Value Proposition
Early risk identification: Measuring DNA methylation at a specific SKA2 gene CpG site provides an objective biomarker for PTSD risk. Testing can occur pre-stressor (baseline susceptibility) or at both pre- and post-stressor time points (stress-induced changes), enabling risk identification before symptoms develop.
Objective prediction model: Integrates SKA2 CpG DNA methylation status, genotype, age, sex, and additional covariates to identify individuals at risk without reliance on subjective questionnaires.
· Accurate and accessible: Enables quantifiable prediction of PTSD susceptibility from a simple blood, serum, or saliva test with demonstrated 78% prediction accuracy using pre-stressor baseline measurements.
· Targeted prevention: Pinpointing high-risk individuals directs preventative care measures where they can produce the greatest impact, lowering PTSD incidence and saving increased life-long treatment costs that PTSD incurs.
Unmet Need
Combat troops, disaster responders, and other high-risk professionals routinely face traumatic events that can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The inability to pinpoint who is most vulnerable before exposure undermines prevention strategies and drives up long-term treatment and disability costs.
· Current self-report-based questionnaires and clinical interviews rely on subjective disclosure and have weak predictive accuracy.
· Providing preventative care for all high-risk professionals prior to exposure is not feasible economically.
Therefore, a precise, objective, and operationally accessible method is needed to identify those at the greatest risk of developing PTSD before exposure to traumatic stress, enabling targeted allocation and better preventive care.
Technology Description
The inventors of the proposed technology have created a prediction model that gauges an individual’s susceptibility to post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by measuring DNA methylation at a single CpG site in the SKA2 gene (which controls stress hormone regulation). The test isolates DNA from a standard blood draw, measures methylation, adjusts for a linked genetic variant, and incorporates other covariates such as age, gender, and childhood trauma, to yield a personalized PTSD risk index.
Stage of Development: Pre-clinical testing, patents granted.
Data Availability: Available upon request.
Publication
1. Neuropsychopharmacology volume 41, pages 1350–1356 (2016)
2. Granted US Patent: US12,291,749
3. Granted US Patent: US11,072,828
