Q BioMed (OTCQB:QBIO) has discovered two novel biomarkers for pediatric nonverbal autism (PNA) in a subset of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Children with PNA never develop the ability to speak, or begin speaking and then regress. Q BioMed notes that some 18,000 to 20,000 newborns will go on to develop PNA in the U.S. each year.
The study identified genes and pathways directly implicated in speech impairment, as well as comorbidities that can be detected as early as 18 months of age, before clinical symptoms of PNA begin.
“To date, very little attention and research has been focused on these nonverbal autistic children. In partnership with the clinical and advocacy community, Q BioMed is leading the effort to better stratify this group, while also pursuing a treatment,” Denis Corin, Q BioMed’s CEO, said in a statement.
Q BioMed plans to incorporate these, and potentially, additional biomarkers into its QBM-001 development program. QBM-001 is at the pre-IND stage of development for the treatment of toddlers with PNA.
