Investigating Two Biomarkers in Nasal Secretions
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Investigating the T14/Tau ratio in nasal samples of young people (aged 18-30 years old) to determine a relationship in mood disorders.
IRAS ID
361421
Contact name
Sara Garcia-Rates
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Neuro-Bio Ltd
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 26 days
Research summary
Currently, diagnosing mood disorders like depression and anxiety relies on interviews and questionnaires – there are no biochemical tests available in psychology or psychiatry. This study aims to test the correlation between two biological markers (biomarkers) that could help identify brain cell dysfunction in individuals with mood disorders. It is importance to investigate this novel diagnostic technique as the prevalence of these conditions is increasing, and an earlier diagnosis could potentially lead to better clinical outcomes in this key age group.
Neuro-Bio Ltd believe they have discovered a novel biomarker which indicates the likelihood that an individual is currently suffering from a mood disorder when compared to another biomarker; Tau. This biomarker is called T14, which is found in the nose and can be easily measured using a sample collected with a nasal swab.
This pilot study aims to investigate whether the novel biomarker ratio can distinguish individuals with mood disorders from those without, potentially offering a new diagnostic approach in the future. Within this study, Participants aged 18-30 will be recruited from a school, college and university where individuals will be invited to complete a validated questionnaire to detect mood disorders and then conduct a non-invasive nasal swab to determine the T14/Tau ratio.
Participants and, where appropriate, their guardians will receive detailed information about the study and have opportunities to ask questions before giving informed consent. Individual results will not be shared with Participants as this is an exploratory study. The study is expected to run for approximately nine months and will provide essential data on the feasibility of using nasal biomarkers to support mood disorder diagnosis in young people.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/EM/0218
Date of REC Opinion
30 Oct 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion