BioMed X, a leading external innovation hub for pharma, announced the launch of a new collaborative research project with AbbVie, hosted at the BioMed X Institute in New Haven, Connecticut.

The topic of the new research project in the field of neuroscience is the development of “Circuit-Based Model Systems of Anhedonia.” Anhedonia, the diminished ability to experience pleasure, remains one of the most challenging and poorly treated symptoms of depression, as well as several other psychiatric conditions. Anhedonia involves a complex interplay of multiple neurotransmitter systems and interconnected brain regions including the mesocorticolimbic pathway. 

The focus of this collaboration will be on the identification of specific mechanisms that underpin this debilitating symptom, using patient-derived data to validate mechanistic insights wherever possible.

With their global call for applications, BioMed X and AbbVie invite researchers world-wide to submit bold proposals for innovative research projects aimed at uncovering the entangled microcircuits and molecular targets disrupted in anhedonia. Proposals that integrate interdisciplinary approaches, including neurobiology, molecular biology, AI/machine learning, and clinical data, will be prioritized.

Interested researchers are invited to submit their project proposals via the BioMed X Career Space at https://career.bmedx.com/call/2025-NHV-C01 by January 18, 2026.

Mark Johnston, CEO of BioMed X USA, commented: "Partnering with AbbVie on this new anhedonia project allows us to combine expertise in neuroscience, molecular biology, and clinical translation. Together, we aim to tackle the fundamental mechanisms of anhedonia, which could have profound implications for the treatment of depression and other related disorders."

This represents the third research project in the collaboration between BioMed X and AbbVie, which started in 2015 with a research group in the field of Alzheimer’s disease at the BioMed X Institute in Heidelberg, Germany. More recently, in 2023, the partners launched their first U.S.-based project in New Haven focused on immunology and tissue engineering.