Help deliver new treatments from the lab to people who urgently need them
For someone like Beau, who is living with depression, there’s no relief from the darkness without your help.
Mental illness can be as devastating as any other condition affecting the body.
It can be life-threatening.
At just nine years old, Beau was trapped by a “looming sadness”. A darkness that wrapped itself around him, leaving him unable to feel happiness like the other children around him.
At 31 years old, Beau’s depression began to spiral as he became resistant to his medication.
Beau urgently needed an alternative. But alternatives only exist because of medical research—research that's made possible by supporters like you.
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Your work, and ours, begins where current treatments end.
QIMR Berghofer researchers, Professor Luca Cocchi and Dr Bjorn Burgher, saw an opportunity to use an existing treatment for depression and maximise its impact through new technology and tailoring the treatment to each patient.
Beau received a course of daily personalised Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) treatment in January. It was life-changing:
“It was incredibly effective. I can look back on how my mental illness was before and how it feels now and notice a real difference.
Since the TMS treatment, the pits of my depression are shallower, and I’ve found them easier to jump out of. The severity and frequency have dramatically reduced.”
Every brain is unique
Standard TMS has worked well for some, but not for others, because until now, it’s been delivered using the same scalp-based measurements for everyone.
But no two brains are identical.
QIMR Berghofer researchers have recently used MRI scans to identify the exact area in each person’s brain most connected to mood.
With robotic accuracy, treatment is delivered to that point, and early results are extremely positive.
Help bring science-driven hope to those battling depression
As many as one-third of people with depression either don’t respond to or become resistant to treatment, no matter what combinations of therapies and medications they try.
When standard treatments fail, research becomes the only hope left.
Early results are remarkable — half of the study participants saw their symptoms reduce by more than 50 per cent, and one-third achieved full remission.
“The gold standard is large-scale clinical trials—that’s how we’ll prove it works and make it more accessible to more people.”
– Professor Luca Cocchi
Ways to donate
Your donation goes directly to medical research at QIMR Berghofer.
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Account Name: QIMR Berghofer Donations
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supportus@qimrb.edu.au
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
QIMR Berghofer acknowledges the Traditional and Cultural custodians of the lands, waters, and seas across Queensland, pay our respects to Elders past and present, and recognise the role of current and emerging leaders in shaping a better health system. We recognise the First Nations peoples in Queensland are both Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islander peoples and support the cultural knowledge, determination, and commitment of First Nations communities in caring for health and wellbeing for millennia.
DISCLAIMER
While QIMR Berghofer makes every effort to make sure the information on this website is accurate and informative, the information is not professional or medical advice. The information on this website is general in nature and based on the information available at the time of publication. You should obtain advice relevant to your particular circumstances from a health professional.