SYNAPS Dx

About SYNAPS Dx

SYNAPS Dx is a private healthcare company founded in 2016, focused on developing and commercializing diagnostic tools for neurodegenerative disorders, with a primary focus on Alzheimer's disease (AD). The company is headquartered in Rockville, Maryland.

The company's flagship product is DISCERN™, a minimally invasive diagnostic test that supports a definitive diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease versus other forms of dementia. DISCERN requires a 3mm skin punch biopsy and analyzes three biomarkers related to synaptic connections, amyloid plaque, and abnormal tau protein formation. The test has demonstrated over 95% sensitivity and specificity in autopsy-validated clinical trials. The process involves taking the skin sample, sending it to SYNAPS Dx's CLIA-certified laboratory for a 10-week analysis, and then delivering the results to the healthcare provider. The test is paid for by Medicare.

SYNAPS Dx was established to commercialize biomarker technology developed over more than a decade of research at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, now part of West Virginia University. The company holds the exclusive worldwide patent license for this technology. Frank Amato has served as the CEO and President of SYNAPS Dx since March 2020. His extensive background in the pharmaceutical and healthcare industries includes leadership roles at Merck and as CEO of electroCore. The company's founders, a team of neurologists and pathologists, were motivated by personal experiences with Alzheimer's.

SYNAPS Dx has raised a total of $10 million in funding over two Series A rounds, with the first in October 2021 and a subsequent round in March 2022. Investors include Semler Scientific, as well as private equity, individual, and family investors. The company serves clinicians, particularly in primary care and neurology, by providing a tool to definitively diagnose AD, which is crucial for determining appropriate treatment pathways, especially with the advent of new drugs that slow disease progression.