Synaps Dx

What Synaps Dx does

Synaps Dx (legal entity NeuroDiagnostics Inc.) is a Rockville, Maryland-based clinical diagnostics company that operates a CLIA-certified laboratory offering DISCERN™, the only commercially available skin biopsy-based test designed to distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia. The test is built on a three-biomarker panel — Morphometric Imaging, PKCε, and AD-Index — developed over more than 30 years of NIH-funded research that originated at the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI), and validated against autopsy-confirmed clinical cohorts with reported sensitivity and specificity figures ranging from 86% to 100% across the three assays. Synaps Dx is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the patent portfolio covering this technology and operates the Rockville laboratory staffed by former BRNI scientists.

The company serves three primary customer segments: patients with cognitive decline or dementia seeking definitive diagnosis, healthcare providers (neurologists, geriatricians, memory clinics, and primary care physicians) who order the test, and clinical researchers integrating DISCERN™ into Alzheimer's trial protocols. Revenue is generated on a one-time-per-test basis through direct Medicare reimbursement under PLA codes 206U and 207U, certain Medicare Advantage and commercial plans, and a $2,900 cash-pay option for uninsured patients. Distribution is single-country (United States) and runs through a HIPAA-secure provider portal, with the company managing insurance eligibility checks, biopsy kit fulfillment, and reimbursement handling directly to reduce administrative burden on ordering practices.

The company is privately held, backed by investors including Imperium Blue, Casterock Investors, Walsh, Bull Bear, and Semler Scientific, and operates with a small 1–10 employee footprint. Leadership includes President & CEO Nickolay V. Kukekov, Ph.D., a CLIA Lab Director (Tom Alexander, PhD), a Board of Directors with biopharma and capital markets expertise, and a Scientific Advisory Board comprising senior academic AD researchers.

Name

Synaps Dx

Legal name

NeuroDiagnostics Inc.

Website

https://synapsdx.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SYNAPS Dx (NeuroDiagnostics Inc.) is a Rockville, MD-based CLIA-certified diagnostics company offering DISCERN™, the only skin biopsy test that distinguishes Alzheimer's disease from other dementias with over 95% accuracy. It serves neurologists, memory clinics, geriatricians, and clinical trial researchers in the U.S.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Alzheimer's Disease Diagnostics

NAICS

Medical Laboratories (621511), Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714)

SIC

Services-Medical Laboratories (8071), Services-Testing Laboratories (8734), In Vitro & In Vivo Diagnostic Substances (2835)

akta.pro primary industry

Clinical Biomarker Testing Services (central labs, trial enrollment/monitoring assays) (HLAAAMAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Central Laboratory & Clinical Trial Testing CROs (HLAGAAAE), Proteomics & Biomarker Analytical Testing (HLAGADAG)

Keywords

• Alzheimer's diagnostics
• Skin biopsy testing
• Biomarker diagnostics
• Neurodegenerative disease testing
• Dementia diagnostic services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Diagnostic Testing Services: DISCERN™ test is provided as a clinical diagnostic service. The company performs the skin biopsy analysis in their CLIA-certified laboratory and reports results to ordering physicians. Revenue is generated through insurance reimbursement (Medicare Fee for Service, Medicare Advantage, and some commercial plans) and direct patient payment when insurance does not cover.
2. Insurance Reimbursement: Company obtains reimbursement directly from payers including Medicare (PLA codes 206U and 207U), reducing administrative burden on provider practices. Skin punch biopsy procedure is separately billed under CPT code 11104.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Synaps Dx performs and commercializes the DISCERN™ diagnostic test, a CLIA-validated skin biopsy assay that analyzes three proprietary biomarkers (Morphometric Imaging, PKCε, and AD-Index) to distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia with over 95% accuracy. The test is ordered by healthcare providers and clinical researchers, run in the company's Rockville, MD CLIA-certified laboratory, and reimbursed primarily through Medicare (PLA codes 206U and 207U) with a $2,900 cash-pay option. Synaps Dx is the exclusive worldwide licensee of the underlying biomarker patent portfolio.

