# Discovering Biology for Neuropsychiatric Diseases Through Omics Studies on Comorbidities

> **NIH NIH R01** · VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER · 2021 · $646,021

## Abstract

Abstract:
We propose in this application to use truly unique resources available to the Vanderbilt University research
community to identify and characterize genetic risk factors for neuropsychiatric disorders. Our overarching
hypothesis is that co-morbid phenotypes that cut across neuropsychiatric disorders can be used to
identify more homogeneous genetic risk factors that will also be cross-cutting for neuropsychiatric
diseases. To address this hypothesis, we will harness the long-standing strengths in neuroscience at
Vanderbilt including extensive expertise in conducting in vivo and in vitro experimental validation
studies, the strong team of investigators with long-standing research programs in key co-morbid
phenotypes and neuropsychiatric disease, and our track record in developing and applying novel
integrative approaches for genome investigation. The clinical data warehouse at Vanderbilt is called the
Synthetic Derivative (SD), and contains continuously updated electronic health records (EHR) on more than
2,500,000 individuals. DNA samples are available on more than 217,000 of the individuals in the SD
through BioVU, the biobank at Vanderbilt University. Individuals with more longitudinal data some going back
as long as 20-30 years have been prioritized for genome investigation, and genome interrogation (GWAS
or whole genome sequencing) will be available on > 120,000 of these subjects in 2018. The SD provides
unprecedented power for characterizing cross-cutting comorbidities for neuropsychiatric disorders, and the
large number of BioVU samples with genome interrogation coupled with the novel analytic approaches we
have devised to optimize genome investigations in BioVU create a dynamic engine for discovery research. Our
specific aims are to: 1) Use EHR data on more than 2,500,000 individuals to investigate the relationship
between neuropsychiatric disorders and comorbid phenotypes shared among multiple of these
disorders; 2) Use the novel PrediXcan approach to identify genes for which genetically predicted
expression is significantly associated with neuropsychiatric disease, neuropsychiatric disease plus
comorbidity, or comorbidity for more than 120,000 samples in BioVU; and 3) Prioritize genes for
validation using improved network and pathway analyses, and then experimentally validate genes
implicated in neuropsychiatric and comorbid phenotypes.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10164861
- **Project number:** 5R01MH113362-05
- **Recipient organization:** VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Nancy J Cox
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $646,021
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2017-08-01 → 2023-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10164861

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10164861, Discovering Biology for Neuropsychiatric Diseases Through Omics Studies on Comorbidities (5R01MH113362-05). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-27 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/10164861. Licensed CC0.

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