Ridge Diagnostics (La Jolla, Calif.) is preparing a national commercial launch for its MDDScore test for the diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The multianalyte proteomic assay gives patients and physicians an objective measure for diagnosis, and developers believe it can lead to more successful treatment. “The first thing is we need to get the right diagnosis,” says Lonna Williams, Ridge’s CEO. “Half of anti-depression prescriptions don’t work. Contributing to that is that a patient might have depressionlike symptoms, but they may not actually have depression.” The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay is based on nine biomarkers associated with four biochemical pathways: inflammatory (alpha1 antitrypsin, apolipoprotein CIII, myeloperoxidase, soluble tumor necrosis factor alpha-receptor type II), the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (epidermal growth factor and Cortisol), neurotrophic (brain-derived neurotrophic factor), and metabolic (prolactin and resistin). Concentrations of the biomarkers are entered into an algorithm to calculate the MDDScore, which is presented as a value one through nine with an increasing value equating to an increasing likelihood of major depressive disorder—a score of eight represents an 80 percent likelihood. “It helps for patients to see objective results,” Williams tells DTTR. “When they see it is a disease it is more likely the stigma goes away. Their family […]