Researchers at the University of Calgary are taking part in a study designed to evaluate the response to various treatments for depression.

Patients with major depression will be given an approved anti-depressant for eight weeks.

­­At the end of the trial period, researchers will analyze the test subject’s body fluids to identify potential biomarkers.

Biomarkers are biological features such as a gene or a protein that can be measured to determine the state of a disease or treatment response in a person.

If the patients report no improvement after the eight weeks, they will be prescribed an additional medication for a further eight weeks.

A healthy control group will undergo the same assessments and not receive any treatment.

The pilot project could help people with major depression get well sooner.

“Researchers are asking the question: is there a biological marker, or something that we might find in a blood test or a brain scan, that can help us select the best treatment options?” says Dr. Glenda MacQueen, principal investigator for the Calgary site of a national study, and a member of the University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute. “The medications we have today are often very effective but it isn’t well understood yet why there is so much variation in how people respond to them.”

Patients will also undergo a MRI so researchers can learn more about how brain structure and function may be affected by depression and medication.

Researchers will also interview patients on a regular basis to determine the effectiveness of the medication.

“One of the interesting parts of the study is that, unlike conventional clinical trials, there isn’t anything experimental about the medication,” says Dr. Stefanie Hassel, PhD, a co-investigator on the project. “Patients who enrol are guaranteed to receive a medication that has been known to work for many people with major depression.”

The data will be used to see if the researchers can identify any features that best predict treatment outcomes.

The pilot project is part of a larger project, known as the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network for Depression (CAN-BIND).

The findings could shape how physicians determine the nature and severity of a patient’s depression and outline the best course of treatment based on that patient’s specific set of symptoms.

To take part in the CAN-BIND research study in Calgary, contact Dr. Stefanie Hassel at 403-210-6353.