The LIBD in Baltimore, MD and Astellas Research Institute of America LLC (ARIA), a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. located in Skokie, Illinois, are joining together in a research program to identify novel drug targets by studying gene expression profiles from patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Lieber Institute for Brain Development (LIBD) in Baltimore, MD and Astellas Research Institute of America LLC (ARIA), a U.S. subsidiary of Tokyo-based Astellas Pharma Inc. (Tokyo: 4503) located in Skokie, Illinois, are joining together in an innovative, collaborative research program to identify novel drug targets by studying gene expression profiles from patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The missions of ARIA and LIBD are complementary, both working to translate basic scientific discoveries into clinical advances that will positively change the lives of affected individuals.
The Lieber Institute is the only research institution in the world focused exclusively on understanding the neurodevelopmental origins of schizophrenia and related developmental brain disorders using a broad translational perspective. New discoveries in developmental neurobiology and genetics have put psychiatry on the threshold of a research revolution with important implications for public health. The missions of ARIA and LIBD are complementary, both working to translate basic scientific discoveries into clinical advances that will positively change the lives of affected individuals.
As the focal point of this collaboration, scientists from both institutions will work together to examine common human gene expression profiles and relate them to mutant mouse models that express many of the features of psychiatric diseases. This joint scientific venture will advance the identification of novel neural pathways and novel drug targets for the prevention and treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. In the course of this project, the Institute will develop new technologies in Laser Capture Microdissection that may have widespread applications.
The ultimate goal of this collaborative research is to spur the development of truly innovative treatment for patients suffering from severe lifelong psychiatric disorders.