MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre
Lead Research Organisation:
King's College London
Department Name: Social Genetic and Dev Psychiatry Centre
Abstract
Nearly all psychiatric disorders are influenced by both genes and environment, often in equal measure, and most adult psychiatric disorders originate in childhood. For these reasons, the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre was launched in 1994 as the first of the MRC?s large interdisciplinary research centres in order to bring together social (environmental) and genetic strategies to understand the development of mental health and illness. The MRC SGDP Centre continues to be the only centre of excellence nationally or internationally with this interdisciplinary theme. The focus of the MRC SGDP Centre is on common psychiatric disorders that have a huge impact on people?s everyday lives such as mood disorders (anxiety and depression), ?externalising? disorders (disruptive behaviour including hyperactivity and addictions), and cognitive disorders (learning disabilities and the autistic spectrum). The Centre?s mission includes research, translation and training.
To achieve its research mission, the Centre has successfully recruited a broad range of 28 experts from psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, molecular genetics, and quantitative and statistical genetics and facilitated their working together in the Centre?s new #16-million building. The hallmark of the MRC SGDP Centre is collaborative interdisciplinary research, which has produced pioneering findings at the developmental interface between genes and environment with far-reaching implications for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illness. In order to add to the synergy created by its SGDP themes and existing resources, the Centre?s major new research request for 2010-15 is to develop three new resource areas ? bioinformatics, epigenetics and electrophysiology.
The second aspect of the Centre?s mission is to translate its research findings to clinical practice and public health policy. Translation of the Centre?s research is facilitated by its status as a department of the Institute of Psychiatry, which is a world-class psychiatric research institution and is in partnership with the Maudsley Hospital and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, the premier NHS mental health trust.
In terms of its training mission, the Centre?s 4-year PhD programme - launched in 1997, the first of its kind in the UK - continues to thrive, with nine new students accepted each year all of whom are supported with studentships. The Centre makes its expertise available more widely through its annual one-week Summer School for 70-100 researchers and doctors from around the world. A goal of the Centre during 2010-2015 is to greatly extend its educational reach through the development of e-learning programmes.
To achieve its research mission, the Centre has successfully recruited a broad range of 28 experts from psychiatry, psychology, neuroscience, molecular genetics, and quantitative and statistical genetics and facilitated their working together in the Centre?s new #16-million building. The hallmark of the MRC SGDP Centre is collaborative interdisciplinary research, which has produced pioneering findings at the developmental interface between genes and environment with far-reaching implications for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of mental illness. In order to add to the synergy created by its SGDP themes and existing resources, the Centre?s major new research request for 2010-15 is to develop three new resource areas ? bioinformatics, epigenetics and electrophysiology.
The second aspect of the Centre?s mission is to translate its research findings to clinical practice and public health policy. Translation of the Centre?s research is facilitated by its status as a department of the Institute of Psychiatry, which is a world-class psychiatric research institution and is in partnership with the Maudsley Hospital and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, the premier NHS mental health trust.
In terms of its training mission, the Centre?s 4-year PhD programme - launched in 1997, the first of its kind in the UK - continues to thrive, with nine new students accepted each year all of whom are supported with studentships. The Centre makes its expertise available more widely through its annual one-week Summer School for 70-100 researchers and doctors from around the world. A goal of the Centre during 2010-2015 is to greatly extend its educational reach through the development of e-learning programmes.
Technical Summary
Founded in 1994, the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre?s overarching theme is to bring together social (environmental) and genetic strategies to study the development of mental health and illness. Its focus is on common psychiatric disorders that emerge in childhood such as mood disorders (anxiety and depression), ?externalising? disorders (disruptive behaviour including hyperactivity and addictions), and cognitive disorders (learning disabilities and the autistic spectrum). The MRC SGDP Centre now includes 28 researchers with permanent appointments whose offices, students and research teams are in the MRC SGDP building. During 2005-09, the Institute of Psychiatry (IoP) has invested heavily in the Centre, with continuing commitments that will cost #10m during 2010-15. In addition, the IoP has committed an additional #2m in new money during 2010-15 if the Centre is renewed.
The Centre?s mission includes research, translation and training. Its progress in research at the developmental intersection between genes and environment has been outstanding as assessed in terms of collaboration, impact of publications and grants. A key feature of the Centre?s progress during the current grant period has been the appointment of seven new researchers who will increase the Centre?s strength at multiple levels of analysis between genes and behaviour. In order to add to the synergy created by its SGDP themes and existing resources in molecular and statistical genetics, the Centre?s major new research request for 2010-15 is to develop three new resource areas ? bioinformatics, epigenetics and electrophysiology ? with diminishing support over the five years as these resource areas become self-supporting by contributing to new research grants.
Translating research findings into knowledge useful for improving health is a strength of the Centre because the Centre is embedded within IoP with its unrivalled strengths in psychiatric research and with its strong links with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust which is the premier mental health trust in the UK. In terms of training, the Centre?s 1+3 MSc/PhD programme has doubled in size during the current grant period to nine students per year all of whom are fully supported with studentships. For 2010-15, support is requested for four studentships which is half of the Centre?s total budget request. The Centre makes its expertise available more widely through its self-supporting annual one-week Summer School for 70-100 researchers. The present proposal requests support to extend our educational research throughout the world by the development of e-learning programmes.
The Centre?s mission includes research, translation and training. Its progress in research at the developmental intersection between genes and environment has been outstanding as assessed in terms of collaboration, impact of publications and grants. A key feature of the Centre?s progress during the current grant period has been the appointment of seven new researchers who will increase the Centre?s strength at multiple levels of analysis between genes and behaviour. In order to add to the synergy created by its SGDP themes and existing resources in molecular and statistical genetics, the Centre?s major new research request for 2010-15 is to develop three new resource areas ? bioinformatics, epigenetics and electrophysiology ? with diminishing support over the five years as these resource areas become self-supporting by contributing to new research grants.
Translating research findings into knowledge useful for improving health is a strength of the Centre because the Centre is embedded within IoP with its unrivalled strengths in psychiatric research and with its strong links with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust which is the premier mental health trust in the UK. In terms of training, the Centre?s 1+3 MSc/PhD programme has doubled in size during the current grant period to nine students per year all of whom are fully supported with studentships. For 2010-15, support is requested for four studentships which is half of the Centre?s total budget request. The Centre makes its expertise available more widely through its self-supporting annual one-week Summer School for 70-100 researchers. The present proposal requests support to extend our educational research throughout the world by the development of e-learning programmes.