SPRING HOUSE, Pa., May 28, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Cognizance Biomarkers, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Evogen, Inc., a leader in proteomic and genomic-based testing for improved diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy and other neurological disorders, today reported it presented data at the 2019 Antiepileptic Drug and Device Trials XV (AEDD) Conference that supports the further development of a biomarker monitoring test to assess seizure burden in epilepsy patients. This test would enable epilepsy researchers and physicians to easily and objectively assess whether the patient's current treatment is suppressing seizures, making effective management of this potentially disabling condition far more feasible. More than 55% of active epilepsy patients report their current antiepileptic medications fail to adequately control their seizures, but physicians have limited objective information available to guide identification of more effective options.

John Pollard, MD, who is an inventor of the Cognizance Biomarkers technology, a practicing neurologist, Director of the Christiana Care Epilepsy Center and Adjunct Associate Professor of Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, commented, "Epilepsy diagnosis can be difficult and slow, with misdiagnosis and suboptimal treatment too often taking years to correct. We undertook development of a proteomic-based blood test to provide an accurate, objective and rapid alternative. Cognizance's first product, the EvoScoreDX^TM test, has demonstrated the potential to identify epileptic seizures with excellent sensitivity and specificity. This approach has now been expanded to allow for the accurate monitoring of therapy-associated improvements in the frequency of seizures, which should make it easier to optimize treatment over the lifecycle of the condition."

The new data leverages the growing consensus that inflammation is both a cause and consequence of seizure. In the study presented at AEDD 2019, Cognizance scientists used a targeted proteomic screen of 51 protein mediators of inflammation and proprietary algorithms to identify monitoring biomarker signatures associated with changes in seizure burden. The monitoring data achieved sensitivity and specificity of 90% and 96.8%, respectively. Cognizance researchers conclude that the monitoring test could be an accurate and specific tool to deliver objective, reliable and actionable results to aid in the management of active epilepsy patients.

"The impressive data presented at AEDD further validates the strength of our proteomic approach to transforming epilepsy diagnosis and management," said Todd Wallach, President and Chief Executive Officer of Evogen/Cognizance Biomarkers. "Our first blood test enables epilepsy to be diagnosed and treated more rapidly and accurately. These new data indicate that our approach also has the potential to empower physicians to more effectively manage their epilepsy patients' treatment over time, as well as to inform new drug clinical development. We look forward to advancing our proteomic tools for addressing major unmet needs in epilepsy diagnosis and management through further clinical development to full commercialization."

About Epilepsy
Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder affecting approximately 65 million people worldwide and more than 2 million people in the U.S., where it is the fourth most common neurological disorder. Although epilepsy may be linked to factors such as health conditions, race and age, it can develop in anyone at any age. There are many different types of epilepsy, but the main characteristic of the condition is recurrent seizures. The accurate diagnosis of epilepsy remains a challenge, as current methods are subjective, cumbersome, expensive and imprecise.

About Evogen and Cognizance Biomarkers                         
Evogen, Inc. is a leading developer of diagnostic, detection and sample collection solutions with successful products deployed worldwide. Cognizance Biomarkers LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Evogen, is a clinical stage neurology and neuroinflammation-focused diagnostics company focused on achieving leadership in proteomic and genomic-based testing for improved diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, offering rapid, accurate and cost-effective precision medicine solutions for optimal patient outcomes. Its patented EvoScoreDX^TM biomarker-based blood test has the potential to revolutionize the diagnosis of epilepsy. In clinical studies, EvoScoreDX demonstrated sensitivity and specificity of 90% or more. The company is also developing EvoScoreGX^TM comprehensive genomic testing for improved management of neurological disorders. For more information, visit evogen.com.

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SOURCE Evogen, Inc.