CND Life Sciences Enters Into Licensing And Collaboration Agreement To Advance Diagnostic Technology For Neurodegenerative Diseases

Agreement with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center Solidifies Important Technology for CND's Syn-One Test^® and Creates Opportunity for Future Innovations in the Field

Phoenix, AZ and Boston, CA /PRNewswire/ - CND Life Sciences, a medical technology company pioneering the development of highly accurate skin-based tests to help clinicians diagnose neurodegenerative disorders like Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies, has entered into a licensing collaboration with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston to advance CND's scientific platform and patient-focused mission.

The licensing agreement provides CND with access to important scientific technology related to the company's Syn-One Test®, the only commercially available skin-based test that aids the diagnosis of synucleinopathies, a family of neurodegenerative disorders marked by misfolded alpha-synuclein protein that can be detected and visualized in cutaneous nerves with high sensitivity and specificity. Additionally, CND and BIDMC are exploring opportunities to identify other protein markers in the skin that are pathological hallmarks of other neurodegenerative diseases. As promising drug therapies for Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and other age-related conditions become a reality in the next several years, reliable and earlier detection of protein markers that objectively identify patients who can benefit from specific therapeutics will be critical to optimize patient outcomes.

"We are very excited to have this collaboration with BIDMC in our efforts to move the neurodegeneration field forward, starting with the Syn-One Test," said Todd Levine, MD, CND's Chief Medical Officer and Co-Founder. "Syn-One is changing the way clinicians diagnose many of these complex neurodegenerative diseases, and in parallel, biopharmaceutical companies are realizing how important it is to use Syn-One as a biomarker for clinical trials targeting alpha-synuclein."

CND's Syn-One Test was developed in part through technology and expertise generated by the Center for Autonomic and Peripheral Nerve Disorders and the research laboratory of Dr. Roy Freeman and Dr. Christopher Gibbons at BIDMC. The Syn-One Test uses small skin biopsies collected from a patient in a physician's office to accurately identify the presence of misfolded, phosphorylated alpha-synuclein, the abnormal form of the protein that is the pathological hallmark of multiple neurological disorders including Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. Scientific studies suggest that clinicians misdiagnose these disorders over 30% of the time, especially during the early stages of disease presentation. The lack of diagnostic certainty can lead to unnecessary tests, frustration by patients and caregivers, and suboptimal care.

"BIDMC looks forward to working with CND in the field of neurobiology," said Gyongyi Szabo, MD, PhD, Chief Academic Officer of BIDMC. "Technological breakthroughs in neurodegeneration diagnosis and treatment should substantially improve patient care in the next decade."

About CND Life Sciences and the Syn-One Test
Founded in 2017, CND Life Sciences is dedicated to supporting the care of patients facing the potential diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease and other neurological conditions. Operating a CLIA-certified laboratory in Phoenix, Arizona, CND launched the Syn-One Test in 2019 as the world's first commercially available test to detect, visualize, and quantify phosphorylated alpha-synuclein located in cutaneous nerve fibers. The test, which analyzes small skin biopsies collected conveniently from the patient in a physician's office, aids in the diagnosis of a synucleinopathy including Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies, multiple system atrophy, pure autonomic failure, and REM sleep behavior disorder. With data demonstrating over 95% sensitivity and specificity, the Syn-One Test leverages a decade of published science from leading academic institutions in multiple countries. CND has research collaborations with multiple biopharmaceutical companies and has been awarded three prestigious NIH SBIR grants to advance the validation and clinical utility of its Syn-One Test. For more information visit www.cndlifesciences.com.

Disclosure: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the National Institute on Aging (NIA) of the National Institutes of Health under Award Numbers R44NS117214, R44AG076072, and R44NS127696. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.