Depression is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States, affecting approximately 14.8 million adults or about 6.7 percent of the population age 18 and older in a given year.
In Texas alone, an estimated 441,488 people are living with depression(2). While some effective treatment options exist, only half of all patients with depression are fully treated with available therapies. Hence, a high need still remains for safe, effective and sustainable new medicines to manage this serious mental health condition.
To address this growing problem, AstraZeneca has announced that it will collaborate with the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center to accelerate scientific discovery and therapeutic advancement for depression. Scientists from both institutions will work together, leveraging unique insights and resources to further the understanding and ultimately, the treatment, of this illness.
"AstraZeneca is committed to delivering medicines that make a difference in patients' lives. AstraZeneca also has long-standing commitment to mental health and sustained investment in research to better understand the neuroscience of depression," said Frank D. Yocca, Ph.D., Vice President, CNS and Pain Research, AstraZeneca. "This collaboration with UT Southwestern will allow our scientists and theirs to share knowledge and resources, and work together to explore new pathways and genetic targets for disease management." Dr. Eric J. Nestler, professor and chairman of psychiatry at UT Southwestern, will direct this effort on behalf of UT Southwestern. A leader in psychiatric research, Dr. Nestler and his colleagues investigate the biology of stress adaptation, resilience and depression. His molecular psychiatry laboratory has produced important advances in the development of new disease models that have increased understanding of the neurochemical basis for depression.