SAMRC/SU Extramural Unit on the Genomics of Brain Disorders

SAMRC/SU Extramural Unit on the Genomics of Brain Disorders
 

Director: Prof. Soraya Seedat (Email: ​​​[email protected]​)
 

Co-director: Prof. Sian Hemmings (Email: ​[email protected]​)
 

The Extramural Unit (EMU) on the Genomics of Brain Disorders (GBD) aims to identify genomic biomarkers, using a systems biology approach, for a suite of Brain Disorders across the lifespan, based on clinically-derived data and through leveraging complementary expertise and skills. The Brain Disorders that form the focus of our investigations include posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), HIV associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), foetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD), schizophrenia and psychosis spectrum disorders, and Parkinson's Disease, and are matched with the expertise of Unit Members, who have been working in their respective fields for a number of years, and have numerous well-established collaborations, both locally and internationally.

We aim to think beyond current clinical classification, and to facilitate phenotyping and analysis of cross-disorder subgroups and subtypes that have biological validity and may be able to better predict disease development or treatment response. This is achieved by addressing cross-cutting, translational neuroscience questions relevant to reducing the burden of these Brain Disorders in South Africa, using a toolkit comprising innovative multi-'omics' (e.g. genomics, transcriptomics, epigenomics, microbiomics), applied cognitive-affective, and brain imaging (e.g. functional and structural magnetic resonance imaging, spectroscopy, diffusion tensor imaging) investigative platforms.

Through the SAMRC/SU EMU on the Genomics of Brain Disorders, we will contribute to advances in genomics, neural signatures, and behavioural sciences that will explicate aetiology and new treatments for brain disorders in a meaningful way, and facilitate translation of the findings to the South African population, thus addressing local and national needs.

Our research mandate includes:

(1) the application of multimodal genome and imaging technologies, together with a range of computational and statistical methods to facilitate more precise molecular signatures and characterisation of genetically complex Brain Disorders, that will aid in guiding and tailoring their clinical management;

(2) establishment of a biorepository comprising a wide range of biological samples (e.g. DNA, RNA, skin, hair) collected through an ensemble of projects;

(3) establishment of optimised protocols for the generation and maintenance of Brain Disorder-specific induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) cell lines in our laboratories;

(4) training a new generation of clinicians and basic neuroscientists versed in genomic, other 'omic', and neuroimaging techniques, leveraging the expertise and critical mass of EMU key members and collaborators.

In addition to building research capacity in psychiatric genetics, our goals are to secure funding for new projects, establish new collaborations, produce scholarly outputs and establish community partnerships (more specifically, with the 'community science' project, SANeurogut).​
 

Unit Members: