NIHR Maudsley BRC Blog

Our latest news and events

Professor Richard Emsley selected as NIHR Senior Investigator

Professor Richard Emsley is one of 43 new appointments made in this year’s NIHR Senior Investigator awards round. The award recognises the most prominent and prestigious researchers of applied health and social care. The selected Senior Investigators will help to shape the direction of health, and social care and public health research in the UK over a four-year term.  

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 24 Mar 2026

Can our genes predict where mental illness affects the brain?

Researchers from the NIHR Maudsley BRC and King’s College London have been exploring the relationship between the genetic risk of mental health conditions and the brain structures involved. The hope is that a new approach – GEDAR – can provide insight into why, when and how mental health and illness varies between individuals and over time. In this blog Dr Daniel Martins, Professor Danai Dima and Dr Alessio Giacomel describe the findings of a recent study they published using the GEDAR approach.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 17 Mar 2026

Global task force agrees on key biological markers for anorexia

The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry (WFSBP) has reached consensus on candidate biomarkers for anorexia nervosa and published a statement.  

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 12 Mar 2026

New study reveals innovative method to identify adolescents at highest risk of developing depression

A major new international study has found that combining specific biological markers with sociodemographic factors dramatically improves the ability to predict which adolescents will go on to develop depression. Nearly half of adolescents rated high‑risk on both biological and sociodemographic factors developed depression within three years. None of the adolescents rated low‑risk on both measures developed depression. This may pave the way for the first clinically feasible early‑warning system for one of the world’s most common and disabling mental health conditions. 

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 2 Mar 2026

New €4.5M Horizon Europe doctoral network advancing human-relevant neuroscience tools beyond animal models

King’s College London today announced the launch of VISI-ON-BRAIN (Cutting-edge Human In Vitro and In Silico Biomedical Tools on Brain Disorders), a Horizon Europe project, funded with over €4.5 million under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions – Doctoral Networks (MSCA-DN).

 

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 27 Feb 2026