New Blood Test Makes the Autism Picture a Bit Clearer

NeuroPointDx is launching a blood plasma-based test that might be able to give a clearer picture of the prevalence of autism in children. The Madison, WI-based company said the NPDX AA Test, identifies metabolic subtypes associated with the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and can be used to screen children as young as 18 months. The test detects amine imbalances in the blood plasma of children with very precise thresholds that were identified and validated based on patient samples from the Children’s Autism Metabolome Project (CAMP), a 1,100-subject study, the largest one to date focused on the metabolism of children with ASD. These imbalances, detected in about 30% of children with ASD, are not identified by other currently available metabolic tests. The company said children who receive a positive result on the test should be prioritized for further clinical evaluation by a neurodevelopmental specialist. The NPDX AA test also provides metabolic information that may be used by clinicians and physicians to inform a more precise treatment strategy for a child diagnosed with ASD. The branched-chain amino acid metabotypes (metabolic subtypes) identified by the CAMP study and previously published in Biological Psychiatry account for several of the metabotypes included in the NPDX AA test. “We are continuing to mine data from the CAMP study to identify and validate additional metabolic subtypes in children with ASD,” Bob Burrier...
Source: MDDI - Category: Medical Devices Authors: Tags: IVD Source Type: news