GROUND-BREAKING research led by the University of Glasgow has uncovered a novel therapeutic approach against genetic forms of schizophrenia and it is hoped the discovery could aid the treatment of related psychiatric conditions.

The breakthrough study has identified a peptide that stabilises the brain protein DISC1, a vital multi-function “scaffolding” protein which is of crucial importance to brain functionality.

Contemporary studies have highlighted that people with a hereditary form of schizophrenia, or a subset of the general schizophrenic population, are deficient in DISC1.

For the first time, scientists have located the FBXW7 protein, which tags the DISC1 protein for destruction. By disrupting the interaction between these two proteins with an inhibitory peptide, DISC1 deficiencies could be counteracted.

“My colleagues and I decided to look specifically at the DISC1 protein”, lead author George Baillie, professor of molecular pharmacology at the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, explained.

“Our idea was simple: what would happen if we could simply raise the concentration of DISC1 in patients’ brains?

“We looked at the turnover of DISC1 in the brain and found it was rapidly made and then degraded by brain cells. We thought, if we can stop the natural destruction of DISC1, people with low levels would see it naturally increase. Using our peptide, we can now restore DISC1 concentrations in psychiatric patient derived brain cells back to the levels of control subjects.”

Schizophrenia affects around one in every 100 people and is present in twice as many people as Alzheimer’s and five times as many people as multiple sclerosis. Aside from the human cost, it is estimated to cost the economy approximately £6.7 billion per year.

The condition is typically treated with a combination of medication and therapy tailored to each individual. In most cases, this will be antipsychotic medicines and cognitive behavioural therapy.

Researchers now hope future treatments will tackle the condition with pinpoint accuracy.

Prof Baillie added: “Many patients respond inadequately or adversely to current psychiatric medications, so the development of new drugs to treat mental illness is needed, but unfortunately no substantial innovations in drug treatments for these debilitating disorders have emerged in the last 60 years.

“We are hopeful that our peptide can be a stepping stone towards a novel therapeutic in the future to counteract this unmet need.”

Baille was mindful to stress, however, that if the new treatment is approved, it could be some time before it is rolled out.

“As positive as our discovery is, we have some way to go between laboratory findings and the clinical application, but we are hopeful that our research is the first step on a journey towards a potential new drug treatment option for a range of psychiatric illnesses.”

The study, titled FBXW7 regulates DISC1 stability via the ubiquitin-proteosome system, was outlined in yesterday’s edition of Molecular Psychiatry.

The paper was truly a nationwide effort, funded by an award from the Translational Medicine Research Collaboration – a consortium made up of the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow.

Their four associated NHS Health Boards – Grampian, Tayside, Lothian and Greater Glasgow and Clyde – as well as Scottish Enterprise and Pfizer contributed funding to the project.