An international study is seeking 300 volunteers in Aragon to investigate the causes of suicide and improve its prevention.

The Aragón Health Research Institute is participating in this research, which will collect data from 50.000 patients worldwide and generate highly accurate prediction models using genetic and digital behavioral analysis.

The Mental Health Research Group in Primary Care of the Aragón Health Research Institute (IIS Aragón), led by psychiatrist Javier García Campayo, will participate in a An innovative international study aimed at identifying genetic, behavioral, and clinical risk factors for suicide will also use digital behavioral data.This research seeks to recruit 50.000 patients internationally who have previously attempted suicide (5.000 in Spain and 300 in Aragon), and its details were presented today to the Aragon Justice Department's Chief Justice, Concepción Gimeno, at the institution's headquarters. 

Under the title SMARTomicS: Preventing suicidal behavior through digital phenotype-guided therapeutic interventions and pharmacogenetics (RETRO subproject)The study will involve the collaboration of research centers from several countries, including the United States and other European countries, as well as up to 30 hospitals in Spain. This project is led by the Jiménez Díaz Foundation and funded by the Carlos III Health Institute.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young people and a serious public health problem in Aragon, which currently has the fourth highest suicide rate. There are 10 suicides per 100.000 inhabitants, compared to the national average of 8. In 2023, 104 people took their own lives in Aragon, and the rates among university students are alarming. 

The Justice of Aragon, Concepción Gimeno, has emphasized the Institution's commitment to all initiatives that contribute to the study and prevention of mental illnesses, "not only because they profoundly affect individual and collective well-being, but also because they are, all too often, among the causes of greatest suffering and social exclusion."

Javier García Campayo, SMARTomicS coordinator in Aragon, highlights that "This study will revolutionize suicide prevention, and could curb repeat attempts in many cases." "In the genetic field, many genes will be analyzed that are not usually studied but already show signs of being related to suicide risk. And in the behavioral field, clear patterns prior to a suicide attempt can be established, such as changes in routine or behavior," García Campayo explained. 

Furthermore, thanks to Big Data analysis using tools like Google Takeout, patterns can be established with a very solid database of thousands of patients. "Cross-referencing clinical, pharmacological, and digital data will allow us to design much more effective personalized prevention strategies," he adds.

Aragon has set itself the goal of recruiting 300 participants before DecemberThe information obtained will be integrated into an international database to advance the global fight against suicide, a major public health problem.

For this purpose, an email address and a telephone number have been enabled: Interested persons can write to the email address smartomics@eclipso.eu or contact by phone (also WhatsApp or Telegram) at 644 389 440, Monday to Friday, from 10:00 a.m. to 16:00 p.m.

Participant Requirements

As part of the goal of identifying multifactorial patterns that allow for more accurate prediction of suicide risk, aspects such as digital behavior, genetic and pharmacological information, and the clinical progress of the participants will be studied. "Their medical histories will also be taken into account," explained the study coordinator. 

Volunteers must meet the following criteria:

• Having more than 18 years or, in the case of adolescents, over 12 years with parental consent.
• Have done at least one suicide attempt throughout his life (self-harm without suicidal intent is not included).
• To be able to give informed consent and have time to go to Zaragoza for sample collection.

Those who participate will undergo various analyses. genetic and analytical analysis, through a blood or saliva sample. A study of the "digital phenotype", based on the activity data that Google Takeout collects about your digital usage. A review of clinical evolution through health care records and a evaluation of changes in medication, consulting the information from the electronic prescription system.

All information will be collected anonymously and encrypted to ensure participant confidentiality.

The goal: prevention and a much more personalized approach

Thanks to SMARTomicS, 50.000 patients with a digital phenotype will be genotyped to generate suicide risk prediction models for personalized, real-time interventions. To this end, and as a final outcome of the multicenter project, a personalized treatment will be developed that combines an intervention based on a personalized Safety Plan usable from the patient's smartphone (Ecological Momentary Intervention - EMI), combined with the administration of antidepressant treatment guided by pharmacogenetic information.