Our Research

FOCUSED (FMT-OCD)

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) patients

  • The FOCUSED clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of combining standard interventions with oral Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) in the treatment of OCD symptoms

  • This study is open-label trial in which participating adults from in and around Calgary, Alberta who have a diagnosis of OCD are assigned to receive either FMT capsules or placebo capsules. Clinical data and stool, urine, blood samples are collected to examine the changes in obsessive/compulsive symptoms, microbial profile of the gut, and inflammatory markers.

  • The trial may lead to a better understanding and acceptability of alternative options that are more effective and tolerable for individuals with OCD.

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ORBIT (taylORed psychoBIoTics biobank)

A Microbiome Biobank for Mental Health Research dddddd

  • The biobank is designed to examine the bidirectional communication between the gut bacteria and the brain by collecting stool, urine, saliva, blood samples, and clinical data to study the microbes present in the gut. It is recruiting donors from around the province of Alberta who has confirmed diagnoses of:

    • Depression

    • Bipolar disorder

    • Obsessive-compulsive disorder

    • Post-traumatic stress disorder

    • Autism

    • Eating disorders, and

    • Panic disorder

  • The Taylored Psychobiotics Biobank is the largest biobank of detailed mental illness and microbiome information in the world.

  • The study of the role of the gut microbiome and bacterial biomarkers may lead to a better understanding of these disorders and could revolutionize the treatment of mental illness with made at the University of Calgary solutions.

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The FMT-TRD Trial

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Treatment Resistant Major Depressive disorder

  • The FMT-TRD clinical trial evaluates the effectiveness of combining standard mood stabilizers with oral Fecal Microbiota Transplantation (FMT) in the treatment of Treatment Resistant Depression.

  • This study is a randomized controlled trial in which participating adults from in and around Calgary, Alberta who have a diagnosis of Treatment Resistant Depression are assigned to receive either FMT capsules or placebo capsules. Clinical data and stool, urine, blood samples are collected to examine the changes in depressive symptoms, microbial profile of the gut, and inflammatory markers.

  • This trial may lead to a better understanding and acceptability of alternative options that are more effective and tolerable for individuals with Major Depressive Disorder.

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ENABLE

Enabling Neuroscience research Approaches for Brain, feeLings and Emotions

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  • The study is to build an innovative platform for clinical trials for mood disorders.

  • This study is a cross-sectional observational study. Participants who are experiencing mood disorder symptoms and would like to get involved in the latest clinical studies for depression research will have their standardized biomarker data (ex. genes, proteins, brain images) collected and then entered into the platform.

  • The nationwide master research platform collects information from patients across the entire range of mood disorders and will help innovate treatments for depression. It will also connect clinicians with patients interested in participating in clinical trials for mood disorders.

OPTIMUM-D

Optimized Predictive Treatment In Medications for Unipolar Major Depression

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  • The OPTIMUM-D study seeks to discover whether a specific combination of biomarkers, discovered during previous studies, can help predict how someone experiencing a major depressive episode will respond to treatment. The study will also explore other possible biomarkers that may predict treatment response, which may help in the future development of tests that can guide treatment choice more effectively and more quickly.

  • This is a clinical trial in which participants who have received a diagnosis of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) will be randomly assigned to take either a single antidepressant or an antidepressant with an add-on medication. As part of the study, eligible participants will meet with a study psychiatrist, provide biological samples including blood and stool samples, complete clinical assessments, and EEG (electroencephalography). Participants will be enrolled in the study for 12 weeks.

  • This trial may help discover ways to identify the right treatment for the right person to help individuals with depression get well quickly and stay well.