BD² Expands Foundational Effort to Understand Biology of Bipolar Disorder with $36 Million in New Grants

Grantees include researchers at the University of Oxford, the University of California, Berkeley, Mass General Brigham, and the Broad Institute; BD² opens new round of funding its second installment of Discovery Research grants, totaling nearly $18 million – broadening a comprehensive effort to examine the key mechanisms of bipolar disorder and marking a global expansion of BD². Multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians whose leads are from the University of Oxford, the...

Washington D.C., 26/09/2024 (informazione.it - comunicati stampa - economia)

its second installment of Discovery Research grants , totaling nearly $18 million – broadening a comprehensive effort to examine the key mechanisms of bipolar disorder and marking a global expansion of BD². Multidisciplinary teams of scientists and clinicians whose leads are from the University of Oxford, the University of California, Berkeley, Mass General Brigham, and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, will each receive grants of up to $4.5 million over three years, joining current Discovery Research grantees to undertake targeted, innovative research that deepens our understanding of bipolar disorder.

BD² also announced a third round of funding for the program , inviting interested research teams to apply for grants of up to $4.5 million each as well – an additional $18 million in total. 

“The Discovery Research program is a cornerstone of BD²'s comprehensive efforts to improve the exploration of causal mechanisms of bipolar disorder,” said Cara Altimus, PhD, managing director for BD² and managing director at the Milken Institute Science Philanthropy Accelerator for Research and Collaboration. “This second round of funding includes projects with direct links to programs throughout BD², building the scientific basis for new diagnostic and treatment approaches.”

The second round of Discovery Research grantees and their areas of focus are as follows:

Learn more about the projects and the teams.

The first round of Discovery Research grantees included teams whose leads are from Yale University, Stanford University, New York Genome Center, and the Wyss Institute at Harvard University. That work, comprising research into topics like the genetic risk factors of bipolar disorder and the role of genes in sleep disruption and mania, began last year and is well underway. 

BD² also announced the opening of a third round of funding opportunities for the Discovery Research program, inviting scientists across disciplines to learn more about and apply for funding to undertake groundbreaking research into the genetic, molecular, cellular, circuit, and behavioral mechanisms of bipolar disorder.

“Opening the Cycle 3 RFA for the Discovery Research program is a testament to the promise already evident in this approach – and an indicator of our hope and ambition to be able to accelerate scientific progress,” said Eric J. Nestler, MD, PhD, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, and Chair, BD² Research Programs. “This program continues to champion innovative thinking and creative strategies from a variety of teams and institutions to better understand bipolar disorder and lift up new opportunities for treatment.”

BD² has dedicated $85 million in funding to research that accelerates scientific understanding of bipolar disorder and advances clinical care through cross-disciplinary collaboration, data sharing, and real-time learning.

###

About BD²: Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder is the first organization focused on funding and advancing research and care for bipolar disorder on a global scale. Our collaborative, open-science approach is designed to transform and shorten the time it takes for scientific breakthroughs to make a meaningful difference in the lives of the tens of millions of people with bipolar disorder. For more information, please visit bipolardiscoveries.org .