A collaborative roadmap for improved outcomes in mental health
L-R: A/Prof Rachel Hill, Prof Suresh Sundram, Leaders of CPRR
A new perspective in Molecular Psychiatry introduces the Consortium for Preclinical Psychiatric Research (CPPR), a Monash-led collaboration that brings discovery and clinical teams together to accelerate translation in biological psychiatry. Led by A/Prof Rachel Hill and Prof Suresh Sundram in the Department of Psychiatry, School of Clinical Sciences at Monash Health, the piece sets out why the field needs coordinated, cross-model work to find causal pathways and move promising findings toward patient benefit such as new treatments and biomarkers.
Models remain a critical tool in mental health research. From animal systems to stem cells and patient-derived materials, these approaches help uncover mechanisms and guide treatment development. Selecting the right model is challenging because options are diverse and psychiatric conditions are complex. Careful model selection is one of the most important steps in bridging the gap between laboratory discovery and real-world care, yet it has been a persistent barrier to progress. CPPR has been created to address that challenge.
A/Prof Hill says the motivation came from years of incremental advances that were hard to connect across labs and systems. “Everyone has made significant findings in their own models, but I kept asking where it was all leading,” she said. “To really know if something is causal, we have to use multiple model systems and work together.” The consortium now includes more than 60 researchers and clinicians across Australia. Members meet monthly, align methods and priorities, and share resources that make prior work visible, reduce duplication and build momentum toward translation. “Clinicians want to connect with discovery researchers, and discovery researchers want to connect with clinicians,” Hill added. “There should be no barrier.”
Central to CPPR is the A-psyc (Australian psychiatric) Knowledge Bank, a catalogue of models, assays and available tissues that points researchers to what exists and who is involved. It is not a data repository. Instead, it helps teams avoid re-running studies that have already been done and supports better experimental design.
The first flagship initiative, supported by Wellcome, is the Library of Animal Models. This online resource evaluates models and behavioural assays for conditions such as depression, anxiety and psychosis, helping researchers choose approaches that are fit for purpose. It is designed to be a practical tool that improves reproducibility and reduces unnecessary animal use. “Finally there will be a platform to find the right model and the right assay,” Hill said. “It could save months. It is not just a catalogue. It is an evaluation that helps researchers select what is most meaningful.”
The second initiative is an Omics Data Commons that will generate and harmonise large-scale proteomics and transcriptomics across human and preclinical samples. Summary information will be visible to all, with deeper access available by short proposal for committee review. The program is being developed with national infrastructure partners, including Bioplatforms Australia, Australian BioCommons and ARDC. Phenomics Australia will support downstream target validation through new stem-cell, organoid and animal models when convergent pathways emerge. “The key is that it goes across models and begins to standardise everything so we can look for convergent causal biology,” Hill said. “One model will never capture the genetic heterogeneity of psychiatric conditions. Looking across systems is more meaningful than any single study.”
Momentum is growing beyond Australia. Following a presentation at the British Neuroscience Association, discussions have begun on establishing a UK node of CPPR. The World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry has also approved the establishment of a CPPR task force, recognising the need for global collaboration and shared standards.
Over the coming months CPPR will move from concept to broader community use. The first public release of the Library of Animal Models interface is in preparation, with early contributors to be onboarded. Specialist working groups will refine model evaluations and assay guidance so that users can make confident choices more quickly. The Omics Data Commons will enter an early access phase with staged data ingestion through partner facilities.
For A/Prof Hill the aim is simple. “This is about linking models and clinical evidence to find causal pathways and move faster to impact,” she said. “The response from the community has been clear. People are excited that it is becoming global and that it will increase their capacity to collaborate.”
Researchers and clinicians interested in joining CPPR or attending monthly meetings can contact A/Prof Rachel Hill at rachel.hill@monash.edu.
About Monash University
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