UNCOVERING THE GENETIC AND BIOLOGICAL UNDERPINNINGS OF SCHIZOPHRENIA

Abstract

This symposium will feature cutting-edge research that leverages diverse genomic approaches to elucidate the complex etiology of schizophrenia. The presentations will span large-scale genetic association studies, novel sequencing technologies, and investigations of the gut microbiome - all with the goal of advancing our fundamental understanding of this debilitating psychiatric disorder.

The symposium will begin with a report on the largest genome-wide association study (GWAS) of schizophrenia conducted in an Eastern Asian population to date. The speaker will present findings on newly identified risk loci that provide insights into the unique genetic architecture of schizophrenia in this understudied ancestral group. Next, researchers will share results from a study utilizing long-read sequencing technology to comprehensively catalog de novo mutations in schizophrenia parent-offspring trios. This high-resolution approach has uncovered rare, disruptive variants missed by short-read sequencing that may confer substantial risk for the disorder. The symposium will also feature an investigation of the gut microbiome and its potential role in schizophrenia pathogenesis. The speaker will discuss metagenomic analyses revealing distinct microbiota signatures associated with the disease state, suggesting gut-brain axis mechanisms worthy of further exploration. Finally, the symposium will conclude with functional experiments probing the biological impact of D2R-DISC1 complex on antipsychotic treatment. The speaker will share findings from a comprehensive investigation using both patient-derived samples and mouse models of schizophrenia. Through a combination of proteomic analyses, pharmacological manipulations, and advanced molecular techniques, the researchers have uncovered novel insights into how the D2R-DISC1 signaling axis contribute to treatment response in schizophrenia.

Collectively, this symposium will showcase innovative genomic and experimental approaches that are revolutionizing our understanding of schizophrenia's complex etiology. The findings presented will inspire new hypotheses and accelerate the translation of genetic discoveries into improved diagnostic tools and targeted therapeutic strategies.