Schizophrenia is a common yet poorly understood condition believed to be caused, in part, by genetic mutations. The two year project, funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC), builds on previous research at Leeds that suggests the existence of a genetic mutation, possibly causing an inherited form of the illness.
"If we can confirm which specific genes and processes are at fault, we can start to develop new treatments to target them," says lead researcher Dr Steve Clapcote from the University's Faculty of Biological Sciences. "Our study is important because medicines currently used to treat schizophrenia aren't effective in about a third of patients and can also cause severe side effects," he added.
The £400,000 MRC grant funds a team of University of Leeds academics including biologist Dr Clapcote, geneticist Professor Chris Inglehearn and psychiatrist Dr Alistair Cardno, both from the University of Leeds' School of Medicine, and consultant psychiatrist Dr Tariq Mahmood of Leeds Partnerships NHS Foundation Trust.
The team will initially be working with families from the Pakistani community of West Yorkshire, most of whom are the children of settlers from the 1950s. "We tend to find a smaller range of genetic mutations when individuals marry within a close-knit community, but it also means that we see certain mutations more often," says Professor Inglehearn. The team believe that this new approach will allow them to narrow the search to uncover which mutated genes have been inherited that might cause the development of the illness.
"In recent genetic studies of schizophrenia, researchers have usually studied large groups of unrelated people, looking for small increases in disease risk in a broad range of genes," says Dr Clapcote. "This new research uses a simpler approach, by working with a much smaller group of related patients," he explains.
The Leeds team has already tried this approach in one family, producing compelling evidence of the presence and location of a mutation on chromosome 13 which may cause a 'simple' genetic form of schizophrenia. They found that a child who inherits two copies of this mutation - usually from consanguineous marriage (marriage between cousins) - is more likely to develop the illness.
Previous research had suggested the existence of such a gene, but with vague and varied suggestions as to its exact location. Dr Clapcote believes that the team's preliminary work should make it easier to confirm and locate the gene involved. If successful, they plan to apply the new gene discovery approach to other families with multiple cases of schizophrenia. The identified genes may include suitable targets for new drugs, which the team is hopeful will treat the causes of the disease, not just the symptoms, and with fewer side effects.
New study to determine genetic causes of schizophrenia within families
