The UK-French Mental Health Biomarkers Consortium is an international initiative aimed at revolutionising the field of mental health diagnosis and treatment through the identification and validation of biomarkers.
This consortium brings together leading experts from the UK and France, including universities, charities, pharmaceutical companies, technology firms, healthcare providers such as the NHS and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration (MH-TRC) from the UK and French national institutions. The objective of the consortium is to create a partnership focused on enriching current systems and evidence for fluid-based biomarkers to inform valid diagnostic entities allowing the advance of mechanism-based effective treatments for mental health disorders.
The consortium aims to harmonise data collection and advance several joint projects that will help make diagnoses more consistent, consider overlapping mental and physical disorders, and create valid diagnostic categories for developing effective treatments for mental disorders.
Scientists in France and the UK have made substantial progress finding blood-based, brain imaging, and digital markers for diagnosis and treatment development. These markers now need to be studied at larger scale, validated, and approved by regulatory agencies.
The consortium’s vision is to facilitate connections between researchers enabling them to identify relevant cohorts and metadata, request data access, and analyse such data in a secure, remote environments. This effort will use state-of-the-art technologies to explore biomarkers of mental health disorders and develop diagnostic and prognostic tools. The consortium also aims to align ongoing French and English cohort data collection by defining sampling criteria and methods to identify biomarkers using similar genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and immunology techniques.
The first meeting of the UK-French Mental Health Biomarkers Consortium took place in February at the University of Oxford, Said Business School. The event was supported by the NIHR MH-TRC , PEPR PROPSY, Ambassade de France, and Fondation FondaMental.
Day 1 focused on “Blood based biomarkers in mental health disorders: Why and what?” and included presentations and discussion on diverse topics including Genetic and Immuno-genetic markers, Immuno-Metabolic biomarkers, Infections and more.
Day 2 focused on “Harmonising Biomarkers Infrastructures: What and how?” including presentations on Biomarkers discovery in dementia, Existing & Future Cohorts for Major Mood Disorders and Psychosis and more.
Co-chair of the event Professor Marion Leboyer M.D., Ph.D Professor of Psychiatry (University Paris Est Créteil) who presented on Genetic and immuno-genetic markers, infrastructure funding and Existing & Future Cohorts for Major Mood Disorders and Psychosis during the event said:
“Mental health disorders are a major global challenge, impacting individuals, economies, and society as a whole. Despite their prevalence, treatment remains inadequate due to the heterogeneity of these conditions. Traditional approaches, which group diverse patient subtypes under broad diagnostic categories, have led to suboptimal treatment outcomes. This is where precision psychiatry offers a paradigm shift. Through the UK-France consortium, we aim to apply precision medicine principles—successfully used in oncology and neurodegenerative diseases—to psychiatry. By identifying biomarkers that distinguish biological subtypes within disorders like depression and psychosis, we can develop targeted treatments that improve patient outcomes and reduce trial-and-error prescribing. By pooling resources, we can accelerate the identification and validation of biomarkers, ensuring that treatments are more effective and accessible. By advancing biological research and demonstrating that psychiatric disorders have identifiable, treatable mechanisms, we can help change societal perceptions. International partnerships like this are crucial in overcoming the challenges that have hindered psychiatric research. By working together, we can bridge the gap between scientific discovery and real-world application, ultimately transforming mental health care for future generations.”
Co -chair Professor Rachel Upthegrove MBE, MBBS, MPhil, PhD, FRCPsych. Professor of Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford and Director NIHR Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre who presented on Immuno-Metabolic biomarkers and new infrastructure funding said:
“We are at a pivotal point in the advance of our understanding of underlying mechanisms of mental health disorders, and where and when accessible, generalisable biomarkers can aid in the stratification of patients for the offer of new treatment trials. Work needs to be done at scale and pace, and it was a delight to bring so many enthusiastic experts together to begin this joint venture.”
Professor Husseini K Manji, MD, FRCPC, Professor, Oxford University, Adjunct Professor, Yale University and co-chair, NIHR Mental Health Translational Research Collaboration Mental Health Mission who presented on the purpose of the UK-French Mental Health Biomarkers Consortium to UK and French Officials and stakeholders said:
“Mental illness is a major global issue with significant health, economic, and social impacts. The UK and France, leaders in mental health research, are collaborating to address these challenges by pooling their resources, expertise, and perspectives. This partnership aims to advance research, drive innovation, and tackle complex issues that no single institution can solve alone. By combining diverse expertise and resources, this UK-France effort will enhance collaboration, expand research, and foster innovation. Leveraging shared infrastructure, data, and funding will accelerate scientific progress, ultimately leading to better outcomes for patients.”
By bringing together leading experts and leveraging state-of-the-art technologies, the consortium aims to develop innovative diagnostic and treatment approaches that will improve the lives of individuals affected by mental disorders. The collaboration between the UK and France is expected to accelerate progress leading to more personalised and effective treatments for mental health conditions.
Please email: anthony.quinn@psych.ox.ac.uk with any queries.
