Developing in vitro and animal models to advance a novel therapy for major depression

Developing in vitro and animal models to advance a novel therapy for major depression.

A novel neuromodulation technology recently developed by members of the project team, called magnetomechanical stimulation (MMS), can be a minimally invasive, cell-type-specific, and site-specific alternative. MMS utilises targeted magnetic forces, created by applying a magnetic field to magnetic particles bound specifically to astrocytes, to achieve remote and selective stimulation of these brain cells, which will then release a key signalling molecule, adenosine triphosphate (ATP). MMS has potential as a therapy for major depression. This project aims to develop in vitro and animal models that are necessary for advancing MMS towards clinical application.

This work will strengthen the team's future applications for substantial funding to further improve the MMS technology and evaluate its therapeutic potential preclinically. This endeavour of accelerating intervention discovery for a globally significant mental disorder is well aligned with the goals of the Grand Challenge of Mental Health & Wellbeing.

As a diverse team of researchers at all career stages, the project team comprises researchers from three different UCL faculties who will work together to complete the in vitro work, namely demonstrating the feasibility of MMS with magnetic nanoparticles in a novel, biomimetic cell culture model. This will lay the foundation for the overall research programme of transforming MMS into a neuromodulation therapy and will allow inclusion of more data in future applications.