Mescreen or MitoSwab for mitohealth? Other mitochondrial tests?

[AlexKChen]

How it works

MitoSwab. Very happy with their reports. Not only looks at your level of mitochondrial activity but also channel efficiency.

Chad Lerner is fun to talk to

[RapAdmin]

Interesting… launched this past summer, and sounds like its more for research than personal use:

Verséa Discovery, Inc. Announces the Official Launch of mescreen™ Research Validator – a Revolutionary Mitochondrial Compound Assessment Platform

August 27, 2024 06:00 AM Eastern Daylight Time

TAMPA, Fla.–BUSINESS WIRE–Verséa Discovery, Inc., a Florida-based company dedicated to advancing scientific research and development in the area of personalized and precision medicine, has announced the official launch of mescreen™ Research Validator.

The mescreen™ Research Validator is a groundbreaking, proprietary compound assessment platform that harnesses mitochondrial function and dynamics to generate critical data, supporting the development, formulation, and clinical validation of customers’ supplements, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals, biologics, and medical devices.

By utilizing patented optimized bioassay, imaging, and machine-learning process, the mescreen™ Research Validator delivers valuable insights into mitochondrial efficiency and the clinical effects of various test materials in-vitro and in-vivo.

Research utilizing Verséa’s proprietary machine learning system has analyzed over 60 FDA-approved compounds and probes known to impact mitochondrial function and dynamics. These studies have demonstrated the platform’s capability to detect changes in mitochondrial function and structure upon the introduction of test materials into the assay. The platform is also able to detect changes in mitochondrial function when therapeutics, interventions and lifestyle changes were introduced to and implemented by subjects.

“We are thrilled to bring this groundbreaking technology to market,” said Stephen Porada, the President of Verséa Discovery, Inc. “mescreen™ Research Validator has tremendous potential to help companies validate or optimize the performance of their bioactive molecules, ingredients or physical interventions being targeted for commercial product development.”

Dr. Hemal Patel, Chief Scientific Advisor of Verséa Discovery, Inc., added, “In addition to this important advancement, we are currently developing the mescreen™ Personalized Mitochondrial Efficiency Test, which aims to provide individuals with a comprehensive energetic profile. This test will utilize a 12-matrix panel to accurately quantify core functions and dynamics providing important data and information related to one’s mitochondrial efficiency. Our commitment to enhancing mitochondrial health will empower individuals to better understand and improve their well-being.”

To gain insight into the science behind mescreen™ Research Validator and explore how it can benefit your research and product development efforts, please contact Verséa Discovery, Inc. at discovery@versea.com or call 1-800-397-0670.

About Verséa Discovery, Inc.

Verséa Discovery, Inc., headquartered in Tampa, FL, is a U.S. company committed to advancing scientific research and development in personalized and precision medicine. Operating as a strategic business unit of Verséa Health, Inc., the company specializes in developing innovative solutions that deliver critical insights into health at the cellular and mitochondrial levels. To learn more visit Verséa Discovery webpage.

Disclaimer: mescreen™ is for research use only and is not intended to diagnose, treat, or cure disease. You should not change medications, diet, exercise regimens, or other related health activities without consulting your physician. mescreen™ has not been reviewed by the Food and Drug Administration. mescreen™ is a trademark of Verséa Health, Inc.

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I checked this company months ago as they have (had?) a lactoferrin test that could be used for the early diagnosis of Parkinson’s and/or Alzheimer’s. That test was very serious. I don’t know about this new mitochondria test though.

[AlexKChen]

https://x.com/trikomes/status/1924906797200245138

The dashboard you’re looking at is not an organic-acids profile.
It comes from a direct enzyme-activity panel that the lab runs on the mitochondria-containing cells in your blood sample (mostly platelets and leukocytes). In each well of a micro-plate the lab:

1. immuno-captures one respiratory-chain complex (or citrate-synthase as a reference),
2. adds a very specific substrate/cofactor mix, and
3. follows the initial reaction rate by watching a change in light absorbance.

What is being quantified in each well is therefore an enzyme-catalysed reaction rate, not a circulating metabolite.
Here are the actual reactions and the “reporter” signals the spectro­photometer tracks:

Report line	Enzyme reaction in the assay well	Spectral “reporter” that is monitored
Complex I (NADH dehydrogenase)	NADH → NAD⁺ + H⁺ (electrons passed to ubiquinone analogue)	Disappearance of NADH at 340 nm
Complex II (Succinate dehydrogenase)	Succinate → fumarate (electrons to CoQ analogue)	Reduction of DCPIP or decyl-ubiquinone (600 nm)
Complex II + III (Succinate : cyt-c reductase)	Succinate → fumarate → cytochrome c (via complexes II & III)	Appearance of reduced cytochrome c at 550 nm
Complex IV (Cytochrome-c oxidase)	4 Red-cyt-c + O₂ → 4 Ox-cyt-c + 2 H₂O	Loss of reduced cytochrome c absorbance at 550 nm
Citrate-synthase (normalises for mito number)	Oxaloacetate + Acetyl-CoA → Citrate + CoA-SH	Formation of TNB from CoA-SH + DTNB at 412 nm

So the only “analytes” the instrument is reading are:

• NADH (Complex I)
• DCPIP / ubiquinone analogue (Complex II)
• Reduced cytochrome c (Complex II + III and IV)
• TNB (Ellman’s reagent product) for citrate-synthase

The green/orange gauges you see are simply each reaction rate normalised to citrate-synthase activity and then expressed as a percentage of a healthy-control mean. No plasma metabolites (lactate, succinate, organic acids, etc.) enter into these particular numbers.

