The Power to Know

Amprion was born from a profound scientific discovery and a bold vision: to revolutionize how neurodegenerative diseases are detected and treated. Our story begins with the groundbreaking work of Dr. Claudio Soto and his mission to make it possible to detect misfolded proteins.

Amprion's founder Dr. Claudio Soto dedicated his life to neurology research, helping individuals age with healthy and strong brains.

It started with a dilemma...

Dr. Soto initially developed technology to detect prions—misfolded proteins responsible for rare conditions like mad cow disease (Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease). This innovative approach, originally coined as Rt-QuIC or PMCA, now known seed amplification assay (SAA), could detect incredibly small amounts of these disease-causing proteins in biological fluids.

While prion diseases didn't become the global epidemic once feared, Dr. Soto recognized something profoundly important: the same principles that governed prion diseases were at work in more common neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. This realization led to the founding of Amprion—our name derived from "amplifying prions"—and our mission to apply this revolutionary technology to diseases affecting millions worldwide.

Our ultimate goal is to find a cure for brain diseases. Now that we can accurately detect the biomarker early, we'll make great strides to accelerate research and innovation.

Russ Lebovitz

CEO and Cofounder
The Amprion Mission

Charting the Course of Discovery

Every breakthrough begins with a single insight. Follow our journey from scientific theory to diagnostic advancement as we've built the foundation for a future where neurodegenerative diseases can be detected early and addressed effectively.

2007

INCEPTION

Neuroscientist Claudio Soto teams up with molecular pathologist Dr. Russ Lebovitz to work on detecting prions, aka misfolded proteins, relating to Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

2010

PIVOT

As the threat of CJD (mad cow disease) dissipates, the team pivots, asking: Is there a parallel between misfolded proteins in CJD and neurodegenerative disorders?

2013

AHA MOMENT

Dr. Soto proves there is a similarity and develops an assay to detect misfolded Aβ, a biomarker found in most Alzheimer’s patients.

2014

AMPRION IS FOUNDED

The team expands research to detect other misfolded proteins, including ɑ-synuclein and tau

2018

CLINICAL LAB ESTABLISHED

The company establishes a state-of-the-art lab run by dedicated scientists and experts, not to mention tireless bots when humans are off the clock

2019

FDA BREAKTHROUGH DESIGNATION

The US FDA awards Amprion Breakthrough Device Designation for detecting misfolded ɑ-synuclein, an emerging brain disease biomarker.

2022

CAP-ACCREDITED & CLIA-CERTIFIED LAB

Clinical lab is up and running for testing patient samples and SYNTap is made available to clinicians. Service and support functions are activated.

2023

SYNTAP TEST WIDESPREAD ACCESS

Our first biomarker test helps doctors diagnose Parkinson’s disease and Lewy body pathologies by detecting misfolded ɑ-synuclein in CSF.

2024

SAA TAKES CENTER STAGE

Dr. Soto is awarded the Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research for his revolutionary research leading to the invention and development of the αSynSAA.

Learn more

The Minds Behind The Mission

Amprion’s mission is to facilitate the end of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and other neurodegenerative disorders through early diagnostic testing, which provides the biological insights that inform discovery and give rise to effective treatments.

Get in the Know

Bring biological certainty to your diagnosis with Amprion's SAAmplify-ɑSYN test. Order your shipping kits today and help move your patient beyond a probable diagnosis.