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Recent Updates

News

DNA Methylation Patterns in Newborns Point to Susceptibility to Schizophrenia

A new analysis by Isabel Schuurmans and Charlotte Cecil identifies distinct epigenetic signatures in cord blood linked to an increased susceptibility to schizophrenia and other neurodevelopmental conditions.

Genetic susceptibility to neurodevelopmental conditions such as schizophrenia, autism, and ADHD can be linked, in part, to distinct epigenetic signatures in newborn cord blood. An analysis of nearly 6,000 newborns in iological Psychiatry, published by Elsevier, revealed that genetic susceptibility to neurodevelopmental conditions is already associated with measurable differences in DNA methylation (DNAm) patterns at birth. These differences were particularly strong for susceptibility to schizophrenia and clustered in genes involved in immune function, notably, the major histocompatibility complex, which has been consistently linked to schizophrenia risk and immune function in research on adults.

Full publication: Schuurmans IK et al. Genetic susceptibility to neurodevelopmental conditions associates with neonatal DNA methylation patterns in the general population: an individual participant data meta-analysis. Biol Psychiatry. 2025 Sep 22. DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2025.09.005.

20 November 2025
News

4th General Assembly Meeting in Barcelona

From 5–7 November 2025, the FAMILY consortium met in Barcelona, Spain, for its 4th General Assembly Meeting. The two-day event brought together project partners from across Europe to review progress, share results, and plan the next steps in the project’s implementation.

Following a warm welcome from Project Coordinator Neeltje van Haren and local host Gisela Sugranyes, the meeting agenda featured comprehensive updates from all Work Packages, detailed discussions on recent scientific achievements, and strategic sessions focused on the project’s upcoming milestones.

To complement the intensive working sessions, participants had the opportunity to connect informally through team-building activities on the beach and a group dinner in Sitges, fostering stronger collaboration and personal exchange beyond the formal meeting setting.

We extend our sincere thanks to all partners – those present in Barcelona and those joining online – for their active engagement and valuable contributions. The consortium now looks forward to continuing this dynamic collaboration as the project moves into its next phase of research and innovation.

Are you interested in our latest research results? Check out our publications page.

05 - 07 November 2025
News

Exploring the Frontiers of Intergenerational Mental Health (IMH)

Yesterday at the 25th Congress of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) in Prague, Czech Republic, experts, clinicians, and researchers came together for a FAMILY course on “Intergenerational Mental Health (IMH): Navigating the Frontiers of Risk, Resilience, and Prevention.”

Mental illness rarely affects only one person. It often transcends generations, shaping families and communities in profound ways. Our course offered insights into how genetic, epigenetic, environmental, and neurobiological factors intersect to influence both risk and resilience across generations. By integrating clinical cases, user perspectives, and cutting-edge scientific insights, participants explored how prevention and early intervention can break cycles of vulnerability – and promote mental health equity across lifespans.

Many thanks to the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) for making this session possible, and to our excellent speakers and participants for creating such a dynamic and inspiring learning experience! 👏

05 October 2025

About

Mental illness runs in families.
The FAMILY consortium aims to improve the life of mentally-ill persons and their families:

  • firstly focus on better understanding the mechanisms of intergenerational transmission of mental illness from parent to child.
  • studying the family context, we will try to build models to predict whether mental illness will be transmitted across generations or not.
  • FAMILY will also address key ethical and social issues raised by risk prediction for clinical use, such as the right not to know, and the risk of stigma.
  • Lastly, together with the family advocacy and support organisation EUFAMI and the not-for-profit association ESCAP, we will try to increase awareness and foster active engagement of families, and translate new discoveries to patients and mental health care professionals.

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FAMILY translates current barriers into 3 themes of enquiry, with the following 6 project objectives:

Theme 1

Understanding intergenerational transmission of risk

  • Estimate the contribution of genetic and environmental routes of intergenerational transmission of risk from parent to offspring throughout the life course.
  • Identify causal factors underlying genetic and environmental routes of risk transmission and resilience.
Theme 2

Predicting risk of mental illness in a familial context

  • Identify and validate genetic, epigenetic, and brain imaging biomarkers for risk or resilience to mental disease in the family.
  • Develop and validate a multimodal risk prediction model and a normative modelling framework to predict, at the individual level, who is at risk of developing a mental disorder.
Theme 3

Creating societal impact and end-user engagement

  • Map and evaluate social and ethical consequences of risk prediction for clinical use.
  • Increase awareness and foster active engagement of families and translate new discoveries to patients and mental health care professionals.

Impact

Scientific

New breakthrough scientific discoveries on the intergenerational transmission of risk of mental illness and risk prediction within a family context, pushing the field forward towards first clinical implementation of family-based prediction tools by 2035.

Clinical

Ethical considerations regarding risk prediction support mental health care professionals and patients and their families in clinical decision-making. Awareness on the role of transmission of risk of mental health problems stimulates the integration of child/adolescent and adult mental health care services, leading to improved care for high-risk families.

Societal

Improved mental health literacy in vulnerable high-risk families, resulting in increased engagement with their own mental health and earlier recognition of mental health problems, leading to earlier identification and preventive intervention. Improved quality of life of vulnerable high-risk families because of earlier recognition of emerging problems, earlier and focused preventive interventions, and less stigma and discrimination.

Economic

Earlier identification and preventive intervention of mental health problems prevents exacerbation of these problems, resulting in reduced mental health care cost in the longer term.