Lay summary
Lithium is the gold-standard treatment for bipolar disorder and the only medication to reduce suicide risk. However, its effective dose is close to the toxic dose and frequent blood monitoring is required to prevent poisoning. Around half the individuals taking lithium stop their treatment due to adverse effects including kidney damage, weight gain and cognitive impairment.
In a world first, we will ‘cage’ lithium with organic ligands to produce a delivery system with a quicker response and fewer side effects than current formulations.
We will investigate the stability, release kinetics and biology of the novel complexes to identify a lead structure for further development and determine their social and cultural acceptability in preparation for future clinical trials.
Providing proof-of-principle for a safer and more effective lithium medication that does not require blood monitoring has the potential to transform treatment and decrease the significant social and economic burden associated with BD.