In the presence of Science Minister Petra Olschowski and the sponsors Dr. Hans-Werner and Josephine Hector, the Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry (HITKIP) was officially opened at the Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim. The goal of the HITKIP is to use artificial intelligence to uncover the causes of mental illness and to improve treatments in the long term. The new research facility is funded by the Hector Foundation II with 11.5 million euros.
In Germany, about one third of the adult population is affected by a mental illness every year. This corresponds to around 17.8 million people. For those affected and their relatives, mental illness is associated with massive suffering and often leads to severe restrictions in social and professional life. In addition, mental illnesses cause high economic costs, and the trend is rising. The need for new, effective therapeutic approaches is correspondingly great.
Analyzing large data sets to improve care
This is where the work of the Hector Institute for Artificial Intelligence in Psychiatry comes in. Using artificial intelligence and specially developed algorithms, scientists aim to explore causes of mental illness and improve detection and treatment at the individual level. Artificial intelligence methods have led to entirely new ways of recognizing patterns in highly complex data sets. For this approach, scientific data is merged with information from clinical care that provides information about the respective treatment success. From this, models are developed to precisely tailor treatment to individual risk and protective factors. “Mental illnesses are major causes of sick leave and early retirement and have a huge impact on sufferers, their families and the community. Using artificial intelligence methods, HITKIP will break new ground in preventing or effectively treating such illnesses,” says Prof. Dr. Andreas Meyer-Lindenberg, Chairman of the Board of CIMH.
Part of an excellent research network
The HITKIP uses the research infrastructure of the Center for Innovative Psychiatry and Psychotherapy Research. This was made possible in 2019 by funding from the federal government and the Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, among others, and is located at the Central Institute of Mental Health in Mannheim. In addition, HITKIP benefits from an extensive collaborative research network, including the new German Center for Mental Health. Through this, it has access to some of the largest data sources in psychiatry as well as expertise at the interface of psychiatry, molecular biology, bioinformatics and artificial intelligence. The HITKIP will also contribute to regional research excellence as part of the Heidelberg Mannheim Health and Life Science Alliance.
“The new Hector Institute combines psychiatric research with the future technology of artificial intelligence and thus offers unimagined opportunities. With the generous grant from the Hector Foundation II, optimal research conditions are being created at the Central Institute of Mental Health to take the diagnosis, therapy and prevention of widespread mental illnesses to the next level – and, above all, to bring them promptly into patient care. As a state, we welcome and support this further strengthening of the Central Institute of Mental Health and the entire Rhine-Neckar region on its way to becoming a leading center for health research and care,” says Science Minister Petra Olschowski on the occasion of the institute’s opening.
Visionary funding by the Hector Foundation makes new paths possible
The HITKIP is supported by a generous grant from Dr. h.c. Hans-Werner and Josephine Hector and their Hector Foundation II. This endows the institute with a sum of €11.5 million for its launch. “We are very pleased that it may be possible to use artificial intelligence methods to identify the causes and effects of mental illnesses more quickly and in a more targeted manner, and perhaps even to prevent or cure them. This is a goal we are keen to support,” emphasizes Dr. h.c. Hans-Werner Hector.
In addition to the new HITKIP, the Hector Foundation has already been funding the Hector Institute for Translational Brain Research, which is based at the CIMH as well as at the German Cancer Research Center, since 2018. “The visionary funding provided by Dr. h.c. Hans-Werner and Josephine Hector has enabled the CIMH to break completely new ground in research and has expanded our understanding of mental illness in unexpected ways. We are very grateful to the donors for this generous support of our work,” emphasizes Meyer-Lindenberg.