PsychDPC contains leading European centres in genetics and psychiatry, richly endowed with expertise in both clinical and basic research. The partners bring together state-of-the-art technical facilities, high academic standards as well as established training activities, which will be utilized in concert to maximise the outcome of the project. The primary aim of PsychDPC is to translate data emerging from large-scale research efforts in genetic and genomic epidemiology of schizophrenia, conducted on large sets of well-characterized volunteer patients, into information of relevance to current practice and future clinical advances. PsychDPC will do this through effective integration of data between the partners.

A range of complementary approaches will be applied with an initial focus on: 1) Discovery of novel genetic susceptibility variants from genome wide SNP association data through expanding the large sample sets accessible to partners and by imputing available sequence data into the large genotyped datasets, 2) study of the phenotypic stamp conferred by copy number variations (CNVs) and genes harbouring non-synonymous point mutations conferring high and moderate risk of schizophrenia, 3) powerful novel genetic approaches to genetic discovery including long range phasing combined with deep sequencing and 4) analysis of the relationship of uncovered variants conferring risk of schizophrenia with clinical, neurpsychological and brain structure phenotypes. The consortium has unique, very large samples from schizophrenia patients and the aim is to re-phenotype subjects carrying variants conferring high-risk to identify their specific cognitive and behavioural features.

Combined with a refinement of familial risk assessment, using comprehensive national registry databases, we will utilise our findings to develop diagnostic tools, tools for early intervention and genetic counselling.