ICVS researchers will test new therapeutic targets for fast and long-lasting antidepressant action
Luísa Pinto and Nuno Dinis Alves have secured over 800,000 euros in funding from the renowned British foundation Wellcome, under the “Mental Health” program.
Their two-year research project, now approved for funding, aims to address a critical unmet need in depression (major depressive disorder): the lack of rapid and sustained therapeutic strategies. Specifically, the team will study the potential of a neuronal vesicular transporter as a novel pharmacological target for depression, with the goal of developing treatments that produce fast and long-lasting effects, and may even serve as an early diagnostic biomarker.
The project integrates cutting-edge methodologies such as genetic engineering, fiber photometry, and transcriptomics, combining in vivo and in vitro systems. The study will also include patient sample analyses from the United Kingdom, Sweden, Portugal, Greece, France, and Turkey.
Luísa Pinto and Nuno Dinis Alves
The research is led by the Brain Circuits and Neuron-Glia Adaptations team at ICVS–UMinho, in collaboration with Sandrine Thuret from King’s College London (UK).
Wellcome supports research that advances understanding of life, health, and wellbeing, with a focus on three key areas: mental health, infectious disease, and the impact of climate change on health.
The “Mental Health – Advancing Target Validation for Novel Mental Health Drug Discovery” program supports scientific projects that aim to identify new targets for the early treatment of mental illnesses, such as anxiety, depression, and/or psychosis.
