09-07-2025
Ottawa Hospital receives US$2.3-million in funding for bipolar disorder research
In 2013, Ruby Rubaiyat left a series of desperate voicemails with psychiatrists in Ottawa he had Googled, seeking help for his suicidal thoughts. This began an eight-year journey of misdiagnoses and unsuccessful treatments before a manic episode finally catalyzed a correct diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
But since then, Mr. Rubaiyat has continued struggling for relief, cycling through 11 failed treatment regimens while his career, relationships and self-esteem have frayed.
'I could never understand why my personal life was such chaos and disaster,' said Mr. Rubaiyat, 45, who also has complex post-traumatic stress disorder. 'And even though this diagnosis [was made], it really doesn't mean anything, because there is no incoming treatment that is going to help me.'
Mr. Rubaiyat's struggles are not rare among people with bipolar disorder, an illness that remains difficult to treat and takes an average of nine years to correctly diagnose. Psychiatric research in general has long been underfunded and bipolar disorder is particularly neglected, despite affecting an estimated 40 million people worldwide.
But a nascent research initiative, called Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²), is aiming to change that by building a sprawling scientific network of 15 institutions, which will share data and collaborate on cutting-edge research.
The initiative includes a longitudinal cohort study that will follow 4,000 patients over five years, collecting data using everything from blood analysis and MRI scans to wearable devices that track patients' sleep patterns.
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And on Tuesday, BD² – in partnership with the non-profit organization Brain Canada – announced that US$2.3-million will be given to the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, the first Canadian site to join the potentially transformative research effort.
'We've long felt stifled by the inability to move things forward,' says Jess Fiedorowicz, the head of mental health at The Ottawa Hospital, who will be leading the BD² site in Ottawa. 'What's required to advance knowledge is … to really follow people over a long period of time, collect data, and to understand this illness.
'The potential is tremendous. And that's what makes me so excited about this.'
Bipolar disorders are chronic psychiatric conditions that cause recurrent episodes of mania and depression. BD², pronounced 'BD squared,' was launched in 2022 with US$150-million in funding from three philanthropic families in the United States, including that of David Baszucki (founder and chief executive of Roblox), Kent Dauten (chairman of Keystone Capital) and Sergey Brin (co-founder of Google) – all of whom have children or family members affected by the disorder.
The initiative began with just six sites, including leading institutions like Johns Hopkins University and the Mayo Clinic. The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute becomes the network's 11th site – the remaining four are not yet selected – and the first to be chosen outside of the United States.
BD² is investing in discovery research aimed at unravelling the underlying genetics and mechanisms of bipolar disorder, with an end goal of finding better diagnostics and treatment. Its longitudinal cohort study will be among the largest of its kind, with at least 100 of its 4,000 patients enrolled in the Ottawa area.
Institutions participating in the study are also forming a 'learning health network,' where the reams of data being collected across sites will be simultaneously analyzed and leveraged to improve clinical care – in real time.
Historically, there has been an estimated 15- to 17-year delay between discovery and the implementation of new practice models. BD² aims to close that gap, Dr. Fiedorowicz says.
'We could be developing new treatments, new approaches to treatment, and I think that's super exciting. But there's another piece too, and that is in the here and now,' he says. 'Through participation in this study, we're going to be working to improve and refine our clinical services.'
Dr. Fiedorowicz hopes BD² can replicate the successes of major cancer centres, which have long been advancing research through the creation of vast and co-ordinated research networks.
He emphasizes the network's overarching goal of enabling all people with bipolar disorder to thrive – not just by reducing their hospitalizations and symptom burdens, but by empowering them to live well, function in society, and maintain healthy lifestyles.
'You can keep people out of hospitals,' Mr. Rubaiyat says. 'But we're not addressing what happens to them when they leave.'
