ZonMw Open Competitie grant for Anja Lok and colleagues

Dr. Anja Lok, department of Psychiatry Amsterdam UMC and theme leader Mental Health of the HELIUS-study, together with Erasmus MC Rotterdam, Swammerdam Institute of Life Sciences and the computational lab of the University of Amsterdam, has received a ZonMw Open Competitie grant. In this interdisciplinary project Anja will research the microbiome and aims to uncover the role of the gut microbiome in depression and develop new treatments.

Depressive disorders remain one of the leading causes of disability, premature mortality, and economic disparity worldwide. Current treatment options, while available, often prove to be suboptimal, highlighting an urgent need for more effective interventions. A promising new development is emerging in the form of the gut microbiome — the complex community of microbes living in the human digestive system.

Research has shown a strong and replicable link between gut microbiota and depression, suggesting that this microbial community could play a significant role in the onset and progression of depression. Building on this promising connection, this new project is set to explore novel intervention strategies that could potentially ‘beat’ depression by targeting gut microbiota and its microbial products.

The primary aim of this innovative project is to identify bacterial targets that could be used to diagnose, recover from, or prevent depression. This work is critical as it marks the first step towards developing new applications for treating the depression. One of the major challenges in this field is the current reliance on cross-sectional, correlational studies, often conducted with small or underpowered sample sizes. This new project seeks to move beyond these limitations by conducting longitudinal studies with multiple cohorts, examining the temporal and causal relationships between depression and the microbiome. It will also take into account differences in ethnicity and sex to ensure more inclusive and accurate results.

A unique aspect of this project is its focus on the interactions between microbial groups and their products, rather than simply looking at isolated associations. This approach promises to provide deeper insights into the complex mechanisms linking gut health and mental health. Additionally, the research will validate promising findings through preclinical in vitro and in vivo models, moving closer to real-world applications.

The expected outcome of the project is the identification of potential prebiotics and probiotics that could be tested clinically as new treatments for depression. The findings could have significant benefits for both academic researchers and industrial partners in the food and pharmaceutical sectors, who are keen to develop new, more effective treatments for depression in an area where current options are severely lacking.

The ZonMW Open Competition is designed for both fundamental and applied research, encouraging collaboration between different scientific disciplines and sectors. Read more: ZonMw Open Competition 2024