Cristian-Daniel Llach López
MD
Qualification
- BSc
- MSc
- MD
Professional Memberships
- Young and Resident Doctors Section Board, Official College of Physicians of Barcelona
- European Federation of Psychiatric Trainees (EFPT) Representation Board
- Research and Teaching Board, Spanish Psychiatry Residents Society
- Fellowship Advisory Committee, University of Torontoz
- Official College of Doctors of Barcelona (COMB)
- Spanish Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health
- Catalan Society of Psychiatry and Mental Health
- College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario
- Editorial Board, BMJ Connections Mental Health
- EV-Psy Working Group, International Society for Extracellular Vesicles
Dr. Cristian-Daniel Llach Lopez is a Staff Psychiatrist, clinician-researcher, and Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. Dr. Llach completed degrees in Human Biology and Medicine at Universitat Pompeu Fabra and Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, followed by residency training in Psychiatry at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, University of Barcelona. He subsequently moved to Canada after being awarded the competitive “Postgraduate Studies Abroad” fellowship from the “La Caixa” Foundation and completed a clinical and research fellowship in mood disorders at Toronto Western Hospital, University Health Network (UHN).
Grants
Adjunctive Psilocybin for Treatment Resistant Depression (Ad-Psilo): A Randomized, Active Placebo-Controlled, Phase II Clinical Trial. 2026-01 to present | Operating Grant. Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Ottawa, Ontario, CA). URL: https://webapps.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/decisions/p/project_details.html?applId=533043&lang=en
Characterizing Whole-Body Energy Expenditure in Bipolar Disorder. 2026-01 to present | Operating Grant. Pooler Charitable Foundation (Toronto, Ontario, CA)
Pattern of mitochondrial function and energy availability in bipolar disorder across different phases of the illness: a multidisciplinary longitudinal study. 2022 to 2024 | Operating Grant. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Barcelona, Catalona, ES). URL: https://portalfis.isciii.es/proyecto?idProyecto=PI21/00169
Role of continuous actigraphic monitoring in predicting depressive relapses in bipolar disorder: A 12-months prospective study. 2020 to 2022 | Operating Grant. Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) (Barcelona, Catalonia, ES). URL: https://portalfis.isciii.es/proyecto?idProyecto=PI19/00672
Psiquiatube / In the Labyrinth: An Illustrated Guide to Psychiatry. 2022 to 2022 | Grant. Catalan Foundation for Research and Innovation (FCRI) (Barcelona, Catalonia, ES). URL: https://www.youtube.com/@psiquiatube
Recent Publications
Llach CD, Badulescu S, Tabassum A, Shah H, Gill H, Le GH, Vieta E, McIntyre RS, Rosenblat JD, Mansur RB. Glucagon-like Peptide-1 receptor agonists as emerging therapeutics in bipolar disorder: a narrative review of preclinical and clinical evidence. Mol Psychiatry. 2026 Jan;31(1):456-479. doi: 10.1038/s41380-025-03261-0. Epub 2025 Sep 13. PMID: 40940560.
Gill H, Badulescu S, Shah H, Brudner RM, Phan L, Di Vincenzo JD, Tabassum A, Thanarajah SE, Llach CD, Rosenblat JD, McIntyre RS, Mansur RB. Semaglutide and Effort-Based Decision-Making in Major Depressive Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2026 Apr 29:e260594. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2026.0594. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42054055; PMCID: PMC13130066.
Badulescu S, Gill H, Shah H, Brudner R, Phan L, Di Vincenzo JD, Tabassum A, Armanyous M, Llach CD, Rosenblat JD, McIntyre RS, Mansur RB. Semaglutide for the treatment of cognitive dysfunction in major depressive disorder: A randomized clinical trial. Med. 2026 Jan 9;7(1):100916. doi: 10.1016/j.medj.2025.100916. Epub 2025 Nov 10. PMID: 41218611.
Llach CD, Le GH, Badulescu S, Anmella G, Hasan HA, Giménez-Palomo A, Pacchiarotti I, Vieta E, McIntyre RS, Rosenblat JD, Mansur RB. Extracellular vesicles in mood disorders: A systematic review of human studies. Eur Neuropsychopharmacol. 2025 May;94:59-75. doi: 10.1016/j.euroneuro.2025.02.009. Epub 2025 Mar 9. PMID: 40057988.
Llach CD, Le GH, Shah H, Marcato LM, Brietzke E, Gill H, Tabassum A, Badulescu S, Rosenblat JD, McIntyre RS, Mansur RB. Peripheral and central inflammation in depression: How large is the gap and can we bridge it with PET neuroimaging and neural-derived extracellular vesicles? J Neuroimmunol. 2025 Jun 15;403:578587. doi: 10.1016/j.jneuroim.2025.578587. Epub 2025 Mar 18. PMID: 40174479.
Haikazian S, McIntyre RS, Meshkat S, Kratiuk K, Llach CD, Orsini DK, Di Luch SD, Rosenblat JD. Real world effectiveness of maintenance ketamine infusions for treatment-resistant depression in major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder. Psychiatry Res. 2025 Oct;352:116691. doi: 10.1016/j.psychres.2025.116691. Epub 2025 Aug 15. PMID: 40834563.
Llach CD, Pailhez G, Conejo-Gonzalez C, Singh PM, Bulbena A. Post-traumatic stress and joint hypermobility in children and adolescents of Nepal after exposure to an earthquake. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2025 Apr;34(4):1353-1363. doi: 10.1007/s00787-024-02559-8. Epub 2024 Aug 23. PMID: 39177828.
Honours and Awards
2026 ASCP New Investigator Award (NIA). American Society of Clinical Psychopharmacology. URL: https://ascpp.org/ascp-meetings/ascp-annual-meeting/new-investigator-program/
2024 Fellow Travel Award. University of Toronto. Presentation at ISEV Annual Meeting (Melbourne)
2024 Postgraduate Studies Abroad. "La Caixa" Foundation. URL: https://becarios.fundacionlacaixa.org/en/cristian-daniel-llach-lopez-B005776. AWARD_NUMBER: ID 100010434—fellowship code LCF/BQ/EU22/11930062
2011 Summer Internship. Spanish Association Against Cancer