Moleculera Labs Issued Key U.S. Patent Covering the Company's Diagnostic Panel for Infection-Induced Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders

OKLAHOMA CITY, Nov. 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Moleculera Labs, Inc., an autoimmune neurobiology company, today announced that a key patent has issued covering the company's Cunningham Paneltm and its use in helping physicians identify whether an individual's neurologic and/or psychiatric symptoms could be caused by an autoimmune dysfunction. Specifically, the new patent, US 9,804, 171 B2, covers methods of diagnosing pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS) and pediatric autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorder associated with Streptococci infection (PANDAS).

The Cunningham Panel can help identify the level of autoimmune antibodies associated with such neuropsychiatric disorders and the capability they have to stimulate and trigger neurologic behavior. Research has found that obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), tics, anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and sometimes behaviors associated with Autism Spectrum Disorders, may be caused by a treatable autoimmune condition, triggered by common infections. Results of the Cunningham Panel assists physicians in determining the likelihood that a patient's neuropsychiatric symptoms are due to an infection-triggered autoimmune response, rather than a primary psychiatric disorder.

"This patent provides strong intellectual property coverage for our panel, which is an aid to physicians in diagnosing infection-triggered autoimmune neuropsychiatric disorders, and has steadily gained usage by a growing number of clinicians around the world," said Craig Shimasaki, Ph.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Moleculera Labs. "PANS/ PANDAS has proven to be a treatable condition when properly identified, with symptoms often resolving with appropriate therapy -- thus sparing affected individuals from being misdiagnosed and treated solely with psychotropic drugs to manage their symptoms. We are finding that the PANDAS/PANS disorder may be a medical model for many other chronic neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders in children and adults who do not respond well to traditional neuropsychiatric medications." 

About Moleculera Labs

Moleculera Labs is a privately-owned autoimmune neurobiology company whose objective is to discover and deliver advanced testing services for children and adults suffering from treatable autoimmune central nervous system disorders. The company's initial offering is the Cunningham Paneltm, a set of tests aimed at assisting clinicians in the diagnosis of PANDAS and PANS, conditions associated with motor tics, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), and sometimes Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), that researchers believe to be caused by an autoimmune response triggered by common infections. Moleculera Labs is a technology spin-out from the University of Oklahoma and operates a full CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment) and COLA (Commission on Laboratory Accreditation) certified clinical laboratory in Oklahoma City where it performs the Cunningham Panel for physicians and clinicians throughout the United States and globally. For more information, please visit our website at http://www.moleculera.com.

SOURCE Moleculera Labs