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BME Researchers Map the Comorbidities of Depression
2024. 09. 02.
Using a custom-developed disease map and refining their methodology, bioinformaticians at BME have identified new subtypes of depression. The findings, published in Nature Communications, are expected to be applicable in treatment approaches in the near future.
Seven years ago, the first publication emerged from a pioneering research project conducted by experts from BME's Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, in collaboration with colleagues from Semmelweis University and the University of Manchester. As a result, the first map depicting the interactions of the 250 most common diseases was created in Hungary. Led by Péter Antal, the research team developed a digital and searchable map illustrating the interplay between various diseases.
New methodology
The investigation into the systemic connections between diseases has continued, still utilising the UK Biobank database. The researchers have now advanced the original analysis to develop a methodology capable of leveraging the temporal dynamics of diseases. This allows for the identification of shared molecular biological backgrounds and the discovery of molecular mechanisms involved in multiple diseases.
Using this system, the team successfully highlighted the relevant comorbidities of depression, uncovering shared factors—such as genetic backgrounds, environmental and lifestyle characteristics, and molecular pathways—that are associated with both depression and its comorbidities. These factors might have remained hidden in analyses focusing solely on individual diseases.
“The significance of this development lies in the ability to distinguish the major subtypes of depression by understanding patterns in the genetic background, which in turn enables more precise diagnoses and consequently more effective treatments,”
explained Péter Antal, Associate Professor at BME’s Department of Artificial Intelligence and Systems Engineering, in an interview with bme.hu.
He added that this has been an extensive research project, initially applying for access to the UK Biobank data in 2013. The team is currently involved in another ongoing project related to Alzheimer’s disease and generalised dementia, in collaboration with researchers from Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Hungary.
The study, titled Unique Genetic and Risk-Factor Profiles in Clusters of Major Depressive Disorder-Related Multimorbidity Trajectories, was published in Nature Communications. Among the authors are four members of the department's Bioinformatics Laboratory: András Gézsi (one of the two lead authors), András Millinghoffer, Gábor Hullám, and Péter Antal.
Rector's Office Department of Communications