The ADBS PROGRAM

Mental illnesses includes well-recognized conditions such as schizophrenia, depression, bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, substance dependence and dementia. Although these are a substantial medical challenge worldwide, there is a pressing need for better ways to diagnose these illnesses and also for treating them. Neither do we understand why some individuals are more prone to developing mental illness than others. While it is likely that changes in the structure and function of the brain lead to mental illness, these are poorly understood. Understanding these underlying changes in the brain will likely lead to better methods to diagnose and treat mental illness.The Accelerator program for Discovery in Brain disorders using Stem cells (ADBS) was initiated as a scientific venture to understand mental illness by harnessing the power of sophisticated clinical investigations, modern human genetics, and stem cell technology. ADBS was launched in 2016 by three institutions from Bangalore, India - the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS), the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem) and the National Institute for Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS). The ADBS program was supported by the Department of Biotechnology, Ministry of Science & Technology, Government of India between 2016-2023 and the Pratiksha Trust. The ADBS program closed in March 2023 and the next phase of work on this problem is undertaken at the Rohini Nilekani Centre for Brain and Mind