Space for Depression Research

The Treatment Resistant Depression Clinic was started by Dr. Madhukar Trivedi, an established clinical and translational researcher with extensive experience serving as PI and Co-PI on several single and multi-site clinical trials funded by NIH, foundations and industry sponsors. Dr. Trivedi’s research over the last 25 years has focused on understanding the neurobiology and psychology of depression and bipolar disorder, with a particular focus on developing an empirical basis for improving treatment of depression.

Dr. Trivedi and his team have been involved in many of the pivotal studies involving the establishment of efficacy of antidepressant treatments (medications, psychotherapy, exercise, complimentary treatments, devices, etc.), examining next steps in treatment resistant depression to develop algorithms and guidelines, and developing and validating biomarkers in order to reach the goal of precision medicine for mood disorders. Among his most notable studies are the Establishing Moderators and Biosignatures of Antidepressant Response for Clinical Care (EMBARC) trial, Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcomes (CO-MED) trial, Sequenced Treatment Alternatives to Relieve Depression (STAR*D) study, and the Texas Resilience Against Depression (T-RAD) study.

Learn more about our advances in research here.

Space for Depression Research

The CDRC and the Department of Psychiatry under the supervision of Dr. Trivedi holds laboratory space at the UT Southwestern Medical Center. The laboratory has a facility and space which has all the necessary equipment to store the biomaterials, including -4°, -20°, and -80° freezers, and refrigerated centrifuge.

Our Lab allows for the collection and storage of critical biological specimens that will inform our current and future research. Having this facility in-house allows us to control the quality and timeliness of our samples to ensure our research is backed by valid and reproducible data. Dr. Trivedi and his team have been involved in pivotal studies developing and validating biomarkers in order to reach the goal of precision medicine for mood disorders.

The challenge 

The timely selection of the best treatment for a patient with depression is critical to improving remission rates. Due to the biological heterogeneity and variable symptom presentation of depression, it is unlikely that a single clinical test or biological measure will be discovered to guide treatment selection. 

The solution 

A biosignature developed from a systematic exploration of a group of several clinical and biological markers is much more likely to be successful. The resulting biosignature could be used to maximize the selection of optimal treatment for individual patients at treatment initiation. 

Learn more about Dr. Trivedi’s monumental study developing biosignatures for depression, EMBARC. 

Space for Depression Research