Research Discovery

JOHNSON CITY (August 21, 2018) – An East Tennessee State University researcher studying new ways to treat depression has garnered federal funding to bolster those efforts.

Dr. Greg Ordway, a professor in ETSU’s Quillen College of Medicine, has been studying the biology of depressive disorders in humans for approximately 30 years and recently discovered a possible new method of treatment for those suffering with depression.

Through the research, Ordway and colleagues found an enzyme that was abnormally elevated in the brains of people who died with major depression. That enzyme is located in a pathway within the body that is not targeted by current antidepressant drugs.

Upon further examination, Ordway and his collaborators at ETSU found that by blocking that enzyme, there is the potential for antidepressant activity. Through a drug already on the market – for the treatment of something unrelated – as well as the potential development of other more targeted medications, this discovery could lead to relief for millions of sufferers who are unresponsive to current antidepressants on the market.

“Current available antidepressants produce remission in only two-thirds of patients with depression, which affects over 15 million people in the United States each year,” Ordway explained. “Our research is designed to unearth depression-related vulnerabilities of specific brain cells in hopes of uncovering novel targets for drugs that could better treat depression.”

The National Institutes of Health recently awarded Ordway a two-year grant for more than $430,000 to continue with the research. ETSU colleagues working alongside Ordway on the project include Drs. Michelle Chandley, John Kalbfleisch and Yue Zou, as well as Dr. Craig Stockmeier from the University of Mississippi Medical Center and James Overholser from Case Western Reserve University. Several ETSU students will also be involved in the research.

Ordway and Quillen colleague Dr. Russ Brown are also seeking separate funding for the development of a drug that treats depression through this new pathway.

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Kristen Swing
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