Mission

Orchard will transform and revolutionize translational research and clinical practices into OCD and thereby improve the quality of life of patients living with the condition. Orchard: Bridges fundamental research and clinical research by building a community of interdisciplinary professionals (academics, clinicians, psychologists, patients, industry and charities) to exchange state-of-the-art knowledge and best clinical practices, Develops platforms for knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary collaborations by establishing national and international fora and conferences on OCD, Identifies alternative financing models and incentives by linking researchers and funders and crowd sourcing platforms, Raises funds to catalyse research by reaching out to national and international funding bodies, by partnering up with mental health charities, by creating crowd sourcing campaigns and through philanthropic funding, Fosters drug repurposing by working closely with researchers and drug repurposing companies, looking into molecules/approaches which did never reach the market, Fosters clinical trials into those drugs by collaborating with scientists and industry leaders, Stimulates patient engagement and organises patient recruitment for on-going research studies, Build public awareness around the condition and its stigmatising nature.

Category

Health

Additional Information

Orchard is a new charity that seeks to drive the quest for new and better treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), a mental illness that affects 1m people in the UK alone.   OCD is a common, chronic and long-lasting mental health condition in which a person has uncontrollable, intrusive and reoccurring thoughts (obsessions) and behaviours (compulsions) that (s)he feels the urge to repeat over and over, in the attempt to temporarily relieve the unpleasant feelings brought on by the obsessive thought. OCD is the fourth most common mental disorder after depression, alcohol/substance misuse, and social phobia and, according to the World Health Organisation, it is one of the 10 most debilitating condition of all medical disorders[1]. It affects 2% of the population, women, men and children. The condition typically starts during early adulthood, although symptoms can develop at any age. Once the condition developed, it interferes significantly with the person's life (with the development of the child) and puts a great social and economic burden on the person and their environment, which then results in considerable economic loss. OCD symptoms can range from mild to severe. Some people with OCD may spend a couple of hours a day engaged in obsessive-compulsive thinking and behaviour, for others the condition can completely take over their lives. Existing treatments (medication and psychotherapeutic) are out-dated and usually only partially successful. Up to 30%–40% of patients do not respond to the available treatment modalities[2] [3]. Given the chronic nature of the condition with a significant life-long impact, there is an urgent need to develop new and more effective strategies for prevention, early detection and effective treatment. However, research in OCD is currently heavily underfunded. Nonetheless, fundamental research is vital to understand the aetiological factors and neurobiological bases of the disorder, and translational clinical research is critical to evaluate and adopt new treatment avenues. [1] Bobes J, Gonzalez MP, Bascaran MT, Arango C, Saiz PA, Bousono M. (2001). Quality of life and disability in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Eur Psychiatry 2001;16:239-45. [2] Saxena, S., Bota, R.G., Brody, A.L., (2001). Brain–behavior relationships in obsessive– compulsive disorder. Semin. Clin. Neuropsychiatry 6 (2), 82–101. [3] Atmaca, M. (2015). Treatment-refractory obsessive compulsive disorder. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry 2016 Oct 3;70:127–33.