Methods for diagnosis and treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders

This technology is an assay for detecting select variants of the GCH1 allele and associated genotypes for assessing various psychiatric disorders in patients.

Unmet Need: Method to assess neurological and psychiatric disorders in patients

Previous work has shown that patients with schizophrenia have a peripheral deficit in BH4, which is linked to a deficit in the central nervous system. Current methods, however, do not treat psychiatric and neuropsychiatric diseases, such as schizophrenia, by addressing genetic deficiencies in the GCH1 gene and/or in the BH4 system. Additionally, there is currently no useful genetic test for determining subjects that are at-risk for developing schizophrenia and, as a result, treatment approaches have limited success.

The Technology: Assay for determining the optimal treatment and assessing treatment response in patients

This technology is a genetic test for use in assessing psychiatric and neuropsychiatric diseases in patients. This assay determines the presence of select variants of GCH1 alone or in conjunction with low or altered biopterin or BH4. Results from this assay can then be used for the screening, prediction, diagnosis, prognosis, and assessing the treatment response of psychiatric, neuropsychiatric, and neurological disorders. As such, this technology provides an effective assay for diagnosing and determining the treatment for disorders such as schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and bipolar disorder.

Applications:

• Assessing psychiatric and neuropsychiatric diseases (i.e. schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and bipolar disorder)
• Predicting patient response to treatments
• Guiding individualized treatment options for patients

Advantages:

• Can help guide physicians in choosing between treatments
• Allows for assessment of the risk or severity of neurological diseases
• Compatible with several sample types

Lead Inventor:

Catherine Clelland, Ph.D.

Patent Information:

Patent Status

Related Publications:

• Clelland JD, Read LL, Smeed J, Clelland CL. “Regulation of cortical and peripheral GCH1 expression and biopterin levels in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders” Psychiatry Res. 2018 Apr;262:229-236.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR 2789

• Licensing Contact: Ron Katz