Molecular Biomarkers Tested for Schizophrenia

Biochemical clues in the blood that signal severe psychiatric disorders are being investigated, but a large amount of time and effort are required to find definitive validated biomarkers.

Measuring changes in the cells or molecules of human tissues or fluids, by detecting so-called biomarkers, has aided the diagnosis of various diseases for some time, but when it comes to severe mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, patients are just diagnosed by asking questions.

Scientists at the University of Cambridge (UK) have validated a blood serum test for diagnosing schizophrenia using samples from 572 schizophrenia patients and 235 healthy persons as control group. The final test consists of a so-called biomarker assay panel and includes 51 different proteins. The statistical analysis of the combination of these proteins yields results that give a probability that a patient is suffering from the disorder, and the test was able to correctly diagnose 83% of the schizophrenic patients and depression with a certainty of about 90%.

A test called VeriPsych (MyriadRBM; Austin, TX, USA) has been commercially available in the USA for about 18 months and has been ordered by 32 clinical centers, but the product needed further refinement to better fit the needs of patients and healthcare providers. A new European project has made excellent progress in achieving the goal of developing clinically useful biomarker tests for schizophrenia. Some of these blood-based markers based on previous studies could include interferon gamma, chromogranin A, and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1).

Following successful completion of the European project, Psynova Neurotech Ltd, RBM Inc. (Cambridge, UK) and EDI GmbH (Reutlingen, Germany) will seek to provide the early schizophrenia diagnostic assay panel as a commercially available clinical tool for psychiatrists and GPs by establishing the assays in a centralized screening laboratory. In addition, Psynova intends to offer the biomarker assay-panel products developed in this work as tools to aid the discovery and development of novel medicines for the treatment of schizophrenia.

Sabine Bahn, MD, PhD, MRCPsych, the head of the Cambridge Center for Neuropsychiatric Research (UK) said, “A blood-based biomarker test, additional to conventional clinical diagnosis, could enable earlier diagnosis and better treatment .We have so far identified blood biomarker signatures for distinguishing schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression and also for predicting drug response. The results from several patient cohorts are encouraging. There will now be larger prospective clinical trials.”

Related Links:
MyriadRBM
Psynova Neurotech Ltd, RBM 
EDI GmbH