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Illumina, Danish Researchers Aim At Mental Health Using Ancient DNA

San Diego-based life sciences equipment maker Illumina and a Danish research institution, the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre, said this morning that the two are in a collaboration that seeks to uncover the genetic origins of mental health issues. According to the two, they will be using Illumina's DNA sequencing systems to map the interaction between human DNA and mental disease, saying the "mysteries hidden within hidden DNA" may provide answers to today's mental health issues. In the collaboration, the Lundbeck Foundation GeoGenetics Centre at the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, led by Professor Eske Willerslev, plans to build a complete DNA mapping of thousands of ancient Eurasian human remains, in a hope to determine the role of microbes in the pathogenesis of neuropsychiatric illnesses, such as Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia. The researchers said that it is already known that chronic viral, bacterial and fungal infections might be causative factors in neuropsychiatric diseases, and it is looking to see how that has changed over time.