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Gerome Breen IoPPN

Professor Gerome Breen PhD

Professor of Psychiatric Genetics

Research interests

  • Mental Health

Biography

I am a psychiatric geneticist who works on the genetics of affective (mood) disorders, psychosis and eating disorders. One of the most important goals for my research is to discover the biological basis of common psychiatric disorders, which will allow better drug discovery and biomarker studies in mental health. Not only that but they can also be used to improve estimations of response to psychological treatments and to help improve clinical trial approaches. Because someone’s DNA sequence does not change after diagnosis or treatment, genetics is often the best approach for this. 

I am heavily involved in a number of international genetic consortia which are driving the field of psychiatric genetics forward at a faster pace than ever before, with more than 500 variants for common psychiatric disorders recently discovered. 

I am currently running The Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression or GLAD study with my close collaborator Prof Thalia Eley. You can hear us talking about the study here, and can watch an animation about the study here.  I lead the NIHR Maudsley BioResource, of which GLAD is the first study, which aims to recruit >100,000 participants in the next 5 years.

Research interests:

  • Eating disorders 
  • Mood disorders 
  • Genetics systems biology 

Expertise and Public Engagement:

I frequently take part in radio and TV on psychiatric genetics and as a consulted expert by the media when new findings come out. I work with charities including the Beat eating disorders charity in the UK and have worked with many others in designing and carrying out the PR campaign for our new National Mental Health BioResource. Our first project in this is the Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression or GLAD project, which has been joint work with Thalia Eley, has recruited 20,000 in the first three months of the study and which has also been – perhaps - the most prominent psychiatric genetics recruitment study in the new era of social media (www.gladstudy.org.uk). 

Research groups:

Translational and Neuropsychiatric Genetics Group 

    Research

    GLAD: Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression

    The GLAD Study is the largest anxiety and depression project ever undertaken. It was launched in September 2018.

    Project status: Ongoing

    FLARe: Fear Learning and Anxiety Response

    FLARe aims to model the processes underlying the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders, and post-treatment relapse.

    Project status: Ongoing

    RAMP study logo promo
    Repeated Assessment of Mental health in Pandemics (RAMP)

    The Repeated Assessment of Mental health in Pandemics (RAMP) study is a research project assessing the effect of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

    The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI)

    A project set up to support studies exploring risk factors for eating disorders

    Project status: Ongoing

    News

    Ongoing brain injury caused by COVID-19 may not always be detected by routine tests

    A new study published recently in Nature Communications details that markers of brain injury are present in the blood many months after COVID-19 infection,...

    covid-donor

    A showcase of research in eating and weight disorders celebrates the launch of CREW

    A packed one-day showcase of inspirational talks and activities marked the opening of the new Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders (CREW) at...

    CREW Event 780x440

    UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration awarded £6.4m

    New funding from MRC/ESRC will allow partnership between leading UK longitudinal studies, including King’s-led studies GLAD and EDGI UK will enable...

    UK LLC logo

    UK funders invest £4.25 million into new eating disorders research

    More than £4 million in new eating disorders research funding has been announced today, thanks to an investment by UK funders including the Medical Research...

    Eating disorders

    New research suggests a causal link between blood group and severe COVID-19

    A new study has analysed over 3000 proteins to identify which are causally linked to the development of severe COVID-19. This is the first study to assess...

    3d illustration electron microscopic of red blood cells

    Eating disorders are just as likely to start in adulthood as childhood, report finds

    Over half of the people with eating disorders experience their first symptoms of low weight or binge eating as adults, while 39 per cent first experience...

    holding hand of patient giving comfort

    New national study into neurological and neuropsychiatric impact of COVID-19

    Researchers from the University of Liverpool and King’s College London today launch a £2.84 million study to investigate the neurological and neuropsychiatric...

    Surgeon wearing a face mask looking at scans

    Events

    24AprA Geneticist's Guide to the Galaxy of Mental Health (1)

    Professor Gerome Breen - Inaugural Lecture

    Join us in celebrating Professor Gerome Breen's inaugural lecture on 'A Geneticist’s Guide to the Galaxy of Mental Health.'

    07NovCREW launch

    Research Showcase in Eating and Weight Disorders

    Join us to celebrate the launch of the Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders at King's College London, and discover research from the NIHR...

    Please note: this event has passed.

      Research

      GLAD: Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression

      The GLAD Study is the largest anxiety and depression project ever undertaken. It was launched in September 2018.

      Project status: Ongoing

      FLARe: Fear Learning and Anxiety Response

      FLARe aims to model the processes underlying the development, maintenance and treatment of anxiety disorders, and post-treatment relapse.

      Project status: Ongoing

      RAMP study logo promo
      Repeated Assessment of Mental health in Pandemics (RAMP)

      The Repeated Assessment of Mental health in Pandemics (RAMP) study is a research project assessing the effect of COVID-19 on the mental health and wellbeing of the population.

      The Eating Disorders Genetics Initiative (EDGI)

      A project set up to support studies exploring risk factors for eating disorders

      Project status: Ongoing

      News

      Ongoing brain injury caused by COVID-19 may not always be detected by routine tests

      A new study published recently in Nature Communications details that markers of brain injury are present in the blood many months after COVID-19 infection,...

      covid-donor

      A showcase of research in eating and weight disorders celebrates the launch of CREW

      A packed one-day showcase of inspirational talks and activities marked the opening of the new Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders (CREW) at...

      CREW Event 780x440

      UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration awarded £6.4m

      New funding from MRC/ESRC will allow partnership between leading UK longitudinal studies, including King’s-led studies GLAD and EDGI UK will enable...

      UK LLC logo

      UK funders invest £4.25 million into new eating disorders research

      More than £4 million in new eating disorders research funding has been announced today, thanks to an investment by UK funders including the Medical Research...

      Eating disorders

      New research suggests a causal link between blood group and severe COVID-19

      A new study has analysed over 3000 proteins to identify which are causally linked to the development of severe COVID-19. This is the first study to assess...

      3d illustration electron microscopic of red blood cells

      Eating disorders are just as likely to start in adulthood as childhood, report finds

      Over half of the people with eating disorders experience their first symptoms of low weight or binge eating as adults, while 39 per cent first experience...

      holding hand of patient giving comfort

      New national study into neurological and neuropsychiatric impact of COVID-19

      Researchers from the University of Liverpool and King’s College London today launch a £2.84 million study to investigate the neurological and neuropsychiatric...

      Surgeon wearing a face mask looking at scans

      Events

      24AprA Geneticist's Guide to the Galaxy of Mental Health (1)

      Professor Gerome Breen - Inaugural Lecture

      Join us in celebrating Professor Gerome Breen's inaugural lecture on 'A Geneticist’s Guide to the Galaxy of Mental Health.'

      07NovCREW launch

      Research Showcase in Eating and Weight Disorders

      Join us to celebrate the launch of the Centre for Research in Eating and Weight Disorders at King's College London, and discover research from the NIHR...

      Please note: this event has passed.