Can a blood test predict treatment response to antidepressants?

Recent research conducted by Signant’s scientific director, Steven Targum, M.D., along with his colleague Mark Resnick, Ph.D. of Pax Neuroscience, identified a biomarker that can predict if patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) will respond to a treatment within one week. While more research is necessary, the findings bring medical researchers closer to developing a simple blood test that will accurately diagnose MDD and predict a patient’s treatment response.

MDD affects as many as one in ten individuals globally and carries substantial medical and non-medical costs. Antidepressant treatments are not always effective and may require months to work, resulting in frustration for psychiatrists and patients alike.

Such a blood test will help psychiatrists develop optimized treatment plans quickly as well as improve patients’ medication compliance.

Read this feature article in Psychiatric News summarizing key findings from the research, and download the complete research paper, originally published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, below.