Alcediag and CNRS join forces to create Sys2Diag Specialized in medical diagnostics and psychiatric illnesses, the laboratory recently created a blood test to diagnose depression and suicidal behavior.
Dinah Weissmann, Deputy Director of Sys2diag and Delegate General Manager of Alcediag
Field applications
Technology developed by the laboratory determines RNA mutations that occur in the presence of some psychiatric illnesses.“The RNA editing changes, called epigenetic modifications, can be related to the environment, some types of treatments, and illnesses,” says the director.
These biomarkers can be used to observe the progression of a particular illness and monitor the effects of treatment over time.
Working together with CNRS, the leading public-sector scientific research institute in France, is expected to help discoveries lead more quickly to widespread usage, notably in the psychiatry field as well as for other multi-factor diseases such as cancer and diabetes.“That makes it possible to see whether a patient responds to prescribed molecules and if his/her condition improves,” she adds. Currently, the only way to evaluate psychiatric patients is to use clinical methods such as questionnaires.”
The company continues to grow and is preparing to establish new partnerships with other players in the sector.“Our work is particularly interesting for the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, and doctors,” says Dinah Weissmann. Sys2Diag is located at Biopôle Euromédecine, a Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole business center dedicated to medical and life science research. “Montpellier Métropole helped us set up in this excellence cluster, close to the psychiatric center at the Montpellier CHU, with which we have been collaborating closely for several years.”
