Bipolar disorder is a highly complex and heterogeneous disorder that affects an estimated 40 million people worldwide (World Health Organization) with more than 70% of people with bipolar disorder being misdiagnosed at least once. It takes seven years on average to diagnose bipolar disorder, and less than 50% of those who are diagnosed find an effective treatment.
“For too long, research and funding for bipolar disorder has lacked coordination, collaboration, and innovation. We’re excited to expand our comprehensive approach to our first Integrated Network international site in Canada. This partnership with Brain Canada and the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute will bring us closer to realizing our mission to shorten the time it takes to translate research findings to improve care,” said Cara Altimus, PhD, managing director for BD² and managing director at the Milken Institute.
Dr. Viviane Poupon, Brain Canada President and CEO, said of the partnership: “This collaboration brings together organizations committed to innovation and open science. The international expansion will provide a framework and resources for researchers and clinicians to advance discovery and improve the lives of all those living with bipolar disorder.”
As part of the partnership, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute will receive $2.3 million USD to join the BD² Integrated Network, a collaborative research and clinical care model that will improve care, interventions, and outcomes for people living with bipolar disorder. The BD² Integrated Network combines a traditional longitudinal cohort study of 4,000 participants and a learning health network to iteratively improve outcomes. Clinical sites have accelerated recruitment, with more than 750 individuals already participating in the study.
“BD² is creating learning health systems and facilitating these systems working together to raise quality of care across North America. We’re honored that Ottawa will be part of the BD² Integrated Network and expand on the thoughtful work of BD², bringing hope and tangible solutions to people living with bipolar disorder.” said Jess Fiedorowicz, MD, PhD, Head and Chief of Mental Health, The Ottawa Hospital and Full Professor, the University of Ottawa.
The Ottawa site is a collaboration between The Ottawa Hospital, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the University of Ottawa, and The Royal’s Institute of Mental Health Research. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute joins 10 sites, Brigham and Women’s Hospital-McLean Hospital, Johns Hopkins University, Mayo Clinic, The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, The University of Texas at Austin, University of California Los Angeles, University of Michigan, UTHealth Houston, University of Cincinnati/Lindner Center of HOPE, and University of California San Diego.
“Our first international site is an eagerly anticipated growth of our global network, which will bring in new clinicians, scientists, and participants and strengthen our ability to accelerate discovery of the behavioral and biological drivers of disease while advancing treatment,” said Katherine Burdick, PhD, BD² Integrated Network scientific director, Vice Chair for Research, Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Professor of Psychology in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.
“BD² aims for all people with bipolar disorder to thrive,” said Emily Baxi, PhD, program director of the BD² Integrated Network and a director at the Milken Institute. “Our partnership with Brain Canada and the first international site in Canada leaves us better positioned to learn, derive insight, and rapidly translate findings to real solutions.”