Towards Early Diagnosis of Schizophrenia

A consortium led by Prof. Hossam Haick of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology has secured an €8 million grant from the European Union, a remarkable achievement given the competitive nature of such funding. Prof. Haick, dean of Undergraduate Studies and faculty member in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering with a secondary affiliation in the Faculty of Biomedical Engineering, spearheads this groundbreaking project titled VOLABIOS.

Prof. Hossam Haick

The project focuses on improving early diagnosis and monitoring of schizophrenia – a chronic condition affecting approximately 1% of the global population (80 million people). Schizophrenia is one of the leading causes of disability worldwide, reducing life expectancy by an average of 10–15 years.

VOLABIOS aims to develop advanced, cost-effective diagnostic tools that improve patient quality of life, reduce diagnostic errors by 30%, and optimize treatment and monitoring processes. Utilizing cutting-edge technologies, including multi-omics (genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, and transcriptomics), portable spectrometry, and artificial intelligence, the project seeks to identify chemical and biochemical signals of the disease – non–invasive biomarkers excreted from the human body.

This initiative unites 20 partners from 11 countries across Europe, including Aachen University (Germany), the University of Cambridge (UK), the Greek Ministry of Health, and the French company FIRALIS. Together, they bring expertise in academia, technology, medicine, law, and public policy to drive innovative solutions for early schizophrenia diagnosis and care. The advisory board features renowned experts in the fields of psychiatry, healthcare policy, and decision-making.

Technion Executive Vice President for Research Prof. Noam Adir said, “One of the goals of modern medicine is to develop technologies that will identify human diseases at early stages at high precision. This includes psychiatric diseases, such as Schizophrenia, that are typically difficult to diagnose. Prof Hossam Haick is one of the world’s premiere scientists in the field of disease diagnostics using molecular marker identification methods. In the research described here, Prof. Haick has brought together scientists from academia, government, and industry to merge molecular marker technologies with AI, to significantly improve the speed and accuracy of schizophrenia diagnosis. Importantly, the group believes that their research will lead to a system that will be applicable to mental health providers, worldwide.”
The project will analyze biomarkers derived from various sources in the body. Initial stages include a retrospective analysis of 9 million medical records, including 120,000 related to schizophrenia. This will be followed by a clinical study involving 3,692 patients across six medical centers in Europe and a blind validation study with 1,000 participants to confirm biomarker accuracy and relevance.

VOLABIOS aims not only to enhance medical treatment but also to make advanced diagnostic tools accessible to healthcare systems worldwide. It will create an open knowledge base to support future research and develop new approaches to diagnosing complex mental health disorders.

The leadership team includes Prof. Haick as chair and coordinator, Dr. Yoav Broza, and Ms. Liat Zuri, both of the Technion, as consortium manager and financial and administrative manager, respectively.

About Prof. Hossam Haick
Prof. Hossam Haick, head of the Laboratory for Nanomaterial-Based Devices in the Wolfson Faculty of Chemical Engineering at the Technion, is a world-renowned expert in non-invasive disease diagnosis using volatile compound analysis. A paper published last year in the Journal of Cancer Research recognized him as the most-cited researcher globally in this field, highlighting his significant scientific achievements and exceptional contributions to early cancer detection research.

Prof. Haick’s work demonstrates innovative technologies that enable the diagnosis of various cancers. He has also showcased the effectiveness of these technologies in diagnosing additional diseases, including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, multiple sclerosis, tuberculosis, and kidney diseases. His technological developments have received substantial funding from the European Union, including support for a smart patch for tuberculosis monitoring, which earned a multi-national grant from the Gates Foundation.

A pioneer in leading major international scientific consortia, Prof. Haick has spearheaded several influential projects, including:

• LUCIA, focusing on lung cancer risk assessment;
• A-PATCH, developing and clinically testing a smart patch for tuberculosis diagnosis and monitoring;
• SNIFFPHONE, creating miniature systems for disease diagnosis through breath analysis.

His latest consortium, VOLABIOS, marks his first initiative dedicated to brain diseases. This project aims to advance non-invasive diagnostics to new frontiers, revolutionizing the field and paving the way for innovative approaches to mental health care.