大型影像基因队列研究的先驱（Pioneering Large Imaging Genetic Cohorts）

The applicant hasconceived and coordinates the European longitudinal imaging genetics cohort IMAGEN‘Reinforcement-related behaviour in normal brain function and psychopathology’ of 2000 14-year-old participants who have been followed up at age 16, 19 and 23 years.IMAGEN is one of the first and largest studies of its kindand has made important contributions to theunderstanding of the biological basis of reinforcement-related behaviour and its genetic and environmental determinants, resulting inover 150 publications in leading scientific journals, including Nature, Science, and top speciality journals.Having pioneered the acquisition and analysis of large-scale neuroimaging genetics data in the IMAGEN project, the applicant has gained expertise in successfully coordinating a large international consortium. IMAGEN project has fundamentally influenced the field by having pioneered approaches used in subsequent projects, such as the American ABCD study.

The applicantcoordinates MRC-ICMR Newton project cVEDA – Consortium on Vulnerability to Externalizing Disorders and Addictions– in India and the UK, a multi-centric, accelerated- longitudinal, study of 10.000 participants aged 8-23 years, including 1400 MRI scans to investigateenvironmental factors and their genetic interaction with the brain and mental health-related behaviour.cVEDA is currently the largest study of its kind in India. Its coordination has provided the applicant with experience in global mental health research as well as the implementation of precision medicine approaches in Low and Middle Income Countries. This work provides the basis for the concept proposed in this application of adapted precision medicine that takes into account different ethnic, geographical and socio-cultural conditions. We have already generated data of important public health significance, such as a normative mapping of brain development for India (Zhang et al. Molecular Psychiatry, in press; Holla et al. submitted).

The applicant holds anAdvanced-ERC grant for the STRATIFY project to develop a precision medicine framework to classify psychiatry symptoms based on shared biological mechanisms.In the STRATIFY project, we use multimodal neuroimaging, genetics and environmental data to transdiagnostically identify symptom clusters of mental disorders that are defined by shared biological mechanisms.

Based on hisexperience in IMAGEN and cVEDA, as well as on his role in thesteering committee of the ENIGMA neuroimaging meta-analysis consortium, the applicant’s research team is aiming to combine the statistical power of large-scale neuroimaging meta-analyses with the phenotypic depth of the characterisations in IMAGEN and cVEDA. To this end he has established theGIGA consortium of up to 195.000 participants and over 25.000 neuroimaging scans from China, India, Europe and the U.S. that strives to standardise neuroimaging and behavioural characterisations across cohorts, develop tools for data harmonisation and federated data analysis and aims to employ innovative technology, such as remote sensing satellite data and momentary ecological monitoring to maximise comparability by acquiring identical data across various cohorts and geographical locations (see:'Precision medicine and global mental health.' Schumann G, Benegal V, Yu C, Tao S, Jernigan T, Heinz A, Araya R, Yu L, Calhoun V; Global Imaging Genetics in Adolescents Consortium. Lancet Glob Health. 2019 Jan;7(1):e32.).

Collaboration with China

The applicant has established strong collaborative ties with China. As a Distinguished Visiting Professorship at Fudan University, the applicant spearheading the establishment ofa joint KCL-Fudan Centre for Population Neuroscience and Stratified Medicine (PONS), as well asconsulting for the key project of Shanghai Science &Technology (No.16JC1420402). This collaboration has proven to be highly fruitful so far, publishing scientific work in revealing the genetic and neuropsychological bases of mental disorders on top journals, such asPNAS, Nature Human Behaviour, JAMA Psychiatry, Molecular Psychiatry, Biological Psychiatry and Nature Communications. The applicant also holds an Honorary Professorship at Tianjin Medical University and a 'Top tier Foreign Expert' appointment at Beijing Normal University.

Awards and Other Achievements

In recognition of his scientific achievements, the applicant has received several awards at various stages of his career, includinganHumboldt Award,an Advanced Investigator Awardby the European Research Council, anAward of the European College of Neuropharmacology for the best basic research projectand theWilhelm Feuerlein Research Award of the German Addiction Foundation. The applicant was invited to plenary talks at major international congresses, including the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology and the World Congress of Psychiatric Genetics as well as prestigious named lectures, such as the Okey Lecture, and the symposium of the Royal Society on “Neurobiology of Addictions” to present and discuss his research findings. In recognition of his expertise, the applicant was tasked by theEuropean Commissiontolead the development of a Biomedical Research Strategy for a European Roadmap for Mental Health Research. The applicant served asa member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Leibniz Institute for Neuroscience, Magdeburg and the EU-Innovative Medicine Initiative ‘AETIONOMY’.