Using the Syn-One Test for Earlier Detection in Neurodegenerative Diseases: Todd Levine, MD

WATCH TIME: 3 minutes

“The hope is that by being able to detect the beginning of the disease state by seeing the abnormal accumulation of the protein, we'll be able to intervene earlier.”

The Syn-One Test (CND Life Sciences) aims to detect intraneuronal phosphorylated α-synuclein (P-SYN) using a simple skin punch biopsy performed in a clinical setting. The test is currently being assessed in the Syn-Sleep Study (NCT05757206), a 24-month longitudinal study investigating deposition of P-SYN in skin biopsies of patients with both idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and no evidence of other neurodegenerative diseases. At the 2025 SLEEP Annual Meeting, held June 8-11, in Seattle, Washington, CND Life Sciences presented baseline results from the Syn-Sleep Study, showing P-SYN detection in 75% of patients with iRBD.¹

Additional data on the Syn-One Test were presented earlier this year at the 2025 American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Annual Meeting, highlighted changes in cutaneous P-SYN in patients with dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) and related disorders. At AAN, researchers presented unblinded baseline data quantifying the deposition of P-SYN and blood P-Tau 217 in patients with suspected DLB and Alzheimer disease at the mild cognitive impairment stage. Another study presented at the meeting demonstrated that quantitative measures of cutaneous deposition suggest an annual increase in P-SYN deposition of 52% in patients with DLB.²

At the 2025 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference, held July 27-30, in Toronto, Canada, Todd Levine, MD, had a conversation with NeurologyLive^® to share the latest updates on early detection strategies for neurodegenerative diseases, focusing on the Syn-One test and its ability to identify abnormal protein accumulation in conditions like iRBD and DLB. Levine, who serves as the chief medical officer at CND Life Sciences, emphasized the growing clinical potential of these tools to diagnose diseases earlier and noted that combining diagnostic advances with lifestyle interventions or emerging therapeutics could slow disease progression.

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REFERENCES
1. CND Life Sciences' Syn-One Test® Detects Alpha-Synuclein in Skin Biopsies of Patients with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder. News Release. CND Life Sciences. Published June 5, 2025. Accessed July 27, 2025. https://cndlifesciences.com/syn-sleep-baseline/
2. CND Life Sciences to Present Updates from Three Clinical Trials Involving Their Skin Biopsy Diagnostic Tool for Dementia and Other Related Disorders at the American Academy of Neurology 2025 Annual Meeting. News Release. CND Life Sciences. Published May 27, 2025. Accessed July 27, 2025. https://cndlifesciences.com/aan-2025-news-release/