Dr. Padma Mahant, MD, Director of Medical Affairs at CND Life Sciences, recently participated in a discussion about the Syn-One Test^® with movement disorder neurologists, Drs. Liz Ferluga and Jaime Hatcher-Martin of Synapticure.

Synapticure is a nationwide teleneurology clinic founded by a patient and caregiver to support patients and their loved ones as they navigate living with a variety of neurological conditions. “Our mission is to provide compassionate, ethical care to persons living with neurodegenerative disease and to help advance the fields of diagnostics and treatments supported by science and evidence-based medicine,” explained Dr. Hatcher-Martin. Part of that mission is providing education about various diagnostic options such as the Syn-One Test®.

In the discussion, Dr. Mahant highlights that the incidence of Parkinson’s is higher than previously thought, with up to 90,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Fewer than 10% of those patients are seen by movement disorder specialists and only 60% see a neurologist, so many patients may not be getting the specialized care they need. Better diagnostic tools can help fill the care gap by providing early, accurate information about a patient’s diagnosis.

Dr. Mahant reviews the science behind the Syn-One Test, which involves a healthcare professional taking three small skin biopsies in a 15-minute in-office procedure. She also discusses the results of the recently published Synuclein-One Study, which demonstrated the ability of the test to detect Parkinson’s disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, pure autonomic failure, and multiple system atrophy.

“I think we’re looking at a new diagnostic paradigm, and that’s what really motivated me to join CND,” said Dr. Mahant. Describing the benefits her patients have realized from receiving an earlier diagnosis, she lists being able to implement effective treatment plans, connect patients to appropriate support groups and programs, and the opportunity for eligible patients to enroll in clinical trials with the goal of precision medicine in mind.

“I came from the training of watchful waiting,” said Dr. Ferluga, “and that can be really hard on patients.” Further, some patients may be uncomfortable with a strictly clinical diagnosis; having diagnostic certainty can bring peace of mind. “Before this test, our test was the DaTscan. And unfortunately, that just tells you if you have a dopamine problem. It doesn’t necessarily tell you which dopamine problem you have.”

Dr. Mahant describes how the Syn-One Test can differentiate between conditions with overlapping symptoms and outlines two NIH-supported longitudinal studies, the Syn-Sleep Study and the Syn-D Study, which are currently recruiting patients with REM sleep behavior disorder and mild cognitive impairment, respectively.

Dr. Mahant also answers several questions about the Syn-One Test, including:

• Can you use the biopsy to understand the progression of neurological disorders?
• Can the test be used to differentiate between different causes of Parkinsonism?
• Can the test determine if a patient has neuropathy?
• Is the test covered by insurance?
• Is there support for clinicians who have questions about the test results?

Watch the discussion