Cory Heidaran Charitable Foundation

Executive Summary

In the United States, someone dies by suicide every 40 seconds (World Health Organization). Suicide is the second leading cause of death among individuals aged 10–34, according to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH). In 2020 alone, nearly 50,000 Americans died by suicide, and an additional 93,331 died from drug overdoses. A significant portion of these overdose deaths are linked to underlying or undiagnosed mental health conditions.

•        12.2 million serious thoughts of suicide

•        3.2 million suicide plans

•        1.2 million attempted suicides

•        Approximately 50,000 die per year or about 135 per day

•        Every suicide affects 10-20 survivors

•        Immediate family members lose jobs and some die from suicide.

•        In US it is estimated that close to 10% of total population is affected by suicide

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that one in four Americans is currently living with a mental health condition. Within this population, there exists a subset of individuals at extremely high risk of life-threatening behaviors (LTBs), including self-harm and suicide. Unfortunately, current diagnostic tools are insufficient for accurately identifying those at highest risk, making early intervention and prevention difficult.

Unmet Need: The prevailing model driven largely by advocacy efforts focuses on improving access to a fragmented mental health care system. This system relies heavily on outdated psychiatric drugs developed over 20 years ago based on monoamine hypotheses, subjective symptom reporting, and general wellness strategies such as mindfulness and talk therapy. Further, educators, primary care physicians and pediatricians often lack the necessary training and tools for early detection and evidence-based management of severe mental health conditions. Meanwhile, despite advances in genomics and neuroscience, government investment in research on the biological basis of serious mental illness remains disproportionately low compared to other brain diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

How We Are Different: The Cory Heidaran Charitable Foundation (CHCF) is committed to revolutionizing mental health by promoting research that identifies individuals at high risk for life-threatening mental health conditions through genetic and epigenetic screening, ideally during early developmental stages. We advocate for a paradigm shift in understanding LTBs as a biologically driven condition, thereby enabling the discovery of novel curative therapies. CHCF bridges the gap between public awareness and cutting-edge innovations in genetics, diagnostics, and advanced therapies. We plan to advance the development and availability of blood-based diagnostics for early identification and intervention.

Mission Statement: To transform how we diagnose and treat life-threatening behavioral conditions such as suicidal by uncovering and targeting their biological and molecular roots. We aim to dismantle outdated stigmas that mischaracterize serious mental health conditions as personal failings or solely environmental in origin.

Vision: To develop and deliver personalized, genetics- and epigenetics-based diagnostic and therapeutic solutions that prevent or cure individuals at high risk for life-threatening behaviors (LTBs).

Strategic Plan:

Years 1–3: Education & Awareness - Launch webinars, workshops, and public campaigns to promote understanding of the biological underpinnings of LTBs. - Destigmatize mental illness by reframing it as a treatable brain disease with measurable molecular causes. - Educate healthcare professionals, educators, and policymakers on early detection and intervention strategies.

Years 3–5: Building Research Funding Infrastructure - Launch a targeted funding program for out-of-the-box, high-impact research projects. - Develop and implement SOPs for publishing requests for proposals (RFPs), transparent peer-review processes, and public reporting. - Build multidisciplinary review panels and compliance structures to ensure accountability.

Years 4–10: Translational Development - Partner with academia, industry, and government to: a) Develop FDA-cleared in vitro diagnostic kits for early detection of genetic and epigenetic risk factors which can be ideally implemented for newborn screening. b) Accelerate the development of genome- and epigenome-based curative therapies targeting validated molecular pathways.

Key Strategic Pillars:

 • Educate the public and professionals about scientific breakthroughs through webinars and workshops.

• Advocate for increased national investment in brain health research, especially into life-threatening psychiatric conditions.

• Fund high-risk, high-reward translational research focused on identifying diagnostic biomarkers for LTBs.

• Partner with biotech and medtech industries to co-develop FDA-cleared diagnostic solutions.

• Support innovators and researchers with technical, regulatory, translational, and IP guidance, and connect them to the philanthropic community.

Scientific Approach and Rationale:

•        Individuals at high risk of LTBs respond to environmental stress including peer pressure, job loss, traumatic events differently than other individuals.

•        Multi-omic and genome wide association (GWAS) analysis of brain and tissue samples from individual died from suicide shows involvement of at least 3000 genes.

•        Recent evidence for an overlap in molecular basis of many conditions with behavioral and psychological manifestation(s).

•        Understanding root causes of LTB should inform our understanding of many diverse neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions.

•        Early diagnosis of individuals at high risk of LTB is at birth maybe possible.

•        Early diagnosis and interventions are hallmarks of successful treatment strategies   

Publications:

Mapping of genetic links across 14 psychiatric conditions (https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09820-3)

CHCF policy on redefining mental Health (https://1drv.ms/b/c/8e19bdbef5aa5850/EUdHC2qwaaxHvvTG_Sdv4GEBbNKKqaV5Ru7SQGYJac0ivQ?e=Z6Hff9).

White paper on root causes of stigma in young adults (https://1drv.ms/b/c/8e19bdbef5aa5850/ETJUUXS0q1FMozglxvsdo58BPhr89O-voUGIYnqLgAu7Ew?e=h88Qpv).

Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0006322321015705).

Revisiting Socioeconomic Assumptions About Suicide Risk (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7359396589594968065).

Understanding a risk-based approach to suicide (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7359421104014118913).
 

Position Statement on Genetic Testing and Substance Use Risk (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7359261034626326528)

Why We As an Organization Advocate for Men’s Mental Health (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7358684877241651200)

Scientists Find Clues to the Genetics of Mental Illness (https://psychiatryonline.org/doi/10.1176/appi.pn.2024.09.9.4)

CHCF infographic (https://www.linkedin.com/feed/update/urn:li:activity:7356015499744268288)

Contact Information:

If you are feeling deeply depressed, completely hopeless, or even suicidal and you find yourself convinced that the best version of you is not good enough for this world please know this: you are loved, you are wanted, and your presence matters. The darkness you feel right now will not last forever, and if you can hold on through this painful moment, tomorrow can bring light and relief. Please call 988 suicide and crisis hotline.  

Cory Heidaran Charitable Foundation

Mo Heidaran, Ph.D.

Email: Mheidar@chcfbrain.org

Website: https://www.chcfbrain.org

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/88907328/admin/