New study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism demonstrates that NeuroDex’s ExoSORT platform can detect central Akt–mTOR signaling changes in response to metabolic drugs — from a routine blood draw.
NATICK, MA — April 22, 2026 — NeuroDex Inc., a biomarker company pioneering neuron-derived extracellular vesicle (NDEV) diagnostics, today announced the publication of a new study in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM) demonstrating that its ExoSORT™ platform can detect central nervous system (CNS) pharmacodynamic effects of metabolic therapies from plasma. The work was conducted in collaboration with Dr. Natalie Rasgon’s labs at Stanford University School of Medicine and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
The post-hoc analysis combined samples from two placebo-controlled clinical trials: one testing pioglitazone (a PPARγ agonist) in adults with unremitted major depressive disorder, and one testing liraglutide (a GLP-1 receptor agonist) in middle-aged adults at genetic risk for Alzheimer’s disease. Using NeuroDex’s ExoSORT platform to enrich NDEVs from blood, the team measured 11 proteins in the Akt–mTOR signaling pathway at baseline and after 12 weeks of treatment.
Both drugs produced significant, drug-specific changes in central Akt–mTOR pathway biomarkers. Liraglutide significantly increased NDEV-associated mTOR (Ser2448) compared to placebo — a notable finding given liraglutide’s limited blood–brain barrier permeability. Pioglitazone produced broader changes, with significant increases in GSK3β (Ser9), and PTEN (Ser380) surviving multiple-comparison correction. Changes in NDEV biomarkers were largely independent of changes in peripheral insulin and glucose measures, suggesting the platform captures CNS-specific biology that cannot be detected through standard metabolic labs.
Changes in three biomarkers — PTEN (Ser380), GSK3β (Ser9), and mTOR (Ser2448) — correlated significantly with improvement in depression symptoms, further demonstrating clinical relevance.
“These results extend our work of the last three decades of the role of insulin resistance (IR) in pathophysiology of disorders of mood and cognition. We are excited to see that central IR, has emerged as an important mediator of both depression and premature cognitive aging, and now we have accessible tools to measure how metabolic interventions actually affect specific brain signaling in patients,” said Dr. Natalie Rasgon, MD, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine and senior author of the study. “These findings open a path toward using NDEV biomarkers both to confirm central target engagement and, potentially, to identify which patients are most likely to benefit from a given therapy — a critical step for precision approaches in neuropsychiatry and neurodegeneration.”
“This study demonstrates that our neuron-derived EVs-based measurements are different from other peripheral biomarkers and better predict brain target engagement and treatment effects” said Dr. Erez Eitan, PhD Chief Scientific Officer of NeuroDex and a co-author of the study. “Perhaps most importantly, the NDEV signal moved independently of peripheral insulin and glucose markers and better predicted treatment response.”
At the AD/PD 2026 conference in Copenhagen, Dr. Eitan presented these findings, along with similar changes observed in response to a novel GLP-1/GIP-1 dual agonist and another metabolic intervention. Dr. Erez Eitan added, “We have built a CLIA lab to deploy neuron-derived EVs in clinical trials, and we are excited by the early results.”
The authors note that the findings are exploratory and hypothesis-generating, given the modest sample size and the use of convenience subsets from two independent trials. Prospective, adequately powered studies will be needed to confirm the signals and evaluate NDEV biomarkers as tools for neurometabolic clinical trials, patient selection, and treatment monitoring.
About NeuroDex
NeuroDex Inc. is a biomarker company developing neuron-derived extracellular vesicle (NDEV) technologies to enable minimally invasive measurement of brain biology. The company’s proprietary ExoSORT™ platform enriches neuronal extracellular vesicles from blood, supporting drug development, clinical trials, and translational research across neurological, neuropsychiatric, and metabolic indications. NeuroDex is headquartered in Natick, Massachusetts.
For more information, visit neurodex.co or contact info@neurodex.co.
Study reference: Evers A, Watson K, Abbasi F, Haque K, Verma A, Eitan E, Rasgon N. Insights from changes in NDEV biomarkers of metabolism: Effects of PPARγ and GLP1 receptor agonists on brain metabolism. Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2026. Available at: https://academic.oup.com/jcem/advance-article/doi/10.1210/clinem/dgag176/8656947