Stemina prepares to launch autism diagnostic product
As it gears up for the launch of its autism diagnostic test panel, US metabolomics company Stemina Biomarker Discovery has announced the appointment of Dr Heiner Dreismann, former head of Roche Molecular Diagnostics, to its board of directors.
Stemina seeks to transform the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders using its proprietary metabolomics platform technology to diagnose disorders based on the patient’s metabolism. Through neurological disorders division NeuroPointDX, the company’s proprietary technology is already being implemented in what is said to be the largest clinical study ever conducted of the metabolism of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): the Children’s Autism Metabolome Project (CAMP).
“Neurological disorders like autism and schizophrenia, which have historically been defined based on behavioural findings, are now recognised to be comprised of a variety of metabolic and genetic subtypes,” said Stemina CEO Elizabeth Donley. “Using our proprietary technology, we have identified a series of subtypes of ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders. We have validated a number of these through the CAMP study.
“We expect that our approach will provide important information for diagnosis and more precise treatment, as well as opportunities to collaborate with drug developers on targeted therapies and clinical trials.”
As the former president and CEO of Roche Molecular Systems and global head of business development for Roche Diagnostics, Dr Dreismann is expected to bring his extensive experience in commercialisation strategy to Stemina as it prepares to go to market in early 2018.
“I am excited to join the Stemina board of directors as the company has developed and is poised to commercialise a first-in-class, unique product for diagnosis of ASD in children as young as 18 months,” said Dr Dreismann. “Neurological disorders are notoriously difficult to diagnose and treat. NeuroPointDX will greatly improve the precision of diagnosing these disorders.”
“We are so pleased that Dr Dreismann has agreed to join our board to advise us on commercialisation strategy for our diagnostic products,” said Donley. “NeuroPointDX will revolutionise the way autism and other neurological disorders are diagnosed and treated by measuring differences in metabolism of children with ASD across the spectrum.”
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