Newly identified genes for depression may lead to new treatments

More than 200 genes linked to depression have been newly identified in a worldwide study led by UCL researchers. The research, published in Nature Genetics , found more than 50 new genetic loci (a locus is a specific position on a chromosome) and 205 novel genes that are associated with depression, in the first large-scale global study of the genetics of major depression in participants of diverse ancestry groups. The study also showcases potential for drug repurposing, as one of the identified genes encodes a protein targeted by a common diabetes drug, while also pointing to new targets for drugs that may be developed to treat depression. Depression is very common, yet how it develops is still poorly understood. Genetic research using big data offers new avenues to understand the disease, and has uncovered dozens of genes associated with depression, each which individually confer only a small increase in risk. It can also help find new drug targets, but so far research has mainly focused on people of European ancestry, which the researchers say is a major shortcoming, especially for such a complex condition as depression. The new paper involved multiple genetic research methods including genome-wide association studies, a meta-analysis of previously published data and a transcriptome-wide association study.