Five innovative research projects have been launched following the latest NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Oxford Health Depression Therapeutics Theme Pump Priming funding call.
The Pump Priming awards provide up to £5,000 to support research aligned with the Depression Therapeutics Theme, as well as projects focused on patient and public involvement, lived experience, and equality, diversity and inclusion.
The scheme supports early career researchers with applications designed to lead to innovation, career development or pilot data to support further funding applications.
The newly funded projects, which were announced in May, explore a diverse range of approaches to understanding and treating depression and related mental health conditions.
Together, these five projects highlight the breadth of innovation being supported through the Depression Therapeutics theme to support researchers in generating new evidence, developing new ideas and improving future mental health treatments.
Investigating how antidepressants affect the brain
Lena Beckers, Research Assistant at the University of Oxford’s Department of Psychiatry, was successfully awarded funding for the 7T FACES project, which examines how the antidepressant citalopram affects the brain’s response to facial expressions.
Previous research shows that people with depression process emotional faces differently and that antidepressants can alter these responses. Using an advanced 7 Tesla MRI scanner, the project aims to provide a more detailed understanding of the neural mechanisms involved.
Funding from the Pump Priming award will support MRI scanning costs and help researchers explore ways to improve treatment prediction and outcomes for people with depression.
See this webpage if you are interested in participating in this study or email amygdala.study@psych.ox.ac.uk for more information.
Testing a potential treatment for low mood
Fin Watton, Research Assistant in the Department of Psychiatry, and Pranav Narayanan, a visiting researcher, were successfully awarded funding for the PROMOTE (Prucalopride on Emotional Processing, Cognition and Sleep) study, which will investigate whether prucalopride, a medication commonly prescribed for constipation, can improve emotional processing, working memory and other cognitive functions in people experiencing low mood.
The Pump Priming award will support deployment of a novel mobile app that enables participants to complete brief cognitive tasks remotely from home, alongside in-person laboratory assessments. Recruitment for this study is expected to begin in August 2026.
Reward processing in people experiencing lack of interest or pleasure
Sanika Kulkarni, DPhil student in the Department of Psychiatry, was successfully awarded funding for a study which will investigate whether losartan, a widely used blood pressure medication, can influence reward processing in people experiencing anhedonia (reduced ability to experience pleasure).
To better understand the biological mechanisms involved, the study will – for the first time – combine behavioural testing with MRI measures linked to dopamine function.
Funding from the award will support MRI scanning costs and enable the collection of pilot data to inform future research into repurposed treatments for anhedonia.
Understanding the brain’s response to ketones
Dr Mohammed Lashkri was successfully funded for a project exploring how the brain responds to ketones using advanced 7T Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy imaging.
The research will generate foundational data on brain energy metabolism and validate a potential neuroimaging marker of metabolic response to ketones.
The findings could help support development of a future “keto-challenge test” to identify patients who may benefit most from ketogenic interventions.
Funding will cover scanning costs, ketone and placebo drinks, and participant expenses, while also providing valuable research training opportunities in experimental medicine and neuroimaging.
Placing patient views at the centre of GLP-1 research
Led by NIHR BRC: Oxford Health researchers Dr Riccardo De Giorgi, Dr Megan Kirk-Chang and Dr Harriet Lawrence, Clinical Psychologist at Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, this project explores patient and public perspectives on the use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) therapies in psychiatric care.
Originally developed to treat diabetes and obesity, GLP-1 therapies are attracting growing interest as potential treatments for mental health conditions.
Working in partnership with people with lived experience of mental illness, the team will explore views on the potential benefits and risks of these medications, treatment priorities, and expectations for future care, to directly inform the design of future clinical studies. This funding will reimburse time for lived experience involvement so that the project can be co-produced.
To learn more about our Depression Therapeutics Theme, visit our web page.
