Deakin Researcher Wins 2024 Australian Mental Health Prize

The Australian Mental Health Prize, established in 2016 by the University of New South Wales (UNSW), recognises Australians who have made outstanding contributions to promoting mental health or preventing and treating mental illness. It aims to generate public awareness that will ultimately lead to improvements in treatment, services and individual outcomes.

Director of Deakin University's Institute for Mental and Physical Health and Clinical Translation (IMPACT), Professor Berk is a distinguished mental health researcher whose work has significantly reshaped the treatment landscape of psychiatric disorders in Australia and globally. His early research led to the first randomised controlled trials showing the effectiveness of atypical antipsychotics for bipolar disorder, which are now standard treatments worldwide.

Professor Berk's team's work focuses on bridging the gap between research and clinical practice to provide real-world solutions for those suffering from mental health conditions.

'The key to advancing mental health care lies in bridging the gap between innovative preclinical research and practical clinical applications,' he says.

Professor Berk has led pioneering studies that have revolutionised the way we treat mental health care disorders. One of his team's most innovative contributions is using stem cell technology to discover new ways current drugs can be repurposed for different disorders.

By developing a platform with patient-derived stem cells, Professor Berk's stem cell team, led by IMPACT's deputy director Professor Ken Walder, can identify existing medications to treat psychiatric disorders, speeding up the development of new treatments. This research is paving the way for new approaches to conditions like schizophrenia and chronic fatigue syndrome.

Specifically, Professor Berk's team has identified a medication that improves mitochondrial function, initially aimed at bipolar disorder, and now being explored for chronic fatigue syndrome.

'Our stem cell platform allows us to quickly test and repurpose existing drugs, potentially offering new hope for conditions like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia and chronic fatigue syndrome, where treatment options are limited,' he says.

'Stem cell technology offers a revolutionary path to identifying new treatments for complex psychiatric conditions. By using patient-derived stem cells, we can repurpose existing medications, accelerating the development of therapies for mental health conditions and disorders like chronic fatigue syndrome, which currently has no approved medications.'

As a leader in the field, Professor Berk heads major research initiatives, including the NHMRC Centre of Research Excellence for the Development of Innovative Therapies for Psychiatric Disorders (CREDIT) and the Mental Health Adult General Trial Network (MAGNET), Australia's first mental health clinical trials network. These platforms facilitate collaboration among researchers and clinicians, ensuring that scientific discoveries are effectively translated into therapies that benefit patients.

Professor Berk's contributions to mental health research have been recognised with numerous awards and accolades. He is consistently listed as a Highly Cited Researcher, ranking among the top experts in psychiatry, depression, and bipolar disorders. His accolades include the Brain and Behaviour Foundation (NARSAD) Colvin Award for Mood Disorders, the Victoria Prize for Science and Innovation, and the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists Senior Research Award.