MCPsych

MCPsych — Execution

Supports United Kingdom research on anhedonic depression to accelerate treatment development pathways.

MCPsych (Multi-Channel Psychiatry) is a $50 million Wellcome Leap program building an integrated computational and biological model of anhedonic depression — a severe subtype characterized by the inability to experience pleasure. Program Director Susanne Ahmari, MD, PhD, a psychiatrist and neuroscientist with expertise in translational research and OCD mechanisms, leads the initiative. The program's model must span genes, molecules, cells, animal models, and human clinical data in a synchronized framework, combining biological measurement with quantifiable external behavioral measures. Three specific performance targets define the program: double the percentage of patients receiving effective treatment on their first attempt (current baseline: 33%), identify effective treatments for half of non-responsive patients, and achieve 85% survival rates for severe treatment-resistant depression at five or more years post-diagnosis.

Performer teams have been selected and the program is in active execution as of mid-2026; no open solicitation exists. The $50 million program budget follows Wellcome Leap's standard large-program envelope and is deployed across a multi-team cohort. Eligible organizations for the original solicitation followed Wellcome Leap's global model — universities, research institutions, for-profit and nonprofit organizations, from any legal jurisdiction. Contracts are milestone-based, with Wellcome Leap providing active program management throughout the multi-year execution period.

Organizations working in computational psychiatry, translational neuroscience, depression biomarkers, or treatment-resistant depression therapeutics should monitor Wellcome Leap for any future MCPsych solicitation cycles. The program's multi-scale modeling requirement — spanning molecular biology to human clinical outcomes — makes it a particularly demanding fit requiring truly multidisciplinary teams. The explicit survival-rate target at five-plus years post-diagnosis signals that Wellcome Leap is funding the full treatment-response-to-outcomes chain, not only biomarker discovery.