News - Media Coverage
Source: Nature Medicine
Biomarkers trump behavior in mental illness diagnosis
Here’s how doctors decide which mental or neurological disorder their troubled patients suffer from: they ask questions like, “Are you hearing voices?” and “Do you feel like people are out to get you?”
Not all that different from how they used to do it about 100 years ago.
New techniques are set to radically change that approach—and perhaps define new categories within each disease—relying more on changes in physiology than in behavior. [read the full article]
Source: Nature Reviews: Drug Discovery
Biomarkers that can be used for the early diagnosis of schizophrenia are urgently required because there are currently no objective diagnostic tests available. New research recently published in PLoS Medicine could be a step towards such biomarkers. The authors show that metabolite profiles from cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) reveal patterns that could identify high-risk individuals and enable more appropriate and timely therapeutic intervention. [read the full article]
Source: Tornado Insider
Psynova Neurotech announces patent deal with Cambridge University
Specialists in novel biomarkers for Neuropsychiatric illnesses, Psynova Neurotech, have obtained an option to licence a patent owned by Cambridge University Technical Services (CUTS), which protects an invention made by Psynova Neurotech co-founder Dr Sabine Bahn. The invention relates to a method for monitoring and diagnosing psychotic disorders, including Schizophrenia. [read the full article]
Source: BBC Web Site
Early Schizophrenia clue is found
Scientists have discovered a new method for the early diagnosis of the mental disorder Schizophrenia. The joint study invloving Cambridge University found that patients with the condition have high levels of glucose in their brain and spinal fluid.
Scientists found changes in the way the body metabolised glucose in the group of 54 volunteers, when compared to the group without schizophrenia.
Cambridge University's Dr Sabine Bahn said: "These biomarkers could enable us to develop new early or pre-symptomatic treatments to improve outcomes or even prevent disease symptoms." [read the full article]
Source: BioText
Spin-out wins funds for Bipolar research
A University of Cambridge spin-out investigating schizophrenia and bipolar disorders announced it has secured £2.25m in seed and venture capital funding.
Psynova Neurotech Ltd. revealed it will receive £2m from Porton Capital over the next year, while the Cambridge Enterprise Seed Fund will contribute an initial £50,000 in this first round offunding.
Cambridge Enterprise will contribute a further £50K when the company reaches its first "milestones", with an option to invest a further £150,000. [read the full article]
Source: Unquote News
UK - Porton Capital announces new funding for Psynova Neurotech
Porton Capital is leading an investment in Psynova Neurotech Ltd, the latest spin-out from The University of Cambridge. Focused on the advancement and exploitation of biomarkers for neuropsychiatric disorders, Psynova Neurotech aims to develop diagnostic tests and therapeutic agents for schizophrenia and bipolar disorders as well as other significant neuropsychiatric illnesses.[read the full article]
Source: Cambridge Network
£2.25m funding boost for Psynova Neurotech
University of Cambridge spin-out Psynova Neurotech, which is investigating schizophrenia and bipolar disorders, has been boosted by the news of a £2.25m funding investment from Porton Capital and the Cambridge Enterprise Seed Fund. Psynova Neurotech was founded by Dr Sabine Bahn and Professor Chris Lowe at the Institute of Biotechnology. [read the full article]
Source: University of Cambridge
"I have to succeed now, if not, all guns will be pointed"
Anna Fazackerley meets an outspoken young scientist whose passion for studying mental illness at a molecular level is stirring up the researchestablishment and winning 'eccentric' backers. [read the full article]