May 22, 2025,
Dr Cecilia Flores, lead author of the study, and her team have identified nine microRNAs present in high concentrations in the blood of adolescents suffering from depression. These biomarkers, specific to adolescence, could make it possible to identify vulnerable young people earlier and predict the evolution of their symptoms.
Alarmingly, more and more adolescents are being diagnosed with depression, and when it starts early, the effects can be long-lasting and severe. Teens with depression are more likely to struggle with substance use, social isolation and experience symptoms that often don’t respond well to treatment..
– Dr Cecilia Flores
The study, carried out in collaboration with the University of California at Los Angeles and Stanford University, is based on an innovative, minimally invasive method using drops of dried blood collected by a simple finger prick. These results pave the way for more objective, widely accessible screening.