Quadrant Biosciences announced today the execution of three licensing agreements with SUNY Upstate Medical University and Penn State University for the global commercialization of epigenetic biomarkers for three important health issues facing society today: autism spectrum disorder ("ASD"), Parkinson's disease and mTBI (concussion). The company, which focuses on the development of functional assessment and epigenetic biomarkers for various neurological conditions, has been working closely with these medical research institutions for several years in pursuit of tests to support early diagnosis for health issues that benefit from early intervention and treatment. A groundbreaking biologic diagnostic aid for ASD will be the first to be commercialized, later this year.

The licensed biomarker technology is based on identifying concentrations of salivary RNAs  -  small, non-coding molecules influencing protein translation   - that are transported throughout the body in the extracellular space and easily measured in saliva.  Results of multiple research studies conducted by the two medical institutions, and supported by Quadrant Biosciences, have confirmed high correlations between the expression of these RNA molecules in the saliva and patients with ASD, Parkinson's disease and concussion.

Dr. Frank Middleton, Ph.D. at SUNY Upstate Medical University and one of the lead researchers behind the licensed biomarkers, explains why this "epigenetic" approach is preferred. "There have been many attempts to develop biologic tests to help diagnose neurological or neurodevelopmental disorders, primarily using genetic and blood-based assays. Our epigenetic approach looking at RNAs in saliva is highly novel and provides a more robust method of distinguishing affected from unaffected subjects."

Quadrant currently markets a toolkit to assess and track brain health. The toolkit includes a cognitive assessment, a balance test, and symptoms questionnaires.