Елена Бутусова/Adobe StockThe recently discovered genetic biomarker ankyrin-3 (ANK3) was found to be successful in guiding a clinical trial of liafensine for treatment-resistant depression. Presence of gene ANK3 was found to be predictive of positive response to liafensine in patients with treatment-resistant depression. This phase 2b trial is the first successful prospective genetic biomarker-guided clinical trial in psychiatry.1The ENLIGHTEN clinical trial, sponsored by Denovo Biopharm, included 189 adult patients who tested positive for the ANK3 gene and had treatment-resistant depression (TRD), ultimately demonstrated a 4.4 point improvement in Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) scores as compared with placebo. The trial was a randomized, double-blind phase 2b trial in which patients were randomly assigned to received 1mg liafensine, 2 mg liafensine, or placebo once-daily orally for 6 weeks. ANK3 as a novel genetic biomarker for liafensine in treatment-resistant depression: the ENLIGHTEN randomized clinical trial.JAMA Psychiatry.