Advancing Neurodegenerative Care Through Pathology-Based Testing
Neurodegenerative diseases, including Parkinson’s disease and other disorders associated with dementia, represent a substantial and growing burden on patients, caregivers, and the healthcare system. Nearly 90,000 Americans are newly diagnosed with Parkinson’s each year—approximately 50% more than previous estimates—underscoring the rapidly growing impact of the disease.1
While the challenges posed by neurogenerative diseases can seem overwhelming, I remain optimistic that we are moving closer to disease-modifying therapies. This progress reinforces the importance of having reliable and objective tools to support informed diagnosis. Early diagnosis supports the path to early intervention.
The diagnostic journey for neurodegenerative diseases is often complex as similar symptoms can exist in many different types of diseases. The diagnosis relies primarily on clinical evaluation; however, research suggests that the misdiagnosis rate may be as high as 30%, especially early in the course of the disease2. Therefore, there is a large unmet need for objective ways to make a more informed diagnosis.
Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, pure autonomic failure, and REM sleep behavior disorder are among a group of conditions collectively known as the synucleinopathies. These disorders share a common pathologic feature, the accumulation of phosphorylated alpha-synuclein (P-SYN) in the nervous system. At CND Life Sciences, we developed the Syn-One Test® to detect P-SYN deposits in cutaneous nerves, providing a biomarker approach to identifying synuclein pathology.
The Syn-One Test is designed to provide clinicians with evidence of P-SYN deposition through the analysis of three small skin biopsy samples. The approximately 15-minute procedure can be performed in an office setting and does not require stitches.
To date, more than 4,000 clinicians across the US have used the Syn-One Test to aid in the diagnosis of these synucleinopathies in more than 70,000 patients.
References
1Kramarow EA, Escobedo LA, Tejada-Vera B. Parkinson Disease Mortality Among Adults Age 65 and Older: United States, 2024. National Center for Health Statistics Data Brief No. 563. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Published June 4, 2026
2Beach TG, Adler CH. Importance of low diagnostic Accuracy for early Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord. 2018 Oct;33(10):1551-1554.
