Our project aims to identify biomarkers for psychiatric symptoms such as psychosis and suicidal thoughts. The aim is to refine clinical diagnostics and to promote personalized care. The research is hypothesis-driven and focuses on a low-grade inflammatory condition, and includes biochemical analyses on material from a large number of cohorts with different psychiatric disorders. Based on genetic and biochemical variations, we develop and validate animal models for detailed investigation of brain immune activation, neurotransmission and behavior. The project will combine extensive genetic and phenotypic information from patients with animal and cellular studies in a translational manner. A short-term goal is to find biomarkers to personalize drug treatment and identify patients at risk of suicide. A long-term strategic goal is to provide the Swedish pharmaceutical industry with information on new targets that directly relate to the mechanisms that cause the disease and improve productivity and quality of life for individuals with this lifelong disease. Based on our finding that patients with psychotic symptoms have elevated levels of kynurenic acid, several pharmaceutical companies have developed drug candidates that reduce the synthesis of kynurenic acid. We now have clear data showing that it is important to block another enzyme and are now also seeking funding to initiate a drug discovery project.