The NeuroPointDX Autism Spectrum Disorder (NPDX ASD) blood test is a new tool to help children and families affected by ASD get an earlier diagnosis. Our tests measure metabolites in blood and compares them to the signature metabolic profiles of children affected by ASD obtained in our clinical study, the Children’s Autism Metabolome Project (CAMP) I. The results of our autism metabolism tests are available in two weeks and provide the ordering physician with information about the child’s metabolism and, if imbalances in metabolism are revealed, this information may be used to inform more precise treatment. Preliminary research suggests, for example, that adding or removing certain foods or supplements may be beneficial for some of these children.
About Our Autism Tests
What are the NPDX ASD autism blood tests?
Tools for earlier ASD diagnosis and treatment
Earlier diagnosis and intervention can help children with ASD thrive. Behavioral tests can lead to an ASD diagnosis in children as young as 24 months old, but the average age of diagnosis in the United States is more than 4 years! Our NPDX ASD test can help kids from 18-48 months old receive a diagnosis, and begin treatment sooner.
It can be difficult to know when to be concerned because kids develop different skills, like walking and talking, at different times. It can be hard to tell if a child is experiencing delayed development that could signal a condition like ASD or is simply developing at a different pace compared to his or her peers. This is why a biological test, one that’s less susceptible to interpretation, could help doctors diagnose children with ASD at a younger age.
Tests that detect metabolic imbalances linked to ASD
In our research of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism metabolism, we found differences in the metabolic profiles of certain small molecules in the blood of children with ASD.
The NeuroPointDX NPDX ASD test measures molecules in the blood called metabolites and compares them to these metabolic profiles. Our tests look for certain metabolic imbalances that have been identified through our clinical study to be associated with ASD. When we detect one or more imbalance(s), there is an increased risk that the child will receive an ASD diagnosis.*
The results of our autism metabolism test provides the ordering physician with information about the child’s metabolism.
In some instances, this information may be used to inform more precise treatment. Preliminary research suggests, for example, that adding or removing certain foods or supplements may be beneficial for some of these children.
NeuroPointDX is working on further studies to explore this.
*Compared to the results of the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule), Second Edition
Highly-accurate tools able to identify ~72% of children with ASD
The NPDX ASD test can identify about 72% of children with autism spectrum disorder with an increased risk of an ASD diagnosis. This means that more than half of kids with autism spectrum disorder could receive an earlier diagnosis, get interventions sooner, and potentially receive more precise treatment suggestions from their doctors, based on information about their own metabolism.
A new approach to thinking about ASD that has been rigorously validated in a large clinical study
Through our clinical study, the Children’s Autism Metabolome Project (CAMP), we found differences in the metabolic profiles of certain small molecules in the blood of children with ASD. Our research has identified a connection between metabolism and autism spectrum disorder.
Over 1,100 children enrolled in CAMP, which was conducted at eight clinical sites across the country. NeuroPointDX is grateful to the families who participated and all of the health care professionals who helped make this study a success.
References
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- Smith, et al. Amino acid dysregulation metabotypes: Potential biomarkers for diagnosis and individualized treatment for subtypes of autism spectrum disorder. Biological Psychiatry, 2018; 85(4):345-354.
- Smith, et al. A metabolomics approach to screening for autism risk in the Children’s Autism Metabolome Project. Autism Research, 2020; 13(8):1270-1285.