In 2022 Professor Alison Young was awarded the RANZCP Foundation Catalyst Grant which provides seed funding to assist researchers to prepare a pilot or proof of concept for a future study. 

Negative symptoms, cognitive impairment, and metabolic abnormalities are difficult to treat and are associated with disability and reduced quality of life in people with schizophrenia. These three syndromes may have shared underlying cellular and molecular mechanisms. 

This project hypothesises that mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress, and inflammation are linked and play a role in the development and persistence of these syndromes. 

This research project will measure markers of these possible underlying mechanisms in individuals with schizophrenia. This study will create new knowledge about the underlying pathophysiology of schizophrenia. 

It lays the groundwork for developing new medications and repurposing existing agents that affect relevant biomarkers. These can then be tested in future clinical trials. These interventions would have the potential to be disease-modifying by rescuing abnormal cellular and molecular processes and could eventually reverse or even prevent these disabling syndromes.