SYNAPS Dx Presents at ISPOR Annual Conference, Demonstrates 90% of Physicians Follow Results of DISCERN, First Skin Test for Alzheimer’s Disease

SYNAPS Dx (SDx), a privately held company focused on the research, development and commercialization of diagnostics for neurological disorders and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), announces it will present “Physicians’ Assessment of the Clinical Utility of a Novel Test to Diagnose Alzheimer’s Disease (AD),” at the Professional Society for Health Economics and Outcomes Research (ISPOR) Annual Conference, May 15-18 in National Harbor, Maryland. The implicit preference study indicates that 90% of physicians would routinely use the results of DISCERN™, a diagnostic test that assesses the factors directly related to the formation of synaptic connections in the brain impacting loss of memory and cognition in people living with AD as well as regulators of amyloid plaque and tau formation, hallmarks of AD at autopsy.

“We are very excited to be part of this important event and to bring an innovative and effective test that has the potential to impact future health economics and outcomes research (HEOR) in patient-driven digital healthcare systems,” says Frank Amato, CEO and president, SDx. “Our study showed that DISCERN was an important attribute in physician decision-making and, compared to no DISCERN test, a positive result was associated with significantly higher clinician confidence in an AD diagnosis, even earlier in the disease. This result confirms the test’s value as the most promising breakthrough for early diagnosis of AD.”

The study relied on a web survey-based conjoint analysis to estimate preferences from a sample of primary care physicians, neurologists and geriatricians. Hypothetical patient profiles were created with five attributes: MRI/CT scan results, mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score, blood test results (thyroid stimulating hormone, vitamin B12, folate, syphilis, Lyme disease), age and DISCERN result. Physicians viewed seven randomly selected patients from a fractional factorial design of 27 unique profiles. For each patient, physicians indicated whether or not they would diagnose AD, prescribe medications for AD cognitive impairment, refer to a neurologist or prescribe a futuristic disease-modifying drug.

Frederick Huie, M.D., general surgeon in New York, New York, states, “DISCERN, which has 95% sensitivity and 95% specificity in the diagnosis and management of AD, combines three biomarkers: Morphometric Imaging to measure fibroblasts’ ability to form networks; Protein Kinase C ε to measure synaptic growth; and AD-Index to measure phosphorylation of Erk1 and Erk2 in response to bradykinin. The study also found that a positive DISCERN test was associated with significantly higher odds of prescribing disease modifying agents for AD, with the MMSE score being the most important attribute in the decision to refer a patient to a neurologist.”

About SYNAPS Dx

SYNAPS Dx is a privately held company focused on the research, development and commercialization of diagnostics for neurological disorders and conditions, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The Company offers DISCERN™, the first highly accurate, minimally invasive skin test supporting a clinician’s definitive diagnosis of AD versus other forms of dementia, even in early disease. SYNAPS Dx’s laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) as qualified to perform high complexity clinical laboratory testing. Physicians and patients seeking more information can visit https://discerntest.com/. For more information on the Company, visit https://www.synapsdx.com/. Contact: info@synapsdx.com.

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SYNAPS Dx Presents at ISPOR Annual Conference, Demonstrates 90% of Physicians Follow Results of DISCERN, First Skin Test for Alzheimer’s Disease