Breakthrough Discoveries for Thriving with Bipolar Disorder (BD²)

The world’s largest integrated psychiatric dataset is now available to accelerate breakthroughs in bipolar disorder.

$105+ million committed to a global network of 40 organizations advancing collaborative scientific research.

BD² is the first organization dedicated to funding and advancing research and care for bipolar disorder on a global scale.

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We collaborate with individuals with lived experience and collect real‑world clinical data to strengthen research and support better care.

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We enable bold, collaborative science to expand understanding and unlock new interventions, so people living with bipolar disorder can thrive.

Genetic, biological, and clinical data are shared and analyzed together to fuel discovery, improve care, and spark new research questions.

350+

Scientists and clinicians in BD²’s network, collaborating to transform bipolar disorder research.

BD² invests in and connects prominent scientists, clinicians, and people with lived experience to deepen insight and accelerate progress.

$105+ Million

Committed in grants to close fundamental gaps in scientific understanding of bipolar disorder.

An intentionally collaborative, open science approach designed to shorten the timeline from scientific breakthroughs to improved care.

4,000+

People diagnosed with bipolar I who will participate in the BD² longitudinal cohort study.

BD² is sharpening the science behind bipolar disorder to drive better understanding and better care.

About Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar disorder is often studied through the lens of other psychiatric conditions and receives less funding, despite affecting 3% of the global population.

It takes 7 years on average to diagnose bipolar disorder.
It takes 17 years on average to translate a scientific discovery to meaningful interventions for people with bipolar disorder.
Fewer than 50% of individuals find effective treatments.

BD² is leading efforts to strengthen the field, shape research priorities, and drive new hope for people living with bipolar disorder.

Researching previously unknown scientific foundations of bipolar disorder, including biological indicators and genetic mechanisms.
Building the largest collaborative bipolar disorder research network to accelerate personalized, evidence-based treatment.
Collecting and analyzing an unparalleled set of diverse biological samples to uncover deeper insights into bipolar disorder.

With a collective force focused on transforming bipolar disorder research and care, we are progressing toward a future where all people with bipolar disorder thrive.

Genetic and biological markers are used to identify bipolar disorder at its earliest stages.
Evidence-based treatments improve outcomes for people with bipolar disorder within a short time of diagnosis.
Everyone with bipolar disorder has the support and tools to live stable, fulfilling lives and thrive.

By aligning researchers and clinicians across disciplines and institutions with the lived experience of bipolar disorder, BD² generates high‑quality data, creates meaningful insights, and shortens the path from discovery to better diagnosis and treatment. Through Collaboration Projects, we build on promising foundational research investments with additional funding that accelerates new findings and deepens data and resource sharing.

Our Work

BD² Integrated Network

Connect real-world clinical care with longitudinal research to turn real-time data into better outcomes.

Brigham and Women's Hospital-McLean Hospital

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA)

Indoc Research

Johns Hopkins University

Mass General Brigham-McLean

Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic Biobank

Ottawa Hospital Research Institute

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research

The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

University of California Los Angeles

University of California San Diego

University of Cincinnati/Lindner Center of HOPE

University of Michigan

Discovery Research

Uncover the biological mechanisms driving bipolar disorder through hypothesis-driven discovery.

Columbia University

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

KTH Royal Institute of Technology

Lieber Institute for Brain Development

Mass General Brigham

Massachusetts General Hospital

New York Genome Center

New York University

Northwestern University

Princeton University

Rutgers University

Stanford University

Swinburne University

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

University College, London

University of California, Berkeley

University of Minnesota Medical School

University of Oxford

University of Reading

University of Texas Austin

Weill Cornell Medicine

Wyss Institute at Harvard University

Yale University

Brain Omics Platform

Map genetic, epigenetic, transcriptomic, and proteomic signatures in human brain tissue to deepen biological insight.

California Institute of Technology

Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

University of Pittsburgh

Genetics Platform

Sequence a large, diverse population to strengthen the genetic foundation of bipolar disorder research.

New York Genome Center

The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard

University of California Los Angeles

Who We Are

Our comprehensive, hypothesis-driven approach is breaking down barriers between innovation, scientific findings, and clinical care.

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June 1, 2026

Press Release

BD² Launches Data Science Fellowship for Early Career Scientists

Highlights: BD² plans to award eight new data science fellowships for early career investigators…

May 15, 2026

In the news

Inside a Megadonor-Backed Funder’s Fight to Treat Bipolar Disorder

Inside Philanthropy highlights BD²’s progress since its 2022 launch, from expanding the field of…

March 30, 2026

Press Release

BD² Releases Largest Multi‑Modal Psychiatric Dataset to Accelerate Breakthroughs in Bipolar Disorder

Highlights: Historic Scale: Data from 615 participants across initial six sites, forming the most…

February 10, 2026

Blog

Rethinking the Research Model: Women’s Health and the Future of Bipolar Science

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science, BD² is spotlighting the women advancing…

December 12, 2025

2025 Milestone Report: Advancing a Future Where People with Bipolar Disorder Thrive

BD² closes 2025 with powerful momentum across our global research community. This year, we…

October 28, 2025

Press Release

BD² Awards $18 Million in Grants to Advance Research on the Biology of Bipolar Disorder

  Washington, DC –Today, BD², or Breakthrough Discoveries for thriving with Bipolar…

BD² is invested in the talent of our people and partners, fostering team development and connection across the network.

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A message from our CEO

"The wonder of science is that while we can’t know where new discovery will come from, we can stack the deck in our favor and aim it towards the greatest impact for people."

– Cara Altimus, PhD, CEO