OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, UNITED STATES, January 17, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Moleculera Labs, Inc, a precision medicine company pioneering immune-mediated neuropsychiatric testing, today announced a strategic collaboration with Quest Diagnostics (DGX: NYSE), the nation’s leading provider of diagnostic information services, to offer patients of Moleculera Labs’ neuropsychiatric autoantibody test services the option to provide blood specimens, with a physician’s order, at any of Quest’s over 2,000 patient service centers in the United States.
Under the agreement, Quest’s logistics operation will collect and deliver specimens to Moleculera’s performing laboratory in Oklahoma City, OK. In addition, the parties will continue to explore strategic opportunities to further serve this patient population and the neuropsychiatric market.
“We are excited about our collaboration with Quest, given their expertise in neurology, commitment to patient care and broad service network across the United States,” said Craig Shimasaki, PhD, MBA, Co-Founder and CEO of Moleculera Labs.
Moleculera Labs’ neuropsychiatric autoantibody panel, also known as the Cunningham Panel™, identifies circulating levels of autoantibodies in blood serum directed against the brain and central nervous system that may result in neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral symptoms. Test results can help identify patients who may be suffering from autoimmune encephalopathy or basal ganglia encephalitis, and who may respond favorably to anti-infectives, anti-inflammatory, and immune-modulatory treatment¹. Moleculera’s Panel is the only blood test commercially available to patients in the United States for this condition.
“Quest’s strategy is focused on developing solutions to serve the evolving needs of our key customers: physicians, providers, and consumers. One way we do that is by using our national scale to enable broad physician and patient reach to cutting edge innovations, like Moleculera’s Panel, with the potential to improve patient care and outcomes,” said Kathleen Valentine, vice president and general manager of Neurology and Women’s and Reproductive Health at Quest Diagnostics. “There is a clear unmet need for testing in immune-mediated neuropsychiatric disorders, and our collaboration with Moleculera Labs will help more patients suffering from these types of disorders gain access to the diagnostic insights needed to begin effective treatment.”
More than 250,000 patients were diagnosed with encephalitis in the last decade alone in the U.S. For many, autoimmune encephalitis can be difficult to diagnose due to symptoms that can mimic certain psychiatric disorders in some patients. Misdiagnosis of the condition as a psychiatric disorder is common, including at specialized centers².
Basal ganglia encephalitis³ is one of the least recognized types of autoimmune encephalitis. Providers typically diagnose encephalitis using complex tests, including cerebral spinal fluid tests and brain scans. Moleculera’s Panel involves testing of a blood specimen, helping to broaden access to quality evaluation followed by appropriate treatment if indicated.
About Moleculera Labs
Moleculera Labs, Inc. is a precision medicine company focused on identifying the underlying root of neurologic, psychiatric, and behavioral disorders. The company operates a high-complexity CLIA and COLA-accredited clinical laboratory in Oklahoma City, where it performs neuropsychiatric autoantibody testing for healthcare providers throughout the United States and globally. Moleculera Labs has tested over 15,000 patients suffering from Autoimmune Encephalopathy and Basal Ganglia Encephalitis (AE/BGE) such as PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcal Infections) and PANS (Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), ADD/ADHD, chronic depression, and anxiety disorders.
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¹Treatment of autoimmune encephalopathy in children with autism (moleculeralabs.com)
²Flanagan EP, Geschwind MD, Lopez-Chiriboga AS, Blackburn KM, Turaga S, Binks S, Zitser J, Gelfand JM, Day GS, Dunham SR, Rodenbeck SJ, Clardy SL, Solomon AJ, Pittock SJ, McKeon A, Dubey D, Zekeridou A, Toledano M, Turner LE, Vernino S, Irani SR. Autoimmune Encephalitis Misdiagnosis in Adults. JAMA Neurol. 2023 Jan 1;80(1):30-39. doi: 10.1001/jamaneurol.2022.4251. PMID: 36441519; PMCID: PMC9706400.
³Giri A, Andhale A, Acharya S, Kumar Singh R, Talwar D. Seronegative Autoimmune Basal Ganglia Encephalitis Presenting as Acute Parkinsonism and Refractory Faciobrachial Seizures: A Case Report. Cureus. 2022 Jan 17;14(1):e21351. doi: 10.7759/cureus.21351. PMID: 35186605; PMCID: PMC8849290.