Background
Depression is a major public health challenge, affecting one in five Australians over their lifetime. Alarmingly, about a third of those diagnosed do not respond to conventional treatments, highlighting an urgent need for a deeper understanding of the biological factors driving both depression and treatment outcomes. While genetics is known to play a role in depression risk, less is understood about how it influences specific features of the disorder—such as age of onset, recurrence, and sex differences—or why some individuals respond well to treatment while others do not. This project aims to unravel these complexities by investigating the genetic basis of depression characteristics and treatment response, shedding light on the biological mechanisms that shape individual experiences of the disorder.
Aim
This project will:
- Identify genetic factors that contribute to depression risk and key clinical features, such as age of onset and recurrence.
- Explore the relationship between depression and related traits
- Determine whether treatment response traits—such as medication efficacy, tolerability, and side effects—are influenced by genetic variation.
Approach
Leveraging large-scale national and international genetic datasets (N=20,000 and N=500,000), this project will apply cutting-edge statistical genetics approaches—including genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and polygenic risk scoring (PRS)—to uncover the genetic architecture of depression-related traits. The student will explore how depression risk factors differ between males and females and investigate genetic links between depression and other health conditions.
Project Potential
This project has the potential to significantly advance our understanding of the genetic underpinnings of depression, with a particular focus on identifying genetic factors that influence clinical features like age of onset, recurrence, and treatment response. By integrating large-scale genetic datasets with advanced statistical techniques, this research could pave the way for more personalized and effective approaches to depression treatment, particularly for individuals who do not respond to conventional therapies.