Excerpted from the UCLA Depression Grand Challenges website:
The Depression Grand Challenge unites dozens of UCLA scientists and scholars with public and private stakeholders around a common goal.
THE GOAL: Cutting the burden of depression in half by 2050 and eliminating it by the end of the century.
The problem:
* 350 million People affected by depression worldwide
* $116 billion Spent on medical & long-terms costs of depressed individuals in the U.S. alone in 2010
* 50% of depressed individuals do not meaningfully respond to treatment
UCLA is uniquely equipped to make a difference:
Depression directly impacts our campus and local community, cutting across generations, genders, ethnic origins and socioeconomic backgrounds. We are vested in the success of this endeavor.
UCLA has world-class expertise in all aspects of depression, including neuroscience, behavioral science, genetics, economics, public health, engineering, business, medicine, public policy and the humanities, arts and storytelling. All of these experts are located within a 10-minute walk of each other on our single campus site. The diverse patient population served by the UCLA Health System (with its “Best in West” medical center) facilitates the recruitment of a representative research cohort of unprecedented size.
Progress toward the goal:
* Lead funding ($5M) from the David Geffen School of Medicine, which provides resources for initial investments. Additional early gifts will support postdoctoral and graduate student fellowships.
* The first members for the Depression Grand Challenge Science Advisory Board, the Strategic Advisory Board and the Leadership Council have been recruited.
* The Grand Challenge was recognized by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the BRAIN Initiative, which now includes “depression” within its scope.
* The shared commitment to defeat depression has galvanized and strengthened the UCLA community, catalyzing new collaborations and new scientific inquiries.
* Detailed research plans are under development for the first two years of activity. A series of internally and externally peer-reviewed initial demonstration projects are ready to begin.
* A cohesive vision has enabled the community to more successfully and strategically pursue traditional funding and higher profile opportunities.
* A Program Director with significant business experience has been recruited to operationalize the effort and to report on progress.
UCLA’s Approach:
* Discover the biological basis of depression by integrating basic brain science, genetics and clinical research.
* Recruit a 100,000-person cohort to identify genetic, biological, cognitive, social and environmental factors associated with depression.
* Use new research to develop and deliver new treatments and interventions for people with depression or at high risk for depression.
* Develop new screening and treatment protocols that mitigate the burden of depression. These new protocols will be first implemented on the UCLA campus and the patient population served by UCLA Health.
* Design and implement creative strategies to help people understand the condition, recognize its symptoms, and reduce the barriers to treatment.
