A new blood test aims to improve depression treatment by matching patients to antidepressants more likely to work.
The test can evaluate how a patient’s brain will respond to different antidepressants without the patient having to take them first.
Depression treatment still often relies on trial and error, with patients trying several medicines before finding one that helps.
NeuroKaire, an Israeli startup, has launched the test, called BrightKaire, following regulatory approval in Israel and the US.
The test was developed by NeuroKaire co-founders Dr Talia Cohen Solal and Dr Daphna Laifenfeld.
The two neuroscientists met when Cohen Solal moved from the US to Israel in 2017, and in 2018 they joined forces to found NeuroKaire.
They began working at the Biogov lab compound for startups at Hebrew University, where they developed a test based on a “brain in a dish” model.
Cohen Solal told The Times of Israel: “Depression is reduced connectivity in the brain, often expressed in a lack of motivation.
“With our brain in a dish platform, we have a window into the brain and can analyse how well those neurons are connecting or communicating after exposure to antidepressants, and we turn that into a quantitative readout for how strongly a drug has affected connectivity in those samples.”
The approach uses stem-cell technology to turn a patient’s stem cells into frontal brain neurons.
Stem cells are cells that can develop into different types of specialised cells. Neurons are nerve cells that send signals in the brain and body.
Frontal brain neurons are found in a part of the brain heavily affected by mental illness, including depression.
The brain in a dish model can test 70 different antidepressants to pinpoint the most effective drug or drug combination for a patient.
Cohen Solal said: “Typically, the guessing game of identifying the right drug for a patient with clinical depression can take between 12 to 18 months. We are bringing that down to two months.”
Clinical trials were conducted in Israel at Sheba Medical Center in Ramat Gan and Geha Mental Health Center in Petah Tikva, as well as in the US at Jefferson Hospital in Philadelphia in collaboration with the National Institute of Mental Health.
NeuroKaire expanded to the US in 2023 and opened a commercial laboratory, while keeping its research and development centre in Tel Aviv.
Following regulatory approval, the BrightKaire test is now available for patients in Israel and the US.
The company says the test is expensive, but is covered by some groups, including Medicare Part B.
Cohen Solal said: “We have around 100 active prescribing psychiatrists at present.”
The next step is to recruit people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, a mental health condition that can develop after frightening or distressing events.
The company also plans to test the approach for other neurological conditions, including attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which can affect attention, impulsivity and activity levels.
