T cell and immunotherapies in mood disorders

I’m the group leader of the research unit Psychiatry and Clinical Psychobiology at the Division of Neuroscience of the IRCCS Scientific hospital San Raffaele, and associate professor of psychiatry. My research activities focus at the interface between neuroscience and behavioral disorders, with the aim of increasing scientific knowledge and developing effective diagnosis and treatment options in the broad field of clinical neurosciences. My areas of expertise encompass clinical psychobiology, in vivo imaging, genetics, pharmacology, and clinical research, to face the questions of modern psychiatry.

"Carmine M. Pariante is Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, and Consultant Perinatal Psychiatrist at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
He investigates the role of stress and inflammation in the pathogenesis of mental disorders and in the response to psychotropic drugs, both in clinical samples and experimental settings.
His work focuses on depression and fatigue, with a particular interest in the perinatal period and in subjects with medical disorders. More recently, he has developed an interest in the effects of the arts, social prescribing, and nutritional interventions, on mental health.
Since 2018, Professor Pariante has been a Clarivate Analytics Highly Cited Researcher, and, as of April 2024, he has published >520 publications, with close to 40,000 citations and an H-Index of 103 in Scopus and 137 in Google Scholar.
He has received numerous awards for his research, including the 2015 Anna-Monika Prize for Research on Depression, the 2016 PNIRS Normal Cousins Award for Research in Psychoneuroimmunology, the 2017 Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Field of Infant Mental Health, the 2017 NARSAD Distinguished Investigator Award (one of the most prestigious international research awards in psychiatry), the 2018 Art of Neuroscience Award, Royal Academy of Arts and Sciences (The Netherlands), the 2021 Psychiatric Communicator of the Year by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the 2022 Media Award from the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He is also the appointed Editor in Chief of the journal Brain Behaviour and Immunity and the President of the International Society for Psychoneuroendocrinology.
Professor Pariante has extensive experience in reaching out to the press on topics related to mental health, with >70 media appearances in newspapers, magazines, radio and TV. He can be followed on Twitter and Instagram on @Pariantelab and on the digital publication that he edits, www.inspirethemind.org."

Dr Hemmo A. Drexhage MD PhD (1948) is emeritus professor of Medical/Clinical Immunology, ErasmusMC, Rotterdam, the Netherlands.
His research is in the field of Immuno-Neuro-Endocrinology/Immuno-Psychiatry on the role of the immune system in psychiatric, endocrine autoimmune (thyroid autoimmune disease and type 1 diabetes) and metabolic disease (type 2 diabetes and obesity).
As a coordinator he is still full-time active in evaluating the data from 3 large scale EU funded projects “MOODINFLAME”, “PSYCH-AID” and “MOODSTRATIFI-CATION” (2008-2023, 26 partner institutes, 15 countries).
He has published over 450 research papers and trained over 45 PhD students.
His h factor is 80 (Google Scholar December 2024)."

"Dr. Benno Haarman is a psychiatrist, assistant professor, and Head of the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG). He specializes in the immunopsychiatry of mood disorders, with a particular focus on bipolar disorder. Dr. Haarman’s research spans several cutting-edge areas, including neuroinflammation imaging using PET/MRI, monocyte gene-expression studies, T-cell differentiation abnormalities, and gut microbiome research. His pioneering work was the first to demonstrate in vivo neuroinflammation in bipolar disorder, providing groundbreaking insights into the role of activated microglia in psychiatric conditions.
Dr. Haarman is also a principal investigator of the largest probiotics trial to date in bipolar disorder, exploring the gut-brain axis as a novel therapeutic target. His expertise extends to advanced neuroscientific techniques and precision medicine, integrating findings from chronobiological interventions, neuromodulation therapies, and immune-targeted treatments to improve outcomes for patients with severe mood and anxiety disorders.
In addition to his research, Dr. Haarman is a dedicated clinician, frequently managing complex cases referred from across the Netherlands. He collaborates closely with patient organizations like PlusMinus to align research with patient needs and contributes to national and international guidelines through active roles in the Dutch Bipolar Organization (KenBis), the International Society for Bipolar Disorders (ISBD), and the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP).
With over 65 publications, numerous invited lectures, and international collaborations, Dr. Haarman’s work exemplifies the integration of innovative research and clinical care to advance the field of psychiatry."

Medical Career
1977 Licensed and doctorate in medicine Ulm University
1977-1997 clinical research assistant in neurology (head: H.H.Kornhuber)
1997-1987 clinical research assistant in the Department Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II, Bezirkskrankenhaus Günzburg, University of Ulm
since 1983 approved Specialist in Neurology and Psychiatry , since1998 Specialist in Psychotherapeutic Medicine
since 1987 Oberarzt, Department Psychosomatics and Psychotherapeutic Medicine in the department Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II, Bezirkskrankenhaus Günzburg, University of Ulm
since 1996 Privatdozent, University of Ulm
from 1998 -2015 head of Department Psychotherapeutic Medicine and Psychosomatics in the Department Psychiatry and Psychotherapy II, Ulm University
since 2003 apl Professor of Psychiatry, Ulm University
since 2015 retired, still continuing research,eg. local head of EU-Project MOODSTRATIFICATION

Scientific awards and appointments
1996 Kurt-Schneider-Preis
1998 Stanley Foundation Award
2008 Deutscher Herd-Forschungs-Preis (Anerkennungspreis)
Since 2007 Kuratorium member of International Neuropsychiatric Pula Congresses, INPC ,since 2008 Program Director for Psychiatry section
2010-2020 Editor-in-Chief Neurology, Psychiatry& Brain Research ,
2020-now Co-Editor resp. Special Section Editor Journal of Affective Disorders Reports
S. 2010 Member of the Board of the “Weißenauer Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Psychosenforschung e.V.Since 2017 Co-Chair WPA Section Immunology & Psychiatry
Memberships in many international scientific societies