A 22-Marker RNA Panel Reads Activity. It Diagnoses Nothing.

When people hear that a brain training program uses a blood test, they reach for shorthand. The shorthand is usually wrong about us. This page explains, in our own words, what we measure, how, and what the measurement can and cannot tell you.

How does Neurova Labs measure whether its program is doing anything?

Neurova Labs measures RNA gene expression from whole blood using a 22-transcript panel processed by iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified and CAP-accredited laboratory. Gene expression describes how active a gene is at the time of the draw, and cohort results reported to date are observational pilot findings.

The panel is optional. Programs that use it draw blood before and after a cycle of Neurova Academy, and they use it alongside validated self-report instruments such as the PCL-5 and the Kessler-6. The panel is a program measurement tool. It is not used to diagnose any condition.

What is gene expression?

Gene expression is how active a gene is at a given moment. Almost every cell in the body carries the same DNA, and cells switch individual genes up or down as conditions change. When a gene is active, the cell makes RNA copies of it as working instructions. Counting those RNA copies shows which genes are more or less active at the time of the sample.

What does RNA from whole blood show?

RNA from whole blood shows the activity of genes in circulating immune cells, which respond to stress, sleep, physical activity, illness, and other everyday conditions. That makes it a readout of the body's current state, and it can shift over days. A single draw is a snapshot. Comparing draws taken before and after a program shows how that snapshot changed.

The measurement is RNA gene expression. It is a different method from blood tests that measure circulating proteins, such as the TBI blood test the Army is fielding, which reads two brain-specific proteins that rise after an injury. We compare the two in A Blood Test for Brain Injury Reaches the Front Line.

What do the 22 transcripts track?

The 22 transcripts in the iXpressGenes CoreSignals Panel track inflammatory and immune signals associated with stress and recovery. Some are markers of inflammatory signaling. Others are regulatory and protective markers that help the immune system settle.

In our reporting, we read each marker in its own direction. For inflammatory markers such as IL-6, TNF-alpha, IL-1 beta, and CCL2, a fall is the favorable direction. Regulatory markers such as IL-10 work as the body's brake, and they are read against the inflammatory signal around them. What matters is whether regulation keeps pace with activation, so a regulatory marker can fall as inflammation settles and still reflect a healthy balance. The direction that counts depends on the marker, which is why we report a panel pattern and avoid building a claim on one gene.

What does the panel not do?

The panel does not diagnose anything. It does not detect or rule out concussion, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, or any other condition, and no single result says a person is well or unwell. Gene expression in blood responds to many things at once, including sleep, exercise, infection, and medication, so a change between two draws cannot be credited to one cause on its own. A change in a group of participants shows what happened to that group, and it cannot show what would have happened without the program.

How should you read a cohort result?

Read every cohort result with its participant count and its study design in the same sentence, which is how we report them. In a 2026 Neurova Labs observational cohort of 103 members, measured as RNA gene expression in whole blood at Day 1, Day 5, and Day 30, the 26 members who entered with the highest inflammatory burden saw their Global Inflammation Score fall from 52.4 to 30.3 by Day 5 and to 27.0 by Day 30, a 48 percent reduction, with 23 of 26 improving. Measured against 10 untreated controls and adjusted for starting level, the protocol group fared 12 points better on the same score.

This is an observational cohort, useful for deciding what to study next. Its control group was small and not matched on starting level, so it cannot show that the program caused the change.

What would a controlled study add?

A controlled study adds a comparison group of people who do not go through the program, so any difference between the groups can be measured directly. A controlled validation study is underway, and we will publish what it finds. Our position on the evidence, including what we will not claim, is in What Neurova Labs Will Not Claim.

About Neurova Labs

Neurova Labs is a veteran-led neurotechnology company based in Salt Lake City. Its program, Neurova Academy, is a facilitator-led neuro-immersive brain training program designed to support focus, stress regulation, and mental endurance, with no clinical infrastructure required. Programs can add an optional 22-marker panel measuring RNA gene expression from whole blood, processed by iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory. Neurova Labs works with military units, first responder agencies, clinics, and community organizations. Learn more at neurovalabs.com.

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Neurova Academy is a general wellness and cognitive training program. It is not a medical device and is not offered to diagnose, treat, cure, or mitigate any disease or condition, including concussion, traumatic brain injury, or CTE. Outcomes described reflect observational pilot findings and are not a prediction of results for anyone else. Laboratory testing provided by iXpressGenes, a CLIA-certified, CAP-accredited laboratory.

Media contact: Nathaniel Free, chief communications officer, nathaniel.free@neurovalabs.com