[cl-user]

Is that another mitochondrial test?

[AlexKChen]

3.5 Keys to Improving Mitochondrial Health

Mhi

[snowfall]

Thank you for this. I had a full genome test suggesting that I have some degree of Complex I deficiency as well as an OAT test showing something similar. Would be cool to see it confirmed again here because I am not a genetics expert and didn’t know what I was doing with the whole genome data.

I won’t be trying this though because I think the price is unreasonable. The cost of the full genome test and the OAT test combined was still much less than this. I’ll keep my eye out for similar tests.

This is a test I heard of a while back: https://www.iollo.com/

Pricy, but still less than the Mescreen. Can’t vouch for it other than I heard of it years ago and bookmarked it.

[AlexKChen]

Introducing Mitome

It’s just a cheek swab, I really don’t know if it can be this informative…

[Bicep]

Only $700 though. I like Chris and even subscribed for a couple years, but don’t know about this.

[AlexKChen]

The Mitome test had showed that this client had impaired transport of methyl groups into the mitochondria, and since creatine supports methylation, this may have made him respond especially well to the creatine. However, everyone needs to optimize their creatine status so this is a safe and fruitful path to embark on without testing first.

Mitome reflects a year and a half of deep research into the causes of many different patterns of mitochondrial dysfunction, fused with my own cross-referencing over 100 sets of respiratory chain data with comprehensive whole genome sequencing and biochemical data (amino acids, organic acids, vitamins, minerals, and other markers) to distill ways of inferring causal patterns and effective actionable protocols from repeatable patterns within the respiratory chain data when used on its own. Mitome uses a cheek swab to measure each of the four respiratory chain complexes where 90% of your cellular energy (ATP) is made to infer which of 12 “mitochondrial types” you are and how your patterns combine into one of 90 unique approaches to personalizing your strategies to boost your cellular energy production. Mitome also simplifies this for you by automatically constructing your protocol for you. Find out your mitochondrial type today with Mitome.

[AlexKChen]

Short answer: partly.

What’s solid: Mitome’s cheek-swab labwork appears to be run on/with the MitoSwab platform. Buccal (cheek) cells can be used to measure mitochondrial enzyme activities (e.g., Complex I, III, IV) and citrate synthase, and there’s peer-review showing these buccal assays track muscle-biopsy enzyme defects ~82% of the time for Complex I/IV in confirmed mitochondrial disease (small, pediatric cohort).

What’s iffy: Mitome markets a personalized “optimization protocol” from those cheek-cell readings. That interpretive algorithm and clinical benefit (e.g., better symptoms/outcomes because you followed their supplement/diet plan) haven’t been validated in published trials, and the underlying test is a CLIA LDT, not FDA-cleared. Price listed is $699.

The “only cheek cells” concern (you’re right)

Mitochondria vary a lot by tissue (proteins, assembly, morphology, fuel use). Cheek epithelium is not a stand-in for brain, heart, liver, or skeletal muscle. Also, buccal epithelium turns over fast (~14 days), so a swab reflects recent state and local exposures (diet, smoke/vape, oral inflammation), not “whole-body mitochondrial health.”

What Mitome says it measures

Their page lists citrate synthase plus Complex I, II, II+III, and IV from a cheek swab; they then generate food/supplement suggestions. (Note: “II+III” is an activity assay, not a single complex.)

How good are cheek-swab enzyme assays?

Pros: Non-invasive; methods exist for CI/CIII/CIV. One 2012 study reported ~82.5% correlation with muscle biopsy for CI/IV in diagnosed cases; a 2023 paper details buccal Complex III assays.

Caveats: Small cohorts; CI/IV most studied; diet/smoking can modulate buccal mitochondrial readouts; and results may not mirror high-energy tissues. The test is not diagnostic on its own.

If you want a more “systemic” readout

Some groups measure mitochondrial respiration in blood cells (PBMCs/platelets) and show links to muscle and clinical states, but these, too, have confounders (immune-cell mix, methods) and are mostly research-setting.

Practical take

Consider Mitome as a screening/monitoring tool, not a verdict on body-wide mitochondria.

If you do it, standardize pre-collection: follow their instructions (rinse with water; wait 30 min after brushing; ship Mon–Thu on ice) and avoid acute confounders (smoking/vaping right before sampling).

For organ-specific symptoms (e.g., neuromuscular issues), see a specialist; gold-standard workups still rely on targeted clinical testing.

Bottom line: The measurement part (cheek-cell enzyme activities) has some peer-reviewed support; the “personalized protocol” part is not clinically validated. Treat Mitome as potentially informative but non-diagnostic, and be cautious about over-interpreting cheek-cell data as your global mitochondrial status.