TMED11 Conference
Shaping Future Healthcare with Clinical Research and Personalised Prescribing
Join us at the historic Guildhall, Derry-Londonderry for the 11th TMED Conference – a leading international event in translational medicine bringing together clinical researchers, academics, industry partners and healthcare innovators from across the UK and Europe.
Poster 3- Plasma proteomic biomarker discovery for depression and schizophrenia: a cross-cohort analysis with external validation
Authors: Alys Cowdy, Steven Watterson, Elaine Murray
Affiliations: Personalised Medicine Centre, Ulster University, Magee Campus
Background/ Introduction: Depression and schizophrenia are heterogeneous psychiatric disorders that currently rely on clinical assessment for diagnosis, with no validated blood-based biomarkers in routine use. Plasma proteomics offers a promising approach for identifying protein signatures that could improve diagnostic precision and provide insight into underlying disease biology.
Material & Methods: In this study, we analysed Olink proteomic data from two local cohorts (combined n=97): the ABC study (depression vs healthy controls) and the ARS study (schizophrenia vs healthy controls). Samples were measured across six Olink panels targeting cardiovascular, immune, inflammatory, and neurological pathways.
Results: We evaluated multiple machine learning classification models using nested cross-validation, alongside SHAP-based feature interpretation. Candidate protein signatures were externally validated using independent Olink datasets, enabling assessment of generalisability across larger and more diverse populations.
Conclusion: This work aims to identify both shared and disorder-specific protein signatures associated with depression and schizophrenia, advancing efforts toward biologically informed diagnosis and improved understanding of disease mechanisms.
