UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
Study assesses genetic testing to optimize mental heath interventions in children

Two University of Calgary led research projects are helping to build the largest-ever collection of human genomic data in Canada. Investments into these initiatives were announced as part of the Canadian Precision Health Initiative (CPHI) led by Genome Canada.

Paul Arnold. Photo Credit: Adrian Shellard

 In a Canadian first, the CPHI will build a public genomic data resource that reflects the nation's diverse population. This will ensure precision health innovations benefit all and positions Canada as a global leader in representative genomic data collection.

"This funding is crucial for advancing genomic research that has the potential to improve the health outcomes of Canadians," says Dr. William Ghali, vice-president Research, UCalgary. "We are building a foundation for precision medicine that will transform how we understand, diagnose, and treat complex conditions."

Youth mental health

One of the funded projects is led by Dr. Paul Arnold, MD, PhD. The project focuses on precision medicine and youth mental health. Precision medicine uses an individual's unique genetic information to tailor health-care treatment. One key example is pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing that analyzes DNA to predict how someone will respond to medication.

Through this project, Dr. Arnold and his colleagues will identify novel genetic predictors of drug response and will also conduct research on how to best influence policies that increase accessibility to PGx testing for Canadian children and youth requiring psychiatric treatment. This type of testing can help find the right psychiatric medications leading to better mental health and fewer trips to the doctor or hospital.

"Mental health disorders affect 20 per cent of children and youth in Canada," says Arnold, a professor at the Cumming School of Medicine (CSM), and director of the Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research & Education at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and member of the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute.  

"While we know these disorders are highly heritable, there are still many challenges in using precision medicine to help children and youth with mental health issues."

One of the challenges is that some of the existing research includes small studies, without many data points.  There is also a lack of consistent ways to measure symptoms, limited use of real-world data like electronic health records, and not enough participation from people of non-European backgrounds; which could make existing health inequalities worse. 

About 80 per cent of participants in genetic studies are of European background, even though people of European ancestry make up only 16 per cent of the world's population. This means the results of these studies are unlikely to benefit racialized and Indigenous youth who already have poor health outcomes compared to their peers. 

Study recruitment across Canada

The research team, which in addition to Dr. Arnold consists of UCalgary investigators Drs. Chad Bousman, PhD, Gina Dimitropoulos, PhD, Jennifer Zwicker, PhD and a group of co-investigators from other Canadian universities, will recruit 5,250 young people age 6-25 from six provinces: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec, and Nova Scotia.  

The Pan-Canadian Genomic, Environmental and Mental Health Data (Pan-GEM) team will genetically sequence participants and identify risk factors for mental health disorders. The project involves extensive engagement and active participation of diverse youth to ensure that findings are representative of and benefit all Canadians. 

Rare disease datasets

Another CPHI-funded research project, co-led out of UCalgary by Dr. Francois Bernier, called the Care4Rare EXPAND project, will help build a rare disease dataset that includes families and individuals from multiple populations that are unique to Canada. Comprehensive data generated from Care4Rare-EXPAND will ultimately improve both access to testing and interpretation of results, leading to more rapid and accurate diagnoses for some of the most vulnerable people in Canada.

These two projects are also receiving significant co-funding from industry, academia and public sector partners. Co-funders on the youth mental health project include:

• Genome Alberta
• Genome BC
• Alberta Innovates
• Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation/Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute
• The Hotchkiss Brain Institute
• In-kind contributions received through
• the Owerko Centre
• The Palix Foundation
• Douglas Hospital
• Ontario Brain Institute
• Calgary-based Sequence2Script
• University of Manitoba
• PacBio

Alberta Children's Hospital Foundation and the Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute are also major co-funders on the Care4Rare-EXPAND project.