“The brain is an organ like any other”: What is this blood test that can detect bipolar disorder from April 1?

From April 1, 2024, in France, a simple blood test will let you know if you have bipolar disorder. However, you have to wait for four weeks to get the result.

First blood test

Until today, the diagnosis of bipolar disorder was based solely on clinical observation followed by an interview by a psychiatrist.

Developed by French start-up Alcediag, the myEDIT-B blood test is the first to distinguish depression from bipolar disorder, a mental disorder in which patients alternate between depressive and manic phases.

Many people affected by this disease can be diagnosed and treated in time.

Adults are treated with medication

This blood test is intended for adults treated with medication for moderate or severe depressive episodes. Especially, those prone to bipolar. For example, if they have a family history or have very specific responses to antidepressants.

It will be prescribed by a psychiatrist and must be carried out in one of the 400 SynLab brand laboratories. “Most of the population will be less than two hours from the participating lab. For the moment, we prefer to do it in our labs.”cites Florian Scherer, Medical Director of SynLab Network, as quoted by 20 minutes.

899 euros

The cost of the test is 899 euros and is currently not reimbursed by social security. “We have a ten-year investment in funding. The development of this test was very expensive. We used the latest sequencing technologies.”Alexandra cited by justifies the prex 20 minutes.

The aim of the start-up is to get reimbursement from health insurance. A clinical study is therefore underway to measure the results of the test on disease progression. It should last three years. To measure its financial interest, an economic study will be conducted later.

The brain, like any other organ

The researchers at Alcediag, a biopharmaceutical company based in Hérault, behind the test started with the idea that the brain is an organ like any other.

“When the heart or kidneys are damaged, they release disease-specific signals in the blood,” explains Alexandra Preux, president of Alcediag. “It’s the same with the brain.” They explain. These signals, or biomarkers, can then be captured by a blood test.

The reliability of the test is more than 80%.“Except for specific genetic studies, it is rare to have 100% reliable tests”, underscores Alexandra Prex. So it is not impossible to get a false positive as it is a diagnostic tool.

So it is up to the doctor to make the final diagnosis, especially with the patient’s history and family history.