
Circular Genomics reveals study results into predicting patient response to SSRI antidepressant treatment
James Spargo | May 8, 2024 | News story | Research and Development | Circular Genomics, Psychiatry, SSRI, antidepressant treatment, blood assays
US RNA biomarker company Circular Genomics has announced study results highlighting the company’s first blood assay to predict a patient’s response to SSRI sertraline, with potential for SSRI class prediction overall. The assay is based on identifying brain-enriched circular RNA (circRNA) biomarkers.
Results come from the EMBARC study, which found around 80% higher baseline blood levels of circRNAx in patients who didn’t respond to sertraline, compared to those who did. However, statistically significant increases of circRNAx levels were observed eight weeks after sertraline treatment in patients who later achieved remission: this highlights circRNAx’s responsiveness to SSRI treatment, as well as its dynamic expression profile that can be used for disease monitoring and prediction of long-term recovery.
Nikolaos Mellios MD PhD, co-founder and CSO of Circular Genomics, said, “Our data provides evidence that blood levels of a brain-enriched circRNA associated with known mechanisms of antidepressant response can accurately predict response to SSRIs and remission in patients with major depressive disorder. These findings reinforce our belief that the expression of specific circRNAs in the blood can act as an indirect ‘window into the brain’ and provide actionable insights for the better diagnosis and treatment of brain disorders.”
James Spargo






