What Are the Differences Between ProdromeScan™ and the BioMetrix™ BioScan

What Are the Differences Between ProdromeScan™ and the BioMetrix™ BioScan

Introduction

Both the ProdromeScan™ (earlier generation) and the BioMetrix™ BioScan (next-generation) are advanced metabolomic blood tests developed from the work of Dr. Dayan Goodenowe. While they share a foundation in plasmalogen quantification and lipidomic profiling, the BioScan represents a significant evolution in scope, resolution, and systemic integration.

This article highlights the differences across biomarkers, biochemical systems measured, and clinical interpretability.

Scope of Measurement


ProdromeScan™

  • Core focus: High-level lipid system sufficiency
  • Biomarkers quantified: Primarily plasmalogens, phosphatidylethanolamines (PE), phosphatidylcholines (PC), choline plasmalogens (PLC), sphingomyelins, ceramides, and gastrointestinal tract acids (GTAs)
  • Indices included: Omega-3 vs Omega-6 balance, DHA/EPA incorporation, peroxisomal function, methyltransferase/choline system, mitochondrial function, and elongase 5 activity.
  • Additional markers: Homocysteine, CRP, iron, cholesterol transport, and basic renal function

In summary, the ProdromeScan™  provided a systems-level snapshot of plasmalogen sufficiency and related lipid metabolism, but in relatively broad categories.


BioMetrix™ BioScan

  • Core focus: Comprehensive systems biology approach, quantifying both lipidomics and a wider array of functional biochemical markers.
  • Expanded biomarkers: Beyond plasmalogens and phospholipids, the BioScan quantifies:
    • Lysophospholipids (LysoPC, LysoPLE) with turnover indices
    • Sphingomyelins and ceramide species with sub-class resolution
    • Gastrointestinal tract acids (short vs. long chain)
    • Iron sufficiency (total iron)
    • Inflammation and oxidative stress markers: CRP, MDA, Catalase, SOD, Galectin-3, Cortisol
    • Mitochondrial markers (both PE- and PC-based subtypes)
    • Cholesterol transport (HDL, LDL, triglycerides)
    • Glucose regulation, renal function, creatine kinase

The BioScan thus extends well beyond lipid sufficiency into oxidative stress, mitochondrial energetics, immune modulation, and metabolic reserve.

Resolution and Indices

ProdromeScan™

  • Reported values mainly at the class level (e.g., “Total PE,” “Total PC”, “Total plasmalogens”).
  • Some functional indices included (EPA/DHA ratios, peroxisomal function, elongase 5 activity).
  • Interpretation focused on sufficiency vs deficiency across broad systems.

BioMetrix™ BioScan

  • Provides species-level resolution within phospholipid families (e.g., PE 36:5 (EPA), PE 38:6 (DHA))
  • Introduces functional indices:
    • PE and PLE Omega-3/6 indices
    • Lysoplasmalogen turnover ratios
    • LPC/PC elongase ratios
    • Cross-compartment indices (e.g., PLC Omega-3/PC Omega-6).
    • This creates a far more granular biochemical fingerprint, allowing inference about specific enzymatic activity (e.g., elongase, desaturase, methyltransferase) and organellar function (peroxisome vs mitochondria).

Integration of Systemic Health Domains

The BioScan integrates immune, metabolic, and stress-response pathways into the lipid-centric framework pioneered by the ProdromeScan™.

Clinical Utility for Practitioners

  • ProdromeScan™: Useful as an early research tool for identifying plasmalogen insufficiency and broad lipid-related dysfunction. Interpretation was mainly deficiency-centered (e.g., low plasmalogen → peroxisomal insufficiency).
  • BioMetrix™ BioScan: Provides a multi-system metabolic map, supporting interpretation across:
    • Neuroprotection (plasmalogen + sphingomyelin integrity)
    • Mitochondrial resilience (PE/PC species)
    • Inflammation/oxidative stress balance
    • Immune activity and fibrosis risk (galectin-3)
    • Stress response (cortisol)
    • Metabolic sufficiency (cholesterol, glucose, triglycerides)

For physicians, the BioScan offers actionable depth, linking biochemistry to systemic dysfunction pathways without relying on disease diagnosis.

Summary of Evolution

  • ProdromeScan™ was the foundational plasmalogen-centric tool, proving the relevance of lipidomics in human health.
  • BioMetrix™ BioScan is its successor, expanding from lipid sufficiency into a systems biology assay that integrates oxidative stress, mitochondrial energetics, peroxisomal activity, and immune-modulating pathways.

This evolution mirrors the shift from diagnostic deficiency detection to predictive, restorative health mapping—giving physicians deeper biochemical insight into patient health trajectories.

 

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