Schizophrenia research gets a helping hand

Schizophrenia research being carried out in the Illawarra has received a major boost with the award of almost $400,000 of National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) funding, Australia’s most prestigious grant funding for health and medical research.

Professor Xu-Feng Huang, scientific director of the metabolic conditions research theme at the Illawarra Health and Medical Research Institute (IHMRI) and senior research fellow Dr Chao Deng were awarded the 3-year project grant to support their research into the prevention and treatment of drug induced obesity, a common side effect of schizophrenia therapy.

“It’s fantastic that this work is being supported by the NHMRC,” said Professor Huang. “People don’t realise how much suffering the side effects of schizophrenia treatment can cause, with significant problems like obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.”

“Up to 40% of people treated with ‘new generation’ antipsychotic drugs put on more than seven kilos of weight in the first 10 months of therapy alone. Treatment needs to be kept up long term and changing the class of drugs can lead to a whole set of other problems, so stopping therapy is not a viable option. They are stuck with the side effects and these can be distressing and debilitating.”

The NHMRC-funded project is aiming to find out the exact mechanisms involved in drug-induced obesity, and how therapy can be improved to avoid this type of metabolic side effect.

“Hopefully, within the next three years we will have a new therapeutic approach being tested in clinical trials,” Professor Huang said. “We want to stop the suffering people with schizophrenia are facing every day of their lives as a result of unnecessary side effects.”

Other local projects awarded NHMRC grants include a project investigating invasive Streptococcal disease, and a study on biopolymer fibre conduits for remodelling damaged nerves, both being undertaken at the University of Wollongong.

For further information: Professor Xu-Feng Huang, Ph 4221 4300

Release sent by: Jane Lewis, IHMRI Communications Co-ordinator, Ph 4252 8945

Last reviewed: 5 November, 2009