Dr Anna Schroeder awarded Gibson Foundation Fellowship

Dr Anna Schroeder

Congratulations to Dr Anna Schroeder from the Department of Psychiatry who is the recipient of a Gibson Foundation Fellowship. The Fellowship will provide funding for Dr Schroeder to support her research investigating the biological underpinnings of schizophrenia.

Since joining the lab of Professor Suresh Sundram and Dr Rachel Hill after completing her PhD two years ago, Dr Schroeder has been undertaking behavioural and molecular studies in mouse models for their project ‘The role of betacellulin in schizophrenia’ which aims to develop targeted and individualised biomarker and treatment options for this debilitating mental illness. The three-year project will focus on understanding the role of betacellulin - a protein of the epidermal growth factor (EGF) system - in schizophrenia.

The team has recently discovered that betacellulin is diminished in specific sub-populations of schizophrenia patients, namely those with severe cognitive impairment and those who do not respond to typical antipsychotic drugs targeting the dopaminergic system, but who do respond to the atypical antipsychotic drug clozapine. Their research indicates that clozapine may augment signalling through the EGF system suggesting that betacellulin may play a significant role in these particular aspects of schizophrenia; though, its function in the brain is not understood. Dr Schroeder says that that due to clozapine’s relatively serious side effect profile, a safer drug is greatly needed.

“To me, receiving this award means an incredible and exciting opportunity to study a promising candidate in schizophrenia. This project will enable us better understand the function of betacellulin in the brain with relevance to treatment resistant schizophrenia and will allow us to hopefully identify novel and targeted treatment options for this debilitating disorder.”