Research, with people in mind

The Centre of Research Excellence for the Development of Innovative Therapies for Psychiatric Disorders (CREDIT) has a single goal: working collaboratively to discover and create novel treatments to empower those with some of the most disabling mental disorders – like depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia.
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Our research

Despite the dedication of mental health professionals, some of our foremost treatments for conditions like bipolar disorder have not changed in decades – not because they are perfect, but because we have not found better alternatives.

Currently, this lack of treatment options leaves, for instance, full remission rates for psychosis at just 25%, and for depression, just 3 out of 10. In other words: if diagnosed with depression, you may have only a 30% chance of each treatment regime being effective.

We find this unacceptable.

That’s why we are on a mission to discover new possibilities for potential treatments, by weaving together:

  • Stem cells models to repurpose drugs
  • Population data
  • Key biological pathways for disease development
  • Preclinical models
  • Untapped potential of existing medications
  • Clinical trials – that vital process for both testing and generating leads
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Our pillars

Our researchers combine multiple threads of inquiry that flow between four pillars of research and beyond. We link with a range of other actors in mental health, and we want to see the ideas from research move into practice, to feed a better future for mental health.

Basic Science: in-vitro and in-vivo models

Our Basic Science team (stem cell in-vitro and in-vivo models) uses biology, molecular biology, drug repurposing, and biomarker discovery to map how known treatments change patterns of gene expression, to detect novel effects of known therapies in new indications.

Basic Science: human samples

Our basic science (human samples) team utilise biomarker data to refine our choices of agents, to detect potential theragnostic or prognostic markers, and to detect signals that may predict use of other therapies.

Epidemiology

Our epidemiology team mines a wealth of existing psychiatric, medical, behavioural, socio-demographic, biomarker, and microbiome data to uncover sometimes unexpected links between treatments, illness and biomarkers, behaviours, or environmental factors.

Clinical Trials

Our Clinical Trials pillar sits at the applied end of the pipeline of new treatments, providing a vital process for both testing and generating leads.

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Discover the team behind the life-changing research at CREDIT

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