Researchers from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Oxford Health and the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry recently welcomed representatives from the Baszucki Group for a visit focused on advancing collaboration in metabolic approaches to mental illness.
The visit brought together researchers, clinicians and partners to showcase Oxford’s growing experimental medicine capability in metabolic psychiatry and explore future opportunities for collaboration.
The Baszucki Group funds KALM, a randomised controlled trial testing whether a 12-week ketogenic diet, supported by home-delivered prepared meals and dietitian coaching, can improve symptoms in young people who are at clinical high risk for psychosis, compared to a control diet delivered with the same level of support.
During the visit, discussions focused on how this investment contributes to a wider Oxford ecosystem spanning laboratory science, clinical trials and health-economic modelling.
Visitors included Julie Milder, Director of Neuroscience, and Carolyn Sakata, Chief Operating Officer, from the Baszucki Group.
The day began with a scientific roundtable at the Department of Psychiatry, organised around three key themes. The first explored the UK experimental medicine landscape, with presentations from the NIHR BRC: Oxford Health and the NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration, alongside updates on the BRC’s metabolic psychiatry programme, delivered through our BRC’s Preventing Multiple Morbidities Theme.
The second theme focused on Oxford’s strengths in understanding disease mechanisms and delivering precision medicine. Topics included mitochondria and induced pluripotent stem cell models (researchers use mitochondria and induced pluripotent stem cell models to understand how diseases affect cells and to test potential new treatments in the laboratory).
Topics also featured discussion on incretins and the brain (exploring how hormones released after eating affect the brain, including appetite, mood, memory, and overall brain health), in vivo brain energetics using 7T magnetic resonance spectroscopy and microbiome and dietary interventions (looking at how the brain uses energy in real life and whether changes to diet and gut bacteria can improve brain health and wellbeing).
The final session examined how discoveries can be translated into real-world impact, including plans for developing a metabolic pathway within psychiatry services, health-economic modelling and the role of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) in supporting implementation.
The afternoon included a walking tour of Oxford and an evening dinner, providing further opportunities for discussion and relationship building.
The KALM study remains open to recruitment until the end of the year.
Amedeo Minichino, Associate Professor, Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry and BRC: Oxford Health Preventing Multiple Morbidities Theme Co-Lead said:
“It was a genuinely energising day. Bringing the Baszucki Group together with our clinicians, laboratory scientists and health economists highlighted the momentum behind metabolic psychiatry in Oxford, from mechanisms in the lab, through trials such as DIME and KALM, to the practical question of implementation within the NHS. We are proud of this partnership and excited about the next steps.”
Learn more about our BRC Preventing Multiple Morbidities Theme.
