ALCEDIAG has developed a set of blood biomarkers designed to optimize, improve the outcome and/or shorten the duration of clinical trials in neuropsychiatry. Our quantitative, objective and dynamic biomarkers can be used in different settings including stratification, monitoring and evaluation of the therapeutic response. Their main indications include (but are not limited to) depression, bipolar disorder, suicide risks and the assessment of inflammation levels in neuropsychiatry.

Clinical studies in neuropsychiatry 

Clinical studies in neuropsychiatry are plagued by lower than average success rates. The causes are many and varied. Neuropsychiatric diseases are multifactorial and complex. They are often difficult to diagnose and assess objectively. The drugs can have a long time-to-onset and limited response rate. As a consequence, selecting the right patients, following their condition, assessing the impact of a drug candidate vs placebo can be challenging and often lead to less than optimal clinical trial results.

ALCEDIAG biomarkers

ALCEDIAG has developed a set of epigenetic (linked to environment) blood biomarkers to enhance clinical trial results in neuropsychiatry. Compared to genetic biomarkers that highlight for example a vulnerability, ALCEDIAG epigenetic biomarkers are dynamic, they identify the disease at a given moment and its evolution in time. The biomarkers are at the junction between the main neurotransmitter systems and the inflammatory system, allowing a global approach to neuropsychiatric pathologies

The key features of the biomarkers are the following:

• Quantitative: The biomarkers provide a quantitative evaluation of the pathology, so that the data can be easily used in a clinical trial setting. 
• Objective: The data provided are biological measurements and fully objective, so that data of different patients, groups of patients, clinical centres, etc. can be compiled and compared without risks of human biases.
• Dynamic: The biomarkers pinpoint the disease at a given moment, in contrast with genetic biomarkers that identify a vulnerability to a disease. Thus, as the condition of the patients evolves, so will the biomarkers.

Click here for more information about the science behind ALCEDIAG biomarkers.

ALCEDIAG biomarker benefits

ALCEDIAG biomarkers help optimize clinical trials and improve outcomes, saving time and money. ALCEDIAG biomarkers can be used for different purposes, including:

• Stratification of patients;
• Monitoring of patients;
• Quantification of the therapeutic impact of drugs.

ALCEDIAG biomarkers can help to identify the right patients to be included in the clinical trials, the ones most likely to benefit from the treatment being tested. ALCEDIAG biomarkers can be used to confirm or specify a clinical assessment in psychiatry, ensuring the homogeneity of the group of patients included. ALCEDIAG biomarkers can also be used to monitor the patient’s condition as they are dynamic and evolve with the pathology. For example the biomarkers can be used to follow the inflammation level. Another advantage is to rapidly assess the impact of a treatment, a key factor in a medical field in which drugs’ time-to-onset can be several weeks long.

For more information on ALCEDIAG biomarkers, contact us.

Applications in other therapeutic areas

RNA editing is a key mechanism involved in several pathologies including CNS disorders, inflammation, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases and certain cancers.

ALCEDIAG expertise and platform allows to identify clinical biomarkers in all these therapeutic areas.

For more information, see the Editech page.

ALCEDIAG, a trusted and indispensable partner

ALCEDIAG is an industrial player structured to meet the needs of its partners and clients. Our team of seasoned experts operates on a fully integrated in-house platform, working under industrial standards and a high level of quality (GLP Good Laboratory Practices). 

To complement current biomarkers, ALCEDIAG proposes a service to develop tailor-made biomarkers for a specific application, thanks to EDITECH platform and technology.

For more information, please contact us.