Ontario Brain Institute and its partner institutions confirm $18 million in new funding to spur faster diagnosis, more personalized treatments for depression

• Five-year program brings together 41 investigators, a dozen universities and hospitals, 4 companies, 2 patient advocacy groups, and over 750 patients from across Ontario
• Part of OBI's multi-million dollar Integrated Discovery Program encouraging collaboration among all parties associated with the study and treatment of depression

TORONTO, April 10, 2014 /CNW/ - The Ontario Brain Institute will invest $12 million in new funds over the next five years on the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND). Partner institutions will contribute another $6 million to the program, bringing the total investment to $18 million.

CAN-BIND is one of a series of five OBI-funded programs that encourage stronger collaboration among all parties associated with a particular brain disorder, including researchers, academic institutions, companies and patient advocacy groups. 

Over 1 million Ontarians live with depression and it's the leading cause of time lost from work – more than cancer or heart disease. A wide range of treatments are available, but currently there are no specific ways to match a particular treatment – medication, psychotherapy, or other – to a specific person.

"The bottom line for everything that we're doing is to make the treatment of depression more effective—the patient is the absolute focal point for the work," explains Dr. Sidney Kennedy, Program Lead for CAN-BIND. 

CAN-BIND aims to take the guess work out of treatment for depression by finding clear and objective ways of matching the right treatment to the right patient.

"This kind of program is what is going to help us match patients to the treatment that are going to work for them. From the large number of participants from across the country, to the skill and breadth of the experts involved, CAN-BIND's broad perspective is building momentum in the study of depression at large," says Dr. Donald Stuss, President of the Ontario Brain Institute.

Watch the CAN-BIND video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBtw2OpRDso

More details on the CAN-BIND program may be found here: http://www.braininstitute.ca/depression

The Ontario Brain Institute is a provincially‐funded, not‐for‐profit research centre seeking to maximize the impact of neuroscience and establish Ontario as a world leader in brain discovery, commercialization and care. The OBI creates convergent partnerships between researchers, clinicians, industry, patients, and their advocates to foster discovery and deliver innovative products and services that improve the lives of those living with brain disorders.

SOURCE: Ontario Brain Institute

To interview Dr. Donald Stuss or CAN-BIND scientists, please contact: Michelle Wilson, MSc, Communications Lead, Ontario Brain Institute, 438 University Ave, Suite 1618, Toronto, Ontario M5G 2K8, Office: [phone], Fax: [phone], Email: [email protected]