Katherine Aitchison

Dr. Aitchison leads the Precision AMH (Addictions and Mental Health) Lab at the University of Alberta, which focuses on precision health for mental health. As defined by Alberta Innovates, precision health "uses an individual's genetic makeup, environmental exposures and lifestyle to create and apply a program of illness prevention, detection and intervention."

 

Prevention 
Together with Dr. Scot Purdon (Alberta Health Services) and Dr. Phil Tibbo (Dalhousie University), as part of the program of work funded during my time as the second Alberta Centennial Addiction and Mental Health Research Chair, the Precision AMH Lab sought to shed further light on genetic and environmental factors that may trigger the onset of a psychotic illness. Earlier findings were confirmed in relation to the role that smoking cannabis in one's teenage years and genes such as one called COMT (relevant to the levels of dopamine in a key area of the brain) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) might play in this (Lodhi et al., 2017; Lodhi et al., 2018; Rossolatos, Masters thesis). We also confirmed findings regarding a relationship between childhood trauma and vulnerability to psychosis (Roper, 2015 and Roper, Masters thesis). More recently, we have been working on resilience and epigenetic changes associated with childhood trauma (Jiang et al., 2019; a paper with substantial impact) and suicidal ideation and behaviours and how to use mobile health technology to assess this and investigate genetic predictors thereof (Chan et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2022; Chan, Masters thesis; Jiang, doctoral thesis).

Detection
Consistent with the National Institute of Mental Health Research Domain Criteria initiative (RDocC), we have sought to use innovative approaches to the understanding of mental disorders, including applying a dimensional approach to the study of depression and to symptoms therein such as anhedonia (loss of pleasure in previously pleasurable activities; Ren et al., 2018). We have also been the host laboratory for a Fulbright Canada Distinguished Scholar, an expert in a specific behavioural addiction. We have collected mental health, substance use, suicidality, and behavioural addiction data on a large number (~3500) of university registrants and postdocs, and are using techniques including machine learning to analyze this (Jiang et al., 2022). More recently, we have conducted a genome-wide association analysis of this behavioural addiction (Foo and Jiang et al., in preparation).

Intervention
Together with Dr. Chad Bousman (University of Calgary, and Co-Principal Investigator), and other collaborators including Dr. Sudhakar Sivapalan (University of Alberta and Alberta Health Services) and Dr. Jennifer Terpstra (University of Calgary), the Precision AMH lab was awarded an Alberta Innovates Strategic Research Project in 2019. In the first phase of this grant, our aim was to complete analytical validity for genotyping the four genes of particular relevance to prescribing for mental health and addictions and to develop tools to assist with clinical pharmacogenomic reporting. Despite the constraints of the pandemic, we completed the analytical validity work for the four genes (Carvalho Henriques et al., 2021; Buchner et al., 2021). Dr. Bousman led the development of an on-line pharmacogenomic reporting tool (Sequence2Script; doi: 10.3389/fphar.2021.636650). The lab has also authored/coauthored papers to assist with offering pharmacogenomics as a clinical service (Carvalho Henriques et al., 2020, Maruf et al., 2020, van Westrhenen et al., 2020, Maruf et al., 2021, Fan et al., 2021, Bousman et al., 2021; Dong, Thamilselvan et al., 2022 and updated 2023; Brown et al., 2023; Thamilselvan et al., 2024). We are now rolling out made-in-Alberta solutions, on a pilot basis, for adult patients with treatment-resistant depression and related conditions. I am also continuing to provide pharmacogenomic consults at request to assist patients and families with interpreting reports that they have received from commercial providers, and to suggest recommendations on the basis of these. In addition, I use publicly available psychopharmacology and pharmacogenomic data to inform my patient consults. A university spin-out company, DigHap (https://www.dighap.com) hosts genetic data interpretation tools that enable derivation of CYP2D6 and CYP2C19 haplotypes from variant input.