Kennedy Lab

🎉Happy #DNADay!🧬Today we celebrate the amazing impact of genetics on science, health & society by answering your questions on AI + genetic testing. Plus, we're celebrating our #DNADay25 Essay Contest winners at noon! 🏆👏 Join the convo here: redd.it/1k7i3t1 #ASHG

Overall, these results highlight the role of C4 in schizophrenia and its potential impact on TRS, emphasizing immune system involvement and a sex-dependent effect. Congrats to the authors led by @kowsar_teymouri! #Schizophrenia #Genetics #C4 (3/3)

Key Findings: 🔹 C4S and C4AS variants may provide a sex-dependent protection against severe schizophrenia. 🔹 C4S is linked to reduced treatment resistance in males. 🔹 More copies of C4S correlate with fewer hospitalizations, especially in Europeans. (2/3)

🚨Publication alert!🚨 Check out our recent study exploring the link between the C4 gene structural variants and treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) along with hospitalization rates! doi.org/10.1016/j.psyc… (1/3)

Great talk by our postdoc from @KennedyLabDNA, Dr. Sarah Afjeh on gene co-expression in Bipolar Disorder #DPRD2024

Fantastic talk by our very own Niki Akbarian from @KennedyLabDNA on the realtionship between Neuroticism and Alzheimer’s Disease #DPRD2024

I’m excited to share that my PhD study using the genetics of heart rate variability to identify new targets for anxiety disorders has been published in Psychiatry Research! sciencedirect.com/science/articl… @CAMHResearch @CAMHnews @UofTIMS @UofT

Very few studies of mental illness examine large longitudinal cohorts of people receiving mental health care. @CAMHnews has made a major investment to study biology to social determinants to service use data across the lifespan, partnering with patients and families.

Our @CoMorMent study identifying genetic, immunometabolic, lifestyle, and psychosocial factors underlying the link between depression and cardiovascular disease in @NatureCVR, with @JoellePasman @oleaandreassen @UnnurAValdimars @mcintosh2001 @cathrynlewis nature.com/articles/s4416…

Important message from @camhnews. The science & evidence should drive policy. Easy access to alcohol (& any substance with abuse potential) means more deaths, more illness, more hospitalization, and more cost to citizens. And less regulation impacts young people the most.

Earlier this week, I was truly honored and humbled to receive this award at the #APAAM2024 ⁦ @APApsychiatric Annual Meeting for my contributions to #pharmacogenomics in psychiatry! Following the Q&A round, I felt I should have maybe added one more sentence in the 'take home': Yes, (FDA, EMA...) labeling, guidelines, and expert recommendations are important to consider and should help as orientation. However, at the end of the day, the educated prescriber and the empowered patient must make a joint judgment call if #pharmacogenetic testing should be considered - particularly, before suspecting 'treatment resistance' and before engaging in alternative treatment interventions for #depression.

Congratulations to Niki and Kowsar for their achievements at IMS Scientific Day @UofTIMS! 👏🏻👏🏻Additionally, we're delighted to share that Dr. Kennedy has been awarded the Mel Silverman Mentorship Award. #IMSScientificDay

Excited to share that our paper on the association between the schizophrenia-associated C4 gene and its implications for understanding suicide risk is finally published! Check it out here: nature.com/articles/s4153…

My paper using wearables to study the association of anxiety disorders and heart rate variability is published! This was one of my thesis chapters, and I'm excited to finally have it out! Check it out here: sciencedirect.com/science/articl… @CAMHResearch @CAMHnews @empatica

Terrific publication that is only the beginning of high value science from this @camhnews longitudinal cohort of psychosis-prone youth. Also to come are molecular studies of genomic risk factors and blood biomarkers of clinical outcomes. Very exciting!

Our Tanenbaum Centre for Pharmacogenetics is at the forefront of developing gene-guided treatments that enable patients to receive personalized care based on their optimal treatment plan; while reducing symptoms of illness + minimizing side effects. MORE: camh.ca/en/science-and…

Harry Rosen has been a key supporter of our research at CAMH. In addition to his incredible Canadian legacy, he will be remembered for his dedication and generosity towards mental health efforts and individualized medicine. May he rest in peace.

I just returned from Harry Rosen’s funeral. He lived a full life of dedication to others including special attention to mental health and supporting CAMH. The quote on his office wall points out that each individual is unique — also true for mental health care.

Check out our recent publication on patient experiences and opinions on pharmacogenomic testing in psychiatry published in @JPM_MDPI doi.org/10.3390/jpm140… #pharmacogenetics

Happy Holidays from the Kennedy Lab! 🎄☃️🎁❄️