Who We Are
The Psychiatric Biomarkers Network (formerly Schizophrenia Spectrum Biomarkers Consortium) comprises academic investigators across the US and internationally, as well as colleagues from industry, bringing together 16 outstanding institutions and companies to discover robust and replicable biochemical markers for schizophrenia and bipolar spectrum disorders. The PBN has partnered with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) - the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization - to ensure we are including the voices of individuals and families living with mental illness in our study design and approach.
Our Mission
Schizophrenia and bipolar spectrum disorders are severe and disabling neuropsychiatric conditions that affect about 4% of the population. These disorders often emerge in adolescence or young adulthood and affect education, social function and transition into independence. Treatment development has been stagnating over the past decades and new treatment options are greatly needed.
Even with the advancement of science in the areas of genetics of these disorders, and identification of potential drug targets, treatment development still suffers from a critical bottleneck: a lack of biomarkers to clearly diagnose individuals, track the progression of the illness and evaluate the effectiveness of new treatments in clinical trials.
To address this bottle neck, colleagues from several academic centers and industry, formed the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network (PBN) with the goal of discovering robust, replicable, and measurable biological markers to support clinical trials for schizophrenia and bipolar spectrum disorders.
Learn More About the Science Behind the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network
Collaborations
In addition to the core leadership team, the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network also works closely with key collaborators to ensure the equity, transparency, and real-world applicability of our scientific efforts.
The Accelerating Medicines Partnership (AMP®) program is a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Medicines Agency, pharmaceutical and life science companies, non-profit and other organizations. The AMP Schizophrenia (SCZ) program was launched in 2020 to address the critical need for more effective treatments for people with schizophrenia and related mental health conditions. For more information, visit the AMP SCZ website.
The BD2 Integrated Network is a collaborative study designed to connect thousands of participants and their care teams to a network of experts, allowing for real-time collaboration between study participants, scientists, and clinicians. The shared information and knowledge from this collaboration have the potential to drive discovery in bipolar disorder in a way that has never been done before in mental health or neuroscience. For more information, visit the BD2 website.
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Through its alliance of more than 600 local Affiliates and 49 State Organizations, NAMI provides no-cost education and support resources for individuals and families. NAMI also honors exceptional contributions in the field of mental health research and clinical practice with the NAMI Exemplary Psychiatrist Award, which was presented in 2022 to SSBC leaders Dr. Cheryl Corcoran, Dr. Raquel Gur, and Dr. Mohini Ranganathan. For more information, visit the NAMI website.