Basic information

Investigator: prof. MUDr. Pavel Mohr, Ph.D. 
Main recipient: NIMH (National Institute of Mental Health)
Co-recipient: The Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Essence Line s.r.o., Anume s.r.o.
Research period: 1/1/2025 – 31/12/2028
Total budget: 96,982,185.35 CZK
NIMH budget: 50,562,996.99 CZK
Supported by: Co-funded by the EU and the Ministry of Education and Science from the Operational Programme of Jan Amos Komenský

Annotation

Schizophrenia is a complex neuropsychiatric illness that profoundly affects the lives of patients and their loved ones. The BRAINSCAPE project brings a new approach to Schizophrenia  research and therapy, using a combination of precision and personalized medicine. A key component of the project is linking disease stratification with biomarker identification, supported by advanced technologies and ESO's unique biorepository - one of the world's most extensive multimodal data sources focused on early stages of Schizophrenia. The ESO biorepository, managed by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), includes over 1,600 phenotyped examinations containing multimodal data such as MRI, EEG, neuropsychological tests and omics technologies.

One of the main goals of the project is to identify biomarkers using advanced multi-omics technologies including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics. This approach will provide a deeper understanding of the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, more accurate diagnosis and prediction of the course of the disease, and enable the development of targeted pharmacotherapy.

The BRAINSCAPE project includes the development of the BRAINSCAPE CAD analytical IT platform, which will be an integral tool for personalized clinical decisions. This platform, enriched with newly identified biomarkers, will provide stratification of schizophrenia into neurobiological subtypes. Through advanced machine learning algorithms and analysis of similarities between patients, the system will enable prediction of risk of relapse, cognitive deficits or response to treatment. The platform will provide physicians with key information to optimize the therapeutic plan and substantially improve the quality of healthcare.

Another innovative aspect of the project is the implementation of telemedicine solutions that will enable continuous monitoring of patients' health status, prediction of relapse risk and early intervention. The web-based interface will provide physicians with a comprehensive overview of the current health status and long-term prognosis of patients, thus supporting an innovative approach to outpatient care.

The BRAINSCAPE project brings innovation to the diagnosis and treatment of schizophrenia by combining biomarker research, analytical platforms and telemedicine tools. In doing so, it aims to improve the care of patients with this complex disease. At the same time, it offers the potential to inspire similar approaches in the treatment of other neuropsychiatric disorders and to contribute to the development of modern medicine. These solutions may also find application in broader areas of healthcare.