Assay should predict susceptibility to schizophrenia even before clinical symptoms are apparent, if aberrant ErbB function during development is a cause of schizophrenia and that function is expressed in peripheral blood cells throughout life.

Schizophrenia may be a neurodevelopmental disorder (Weinberger D.R. and Marenco S. in Schizophrenia as a neurodevelopmental disorder, Hirsch S., Weinberger D.R. (eds) Schizophrenia, 2nd ed., Blackwell Science: Oxford, UK, 2003 pp 326-348). Neuregulin1 (NRG1) plays a critical role in neuronal migration and maturation by interacting with ErbB tyrosine kinase receptors and linkage studies and genetically engineered animals have implicated NRG1-mediated signaling in the neuropathogenesis of schizophrenia. Although no technique is available to assess NRG1/ErbB mediated neural migration in living human brain, there is increasing recognition that neuronal cells and immune cells share many cellular and molecular mechanisms for cell migration and motility. These inventors showed NRG1 mediated chemotactic responses of B lymphocytes from schizophrenic patients are significantly decreased compared to controls. If aberrant ErbB function during development is a cause of schizophrenia, and that aberrant ErbB function is expressed in peripheral blood cells throughout life, the assay should predict susceptibility to schizophrenia even before clinical symptoms are apparent.

U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/735,353 filed 10 Nov 2005 (HHS Reference No. E-181-2005/1-US-01) Inventors: Daniel Weinberger et al. (NIMH)

Licensees sought. This technology is available for non- exclusive and exclusive licensing. Collaborative Research Opportunity: The NIMH Clinical Brain Disorders Branch is seeking statements of capability or interest from parties interested in collaborative research to further develop, evaluate, or commercialize the above technology. Please contact Suzanne L. Winfield at winfiels@mail.nih.gov for more information.