Vision
To establish novel, more effective method of precision care for patients who manifest psychosis and associated cognitive dysfunction in a wide range of medical conditions at the whole hospital levels.
Mission
Develop a new precision care for patients who manifest psychosis and associated cognitive dysfunction. A novel biomarker and medicine will be applied to these patients in a wide range of medical conditions, resulting in a mechanism-driven targeted approach with less side effects than traditional antipsychotics.
Research Aims for Precision Medicine
Novel drug discovery for psychosis that is not targeted by current antipsychotic medicines
We have discovered that a subset of patients who manifest psychosis and associated cognitive dysfunction accompany vulnerability in a small intracellular organelle, lysosome, which is essential for cellular metabolism and homeostasis. The accomplishment of this mechanism-driven drug discovery is the first Aim.
Novel high-throughput biomarker for lysosome-originated psychosis
The vulnerability and pathological changes elicited by lysosomes can be easily detected by augmented cellular autofluorescence (AF) in blood cells. We expect that psychosis and associated cognitive dysfunction in the subset of patients will be able to be treated more effectively with less side effects, by directly targeting to the lysosomal vulnerability. Establishing a novel biomarker suitable for identifying this subset of patients is the second Aim.
Right patients with this lysosome-originated mechanism for the right treatment
Leveraging the infrastructure of Johns Hopkins inHealth, we look for patients who may fit with the novel medicine by us. Defining the right patients with this lysosome-originated mechanism who suffer from psychosis and associated cognitive dysfunction at the whole hospital levels is the final Aim.
Patient Care
The psychosis PMCOE is closely linked to specialized consultation and on-going care for psychosis at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Johns Hopkins Bayview.
Center Experts
Nicola G. Cascella, M.D.
Akira Sawa, M.D.
Koko Ishizuka, M.D., Ph.D.
Thomas G. Sedlak, M.D., Ph.D.
Yukiko Y. Lema
Kun Yang, Ph.D.