The Leibniz ScienceCampus NanoBrain is a collaboration of several leading research institutes and groups based in Mainz, united by a common goal: to develop innovative medications for the treatment of stress-related mental illnesses.

Why do we need new medications for depressive disorders?

According to estimates, around 5% of adults worldwide suffer from depression. Traumatic experiences, stressful life events, and chronic stress can contribute to the development of this illness. Crisis situations, such as wars or pandemics, often lead to a noticeable rise in the number of affected individuals.

The impact of depression is often profound and serious. It increases the risk of numerous other chronic illnesses, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity, and is one of the leading causes of early retirement. In the worst cases, depression can be fatal: in Germany, 1 in 100 deaths is due to suicide, and among young adults, suicide is the leading cause of death.

In short, depression places a heavy burden not only on those affected but also on the healthcare system and society as a whole. That’s why it is urgently necessary to find new, more effective, and targeted ways to treat this disease.

However, the medications currently available come with significant drawbacks:
Their therapeutic effects often take time to set in, and not all patients respond to antidepressant treatments. In some cases, unwanted side effects can complicate therapy.

What challenges need to be overcome?

Innovative medications aim to treat depressive disorders at their root cause. This is the only way to achieve optimal results while minimizing side effects.

One of the first hurdles is to uncover the exact causes of the disease. The experts in our NanoBrain consortium make a significant contribution to unraveling these causes. Using newly developed (animal) models, they are creating the necessary tools to decode the highly complex cellular processes that underlie the development of depressive disorders and to then target these mechanisms.

To repair these "faulty" processes, we are exploring the use of innovative mRNA technology. Known primarily through its application in COVID-19 vaccines, this technology works by providing the body with precise instructions to produce specific endogenous substances, allowing us to target and adjust biological mechanisms in a highly controlled manner.

Another major challenge in treating depression is delivering active substances directly to the brain. Like a protective wall, the so-called blood-brain barrier ensures that only a few select substances can reach the brain, making it particularly difficult to treat brain disorders with medication.

But we also have solutions for this. With the help of nanotechnology experts, we are developing ultra-small "transporters" that can safely cross the blood-brain barrier and release the active substances precisely where they are needed in the brain.

Our research is not only bringing us significantly closer to effective treatment for depression—it also opens up new perspectives for tackling other serious brain disorders, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease.

How do we plan to achieve this?

Stronger together.
Each member of our consortium contributes a unique piece of the puzzle—ranging from neurobiological expertise and cutting-edge models to precise analytics, mRNA technology, and nanotechnology.

Through close and intensive collaboration, we can achieve our goals and take a significant step forward in advancing treatment options for depressive disorders.

Partner Institutions