TY - JOUR
T1 - Immunological drivers and potential novel drug targets for major psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative conditions
AU - Dardani, Christina
AU - Robinson, Jamie W.
AU - Jones, Hannah J.
AU - Rai, Dheeraj
AU - Stergiakouli, Evie
AU - Grove, Jakob
AU - Gardner, Renee
AU - McIntosh, Andrew M.
AU - Havdahl, Alexandra
AU - Hemani, Gibran
AU - Davey Smith, George
AU - Richardson, Tom G.
AU - Gaunt, Tom R.
AU - Khandaker, Golam M.
PY - 2025/4
Y1 - 2025/4
N2 - Immune dysfunction is implicated in the aetiology of psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative conditions, but the issue of causality remains unclear impeding attempts to develop new interventions. Using genomic data on protein and gene expression across blood and brain, we assessed evidence of a potential causal role for 736 immune response-related biomarkers on 7 neuropsychiatric conditions by applying Mendelian randomization (MR) and genetic colocalisation analyses. A systematic three-tier approach, grouping biomarkers based on increasingly stringent criteria, was used to appraise evidence of causality (passing MR sensitivity analyses, colocalisation, False Discovery Rate and Bonferroni thresholds). We provide evidence for a potential causal role of 29 biomarkers for 7 conditions. The identified biomarkers suggest a role of both brain specific and systemic immune response in the aetiology of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and bipolar disorder. Of the identified biomarkers, 20 are therapeutically tractable, including ACE, TNFRSF17, SERPING1, AGER and CD40, with drugs currently approved or in advanced clinical trials. Based on the largest available selection of plasma immune-response related biomarkers, our study provides insight into possible influential biomarkers for the aetiology of neuropsychiatric conditions. These genetically prioritised biomarkers now require examination to further evaluate causality, their role in the aetiological mechanisms underlying the conditions, and therapeutic potential.
AB - Immune dysfunction is implicated in the aetiology of psychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and neurodegenerative conditions, but the issue of causality remains unclear impeding attempts to develop new interventions. Using genomic data on protein and gene expression across blood and brain, we assessed evidence of a potential causal role for 736 immune response-related biomarkers on 7 neuropsychiatric conditions by applying Mendelian randomization (MR) and genetic colocalisation analyses. A systematic three-tier approach, grouping biomarkers based on increasingly stringent criteria, was used to appraise evidence of causality (passing MR sensitivity analyses, colocalisation, False Discovery Rate and Bonferroni thresholds). We provide evidence for a potential causal role of 29 biomarkers for 7 conditions. The identified biomarkers suggest a role of both brain specific and systemic immune response in the aetiology of schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, depression, and bipolar disorder. Of the identified biomarkers, 20 are therapeutically tractable, including ACE, TNFRSF17, SERPING1, AGER and CD40, with drugs currently approved or in advanced clinical trials. Based on the largest available selection of plasma immune-response related biomarkers, our study provides insight into possible influential biomarkers for the aetiology of neuropsychiatric conditions. These genetically prioritised biomarkers now require examination to further evaluate causality, their role in the aetiological mechanisms underlying the conditions, and therapeutic potential.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=105003430791&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41380-025-03032-x
DO - 10.1038/s41380-025-03032-x
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 40281223
AN - SCOPUS:105003430791
SN - 1359-4184
JO - Molecular Psychiatry
JF - Molecular Psychiatry
M1 - e1004092
ER -