Experimental Therapeutics Branch
Overview
The Experimental Therapeutics Branch supports multidisciplinary programs of research, research training, and resource development on: novel pharmacological approaches to the treatment of mental disorders; the evaluation of existing treatments for new clinical indications; the validation and assessment of the clinical utility of putative biomarkers of disease presence or extent in the context of treatment trials; studies designed to clarify the mechanisms and define predictors of both therapeutic treatment response and side effects of psychotropic medications; and the development and testing of novel somatic treatments. The Branch supports cross-institute activities to identify specific bottlenecks in the development of novel treatments for mental disorders and collaborates with academic, industry, and regulatory agencies to develop programmatic approaches to hasten the availability of better treatments to reduce the burden of mental illness.
Acting Branch Chief
Steven J. Zalcman, M.D.
6001 Executive Boulevard, Room 7121, MSC 9639
301-443-1692, szalcman@mail.nih.gov
Areas of Emphasis
- Early-phase clinical studies of new medications targeting major mental illnesses or symptom domains now lacking adequate treatments.
- Studies integrating evaluation of mechanisms of therapeutic response to pharmacological agents with assessment of efficacy.
- Studies to predict treatment response and facilitate individualized pharmacological therapeutics.
- Clinical treatment studies integrating biomarkers with traditional clinical endpoints to validate the clinical utility of putative surrogate markers of treatment response.
- Studies to identify predictors of adverse effects of psychopharmacological agents and intervention development to mitigate these adverse effects.
- Studies of efficacy of novel somatic treatments or medical devices for the treatment of mental illness.
