr Athro John Macleod
Yr Athro Nicholas Timpson
Dr Rupert Payne
Dr Julie Clayton
Yr Athro Golam Khandaker

Prifysgol Exeter

Yr Athro Ines Barroso

Prifysgol Leeds (Ysgol Seicoleg)

Yr Athro Mark Mon-Williams

Prifysgol Llundain Brenhines Mary

Yr Athro David van Heel

Dr Sarah Viner

Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute

Dr Hilary Martin

Ysbyty Seiciatrig Prifddinas-Ranbarth Denmarc

Yr Athro Thomas Werge
Dr Andrés Ingason