SYNAPS Dx Brings El Paso, Texas Marketplace First Highly Accurate Diagnostic Alzheimer’s Disease Test for Patients Diagnosed with Dementia

March 8, 2023 |

4 min read

SYNAPS Dx is pleased to announce that the Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers with locations in the El Paso, Texas area will be among the first in the country to offer area residents access to DISCERN™, a minimally invasive diagnostic test.

EL PASO, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- SYNAPS Dx (SDx), a privately held company focused on the research, development and commercialization of a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease (AD), is pleased to announce that the Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers (ANESC) with locations in the El Paso, Texas area will be among the first in the country to offer area residents access to DISCERN™, a minimally invasive diagnostic test. DISCERN assesses the factors directly related to the formation of synaptic connections in the brain, impacting loss of memory and cognition in people living with AD, as well as regulators of amyloid plaque and tau formation—hallmarks of AD at autopsy. The test is the first of its kind to earn Proprietary Laboratory Analyses (PLA) Codes 206U and 207U, has received Breakthrough Designation by the FDA and has been reimbursed for people insured with Medicare Fee-For-Service.

Dr. Aamr Herekar, CEO, ANESC, says, “With the significant rates of dementia in El Paso, ANESC is proud to be among the first practices to offer the DISCERN test to our community and looks forward to better serving patients living with dementia. Individuals, families and caregivers can now benefit from the determination of whether a patient truly has AD or another form of dementia, which is becoming increasingly important as disease modifying therapies such as lecanemab are introduced. DISCERN complements other diagnostic tools which can help detect AD years in advance and make appropriate treatment changes to positively impact patient outcomes.”

AD is a major public health issue in Texas, and according to the Alzheimer’s Association, approximately 400,000 Texans are living with AD. The Texas State Plan for Alzheimer’s Disease 2019-2023 includes emerging issues and trends identified by various health and government organizations, as well as strategies on the following topics:

Improving early detection of, reducing disease onset risks for, and improving treatment of AD and other dementias
Educating health care professionals, caregivers and the public
Providing caregiver support
Advancing research related to AD and other dementias
Collecting and evaluating information on efforts to prevent and treat AD and other dementias.

In 2018, approximately 1.4 million unpaid caregivers provided care to Texans with AD, which equates to 1.6 billion hours of unpaid care at a cost of approximately $20.6 billion per year. Nationally, the economic burden of AD is estimated at over $290 billion.

“Texans are among the first in the nation to have access to DISCERN which has demonstrated >95% specificity and sensitivity in identifying AD, even in people recently diagnosed with dementia,” says Frank Amato, CEO and president, SDx. “DISCERN has been tested through long duration, autopsy-validated, blinded clinical trials with reference to the National Institutes of Health criteria that define AD at autopsy.”

About SYNAPS Dx

SYNAPS Dx is a privately held company focused on the research, development and commercialization of a diagnostic test for Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The Company offers DISCERN™, the first highly accurate, minimally invasive test supporting a clinician’s definitive diagnosis of AD versus other forms of dementia, even in people recently diagnosed with dementia. SYNAPS Dx’s laboratory is certified under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) as qualified to perform high complexity clinical laboratory testing. Physicians and patients seeking more information can visit https://discerntest.com/. For more information on the Company, visit https://www.synapsdx.com/. Contact: info@synapsdx.com.

About Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers (ANESC)

Advanced Neurology, Epilepsy and Sleep Centers, in El Paso, Texas, provides a comprehensive range of neurological testing and treatments for patients from the age of 12 and above. Together with its sister company, Advanced Neuro Research Centers, ANESC is the largest integrated clinical and research neurology practice in West Texas with 5 clinic locations, in-house IV infusion units, 3 sleep centers, in-patient epilepsy monitoring unit and 2 state-of-the art clinical research laboratories for investigational therapies and diagnostics tests. Led by board-certified neurologist, Dr. Aamr Herekar and his team, the practice helps patients with a variety of Neurological Disorders, including back pain, Neurology, Multiple Sclerosis, Dementia, and Parkinson’s disease. Visit anesc.net.