MOODSTRATIFICATION · Project

Blood Tests That Match Depression Patients to the Right Treatment First Time

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Imagine going to the doctor for depression and hearing "try this pill, and if it doesn't work in 6 weeks, we'll try another." That's how it works today — roughly half the time, the first treatment fails. This team discovered that a simple blood test can reveal immune patterns that predict which therapy will actually work for each patient. They built diagnostic kits and ran clinical proof-of-principle studies to see if matching treatment to immune profile could push success rates from about 50% up to 80-90%.

By the numbers

50%

Current response rate to antidepressant therapy

80-90%

Expected improved response rate with immune-based stratification

12-20%

Population prevalence of mood disorders

Clinical proof-of-principle studies conducted

€5,963,750

Total EU funding invested

Total project deliverables produced

The business problem

What needed solving

Depression treatment today is essentially trial-and-error: doctors prescribe an antidepressant, wait weeks to see if it works, and try another if it doesn't. With only about 50% of patients responding to their first treatment, millions endure prolonged suffering, lost productivity, and repeated clinic visits. There is currently no lab test that can predict which therapy will work for which patient.

The solution

What was built

The project built two diagnostic kit protocols: an ELISA multi-analyte panel for serum cytokines/growth factors (including hCRP, IL-6, IL-10, CCL2, PTX3, and others) and a Q-PCR kit for PAXGENE material targeting key immune gene clusters. These kits identify immune profiles that predict therapy responsiveness, validated through 3 clinical proof-of-principle studies.

Audience

Who needs this

IVD (in vitro diagnostics) companies looking for new psychiatric diagnostic productsPharmaceutical companies with antidepressant or anti-inflammatory pipelines needing companion diagnosticsPsychiatric hospital networks and mental health clinic chains seeking precision treatment toolsHealth insurance companies wanting to reduce costs from repeated failed treatmentsDigital health platforms building precision psychiatry solutions

Business applications

Who can put this to work

In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD)

mid-size

Target: Diagnostic kit manufacturers developing blood-based psychiatric tests

If you are a diagnostics company looking for the next breakthrough in precision psychiatry — this project developed ready-to-use kit protocols (ELISA multi-analyte panel and Q-PCR PAXGENE kits) that identify immune profiles in depression patients. Current antidepressant response rates sit at about 50%. These kits could be the basis of a companion diagnostic product addressing a condition with 12-20% population prevalence.

Pharmaceuticals

enterprise

Target: Pharma companies with antidepressant or anti-inflammatory drug pipelines

If you are a pharmaceutical company struggling with poor clinical trial outcomes for antidepressants — this project validated immune-based patient stratification across 3 clinical proof-of-principle studies. By pre-selecting patients whose immune profile matches your drug's mechanism, you could dramatically improve trial success rates from around 50% toward 80-90%, saving millions in failed Phase III costs.

Digital Health / Psychiatric Care

any

Target: Mental health platforms and psychiatric hospital networks

If you run psychiatric clinics or a mental health platform and see patients cycling through multiple medications — this project produced immune profiling protocols that predict therapy responsiveness. With mood disorders affecting 12-20% of the population and being the second highest contributor to years lived with disability, a lab-based stratification tool could reduce treatment time, cut costs, and improve patient outcomes.

Frequently asked

Quick answers

What would it cost to implement this immune profiling in a clinical or commercial setting?

The project developed ELISA and Q-PCR kit protocols using a relatively small multi-analyte panel, which suggests costs per test could be moderate compared to broad -omics approaches. However, specific per-test pricing is not disclosed in the available project data. Commercial pricing would depend on the licensing model and manufacturing scale.

Can this scale to routine clinical use or mass screening?

The project explicitly aimed to make this 'ready for the clinic' — the first lab-based therapy stratification in psychiatry. The kit protocols (ELISA for serum cytokines and Q-PCR on PAXGENE material) use standard laboratory equipment. With mood disorders affecting 12-20% of the population, the addressable market for routine clinical screening is substantial.

Who owns the IP and how can it be licensed?

The consortium includes 4 industry partners and 3 SMEs across 7 countries, with Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam as coordinator. IP arrangements would be governed by the consortium agreement. Based on available project data, specific licensing terms are not publicly disclosed — a direct conversation with the coordinator would be needed.

What regulatory approvals would be needed to bring this to market?

As an in vitro diagnostic, the kit protocols would need CE-IVD marking under the EU IVDR (In Vitro Diagnostic Regulation) and FDA clearance for the US market. The 3 clinical proof-of-principle studies conducted during the project provide initial clinical validation data, but full regulatory dossiers would likely require additional pivotal trials.

How long before this could reach the market?

The project ran from 2018 to 2023 and produced validated kit protocols with clinical proof-of-principle data. Based on available project data, the technology is past early research but would still need regulatory approval steps. A realistic timeline to commercial product would depend on the regulatory pathway chosen and partnership arrangements.

How does this compare to existing depression diagnostics?

Currently there is no lab-based therapy stratification in psychiatry — treatment selection relies on clinical judgment and trial-and-error. This project claims to be the first to offer lab-based stratification, which would be a genuinely new product category. The current 50% response rate to antidepressants represents a clear gap this technology addresses.

What evidence exists that this actually works?

The project conducted 3 clinical proof-of-principle studies validating the immune profile-based stratification concept. The team expects response rates to improve from about 50% to 80-90% when therapy is matched to immune profile. The kit protocols were developed together with industry partners, and the underlying immune profiles were discovered in two previous EU projects.

Consortium

Who built it

The MOODSTRATIFICATION consortium brings together 12 partners from 7 countries (BE, DE, DK, FR, IL, IT, NL), with a strong mix of 7 universities, 4 industry partners, and 1 research organization. With 3 SMEs in the consortium and a 33% industry ratio, the project had meaningful commercial input from the start — the industry partners co-developed the kit protocols. The EUR 5,963,750 EU investment and 41 deliverables signal a substantial, well-structured effort. The coordinator, Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam, is a top European research hospital, lending clinical credibility to any future commercialization discussions.

ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAMCoordinator · NL
AARHUS UNIVERSITETparticipant · DK
UNIVERSITAET MUENSTERparticipant · DE
LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHENparticipant · DE
UNIVERSITAET ULMparticipant · DE
ASSISTANCE PUBLIQUE HOPITAUX DE PARISparticipant · FR
ACADEMISCH ZIEKENHUIS GRONINGENparticipant · NL
OSPEDALE SAN RAFFAELE SRLparticipant · IT
KATHOLIEKE UNIVERSITEIT LEUVENparticipant · BE

How to reach the team

Erasmus University Medical Center Rotterdam (Netherlands) — reach out to the psychiatry or immunology department leads involved in MOODSTRATIFICATION

Order a report on this consortium See ERASMUS UNIVERSITAIR MEDISCH CENTRUM ROTTERDAM profile →

Next steps

Talk to the team behind this work.

Want an introduction to the MOODSTRATIFICATION team to discuss licensing the diagnostic kit protocols or co-developing a commercial product? Contact SciTransfer — we connect businesses with EU research teams.

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