Product overview

Synaps Dx offers a single unified diagnostic product, DISCERN™, which is a Gold Standard validated skin biopsy test for Alzheimer's disease detection and differentiation from other dementias. The product portfolio includes the core DISCERN™ test utilizing three biomarker assays (Morphometric Imaging, PKCε, and AD-Index) with specialized variants for patients, healthcare providers, and clinical researchers. The company also provides integrated reimbursement services to assist with insurance coverage and Medicare billing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• DISCERN™: The world's only Gold Standard validated skin biopsy test for identifying and distinguishing Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia. Tests for 3 unique biomarkers: Morphometric Imaging (MI), PKCε Assay, and AD-Index.

Products and services

• DISCERN™ Alzheimer's Diagnostic Test A CLIA-validated, skin-punch biopsy diagnostic test that analyzes three proprietary biomarkers (Morphometric Imaging/MI, PKCε, and AD-Index) to distinguish Alzheimer's disease from other forms of dementia with over 95% accuracy. Ordered by healthcare providers and clinical researchers, run in Synaps Dx's CLIA-certified high-complexity laboratory in Rockville, MD, with results returned to the ordering provider and Medicare-covered under PLA codes 206U and 207U.
• DISCERN™ Insurance & Reimbursement Service End-to-end insurance discovery, eligibility verification, billing, and reimbursement support bundled with the DISCERN™ test, including Medicare billing under PLA codes 206U and 207U and CPT 11104 for the skin-punch biopsy procedure. Reduces administrative burden on provider practices and offers a $2,900 cash-pay list price when insurance does not cover the test.

Quantifiable outcome

• Morphometric Imaging: 100% sensitivity, 100% specificity
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute (BRNI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBRNI is the original research institution where DISCERN technology was developed. The SYNAPS Dx laboratory is staffed by former BRNI scientists who conducted the original research. Dr. Daniel Alkon served as founding Scientific Director of BRNI.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Avid Radiopharmaceuticals (Eli Lilly): Avid, a subsidiary of Eli Lilly, markets Amyvid and Tauvid PET imaging agents for amyloid and tau pathology in Alzheimer's. It is a broad incumbent in AD diagnostics competing for the same neurologist ordering decisions as DISCERN.
• Quest Diagnostics: Quest Diagnostics provides a broad menu of clinical lab tests including AD-related biomarkers and neurology panels across the US. It is a broad incumbent in clinical lab services competing for physician-ordered AD testing volume.
• Roche Diagnostics: Roche offers the Elecsys CSF AD biomarker assays and is developing blood-based AD tests through its diagnostics franchise. It is a broad incumbent across AD diagnostics with overlapping biomarker testing capability.
• LabCorp: LabCorp is a national clinical laboratory offering AD-related diagnostic testing, including biomarker assays, through its routine and specialty testing services. It is a broad incumbent in the medical laboratory channel where Synaps Dx also operates.

Emerging players

• Quanterix: Quanterix provides ultra-sensitive Simoa biomarker detection technology used by researchers and clinical labs for neurodegenerative disease testing. It overlaps with DISCERN in biomarker-based AD assessment, though focused on platform/tools rather than a single branded test.
• Diadem: Diadem is developing the AlzoSure Predict blood-based biomarker test for early Alzheimer's prediction. It is an emerging player with a non-invasive AD diagnostic approach that competes for the same physician and patient mindshare.
• Araclon Biotech: Araclon Biotech develops the ABtest blood-based assay for amyloid-beta peptide detection in Alzheimer's. It is an emerging competitor focused on blood-based AD biomarkers, similar in target to DISCERN's diagnostic positioning.

Others

• ADx NeuroSciences: ADx NeuroSciences develops immunoassays and antibodies for neurodegenerative disease biomarkers used by diagnostic developers. It is an enabling peer in the AD biomarker ecosystem rather than a direct competing diagnostic service.

Direct peers

• C2N Diagnostics: C2N Diagnostics commercializes the PrecivityAD blood-based test for amyloid pathology to support Alzheimer's diagnosis. It is the most direct competitor to DISCERN in offering an accessible, non-imaging AD diagnostic to clinicians.
• Fujirebio: Fujirebio markets CSF-based Alzheimer's biomarker assays (Lumipulse, INNOTEST) widely used in clinical research and specialty labs. It competes with DISCERN in providing laboratory diagnostics that distinguish AD from other dementias.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/getdiscern
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@thediscerntest5061
• Facebookfacebook.com/discerntest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/synapsdx
• Instagraminstagram.com/getdiscern

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds3 records

Investors2 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Synaps Dx