GTM to participate in project funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities

The Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities has recently published the provisional list of projects funded under the 2018 Call for R+D Research Challenge Projects.

One of the funded projects is BEGiN (Improved clinical tools for the diagnosis and prognosis of schizophrenia: combining the potential of facial, brain and genetic biomarkers), in which GTM member Xavier Sevillano participates as part of the research team.

The goal of BEGiN is to integrate the analysis of facial shape as a reliable diagnosis and prognosis biomarker of schizophrenia, together with the investigation of its brain anatomical and genetic correlates. To achieve this goal, the project will combine state-of-the-art methods on multivariate morphometric techniques, neuroimaging (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI), whole genome data, computer vision and machine learning. BEGiN aims at bridging the gap between basic research and the clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia, using fundamental findings corroborated by phenomic and genomic analyses as the starting point for developing non-invasive diagnosis tools based on facial biomarkers.

The project, which is led by Dr. Neus Martínez-Abadías from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory, is a joint effort between FIDMAG-Germanes Hospitalàries Research Foundation and La Salle – Universitat Ramon Llull.

The BEGiN project is funded with a total 181.500€ for a 3-year period.