Australia Unveils Genetic Test to Forecast Lithium Success in Bipolar Patients
(MENAFN) Australian researchers have unveiled a cutting-edge genetic tool that can forecast how effectively individuals with bipolar disorder (BD) will respond to lithium treatment.
In a statement released Tuesday, scientists from the University of Adelaide in South Australia said this breakthrough could soon pave the way for rapid genetic testing, helping clinicians swiftly determine which patients are likely to benefit from lithium. The development holds promise for streamlining treatment plans and accelerating drug innovation.
Bipolar disorder, which impacts roughly 2.2 percent of the Australian population, is characterized by alternating periods of depression and mania. Lithium remains the primary treatment, yet only about one-third of patients experience optimal outcomes. Many derive limited therapeutic benefit, the university noted.
According to researchers, the main challenge for clinicians has been the absence of reliable biomarkers to predict individual responses to lithium.
To address this, scientists have created pathway-specific polygenic scores—genetic analyses that focus on variations in biological systems linked to lithium’s mechanisms. These scores enable more precise predictions of how patients with BD will respond to the medication.
"Tapping into this knowledge may offer new hope for developing personalized treatment strategies for patients receiving lithium," said Associate Professor Azmeraw Amare of Adelaide Medical School, lead author of the study conducted in collaboration with the International Consortium on Lithium Genetics.
Their findings reveal that BD patients with particular genetic markers—especially in pathways related to brain signaling and circadian rhythms—are more likely to respond well to lithium. Conversely, individuals with certain mitochondrial gene variants are less responsive to the drug.
Published in Biological Psychiatry Global Open Science, the official journal of the United States Society of Biological Psychiatry, the study represents a significant leap forward in the field of precision psychiatry, according to the research team.
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