b'DISTINGUISHED INVESTIGATOR GRANTG NDevelopment of Novel Transdiagnostic Neural-DerivedExosomal miRNA-based Biomarkers for SuicidalityYogesh Dwivedi, Ph.D.University of Alabama at Birmingham$139,932Suicide is a significant public health concern. However, the ability to predict and prevent suicidal behavior is limited. MicroRNAs representing gene expression play an essentialrole in conveying environmental impacts on brain function,and abnormal expression of these molecules has been linkedto psychiatric disorders. Using an innovative approach(brain-derived plasma exosomes), this study will examine whether microRNAs can serve as molecular tools to identify suicidal behavior across diagnoses.16'