Transforming the Translational Validity of Preclinical Psychosis Models: Moving Beyond Dopamine-Focused Assays to Study New Anti-Psychosis Drug Mechanisms & Demonstrate Clinically Relevant Readouts
Time: 9:00 am
day: Pre-Conference Day
Details:
Current psychosis research often uses pharmacological models targeting dopamine but fails to capture the disorder's complexity. These models lack translational accuracy and overlook biological diversity among patients. Emerging research emphasizes the importance of integrative models that include glutamatergic, GABAergic, inflammatory, and neurodevelopmental mechanisms. There's increasing demand for validated biomarkers reflecting diverse mechanisms to improve patient stratification and treatment predictions. New approaches using non-human primates and psychosis models in other disorders aim to develop more accurate, mechanism-based models that enhance clinical relevance and trial outcomes.
This collaborative workshop explores key questions such as:
- How can we improve clinical trial success by addressing the predictive limitations of current models, especially in light of biomarker-driven research
- Should research shift toward cell-based systems, organoids, or Human Challenge Models (HCM) that offer more diverse mechanistic insight?
- Can the bipolar lithium response model inform psychosis biomarker discovery
- How can NHP models better bridge the translational gap, especially in cognitive and affective domains?
- How can preclinical testing more effectively assess negative symptoms and cognitive dysfunction, which are underrepresented in traditional models?
