New large-scale study searches for depression genes

A new article in the European Journal of Human Genetics reports the early stages of a new large-scale project searching for the genetic factors influencing risk of major depressive disorder (MDD). The study will look at markers throughout the genomes of 1862 people who have suffered from major depression and 1857 controls and identify genetic variants that are more common in patients than in unaffected individuals.

Depression is a major health burden in Western countries, and has a fairly hefty genetic component. Identifying the genes that influence our risk of developing this disease may help patients and clinicians to recognise and treat depression early, before it creates havoc in sufferers' lives. In addition, genes that predispose to depression will be seen as tempting new drug targets by pharmaceutical companies looking to create the next Prozac. I'll be keeping a close eye on the progress of this study.