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The Science Behind PreDx™ Testing

The development of diabetes is heterogeneous with complex biology underlying the disease process

  • Insulin resistance and dysfunction of pancreatic beta cells are central abnormalities of diabetes.
  • Insulin resistance is a disordered state in which insulin inadequately stimulates glucose transport in skeletal muscle and fat and inadequately suppresses hepatic glucose production.
  • Glucose intolerance and subsequent diabetes develop as the compensatory hypersecretion of insulin as beta cells decline.

The PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Test — how did we get here?

The Tethys process began with a comprehensive search of scientific and clinical literature in an effort to identify all biomarker candidates associated with disease development. The screened biomarkers covered many possible pathways associated with diabetes progression, and each biomarker was assessed for utility and relevance. The list of candidate biomarkers contained over 260 markers and assays were developed for over 89 markers.

Today, the PreDx Diabetes Risk Test utilizes diverse biomarkers related to inflammation, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, coagulation and cell death. It is able to assess changes related to multiple aspects of the disease process, not just glucose metabolism.

Each assay was validated and the performance characteristics were established by the Tethys Clinical Laboratory. Background information and confidence intervals are provided on each test report to the ordering physician.

Clinical Development of PreDx Risk Score using Population based Cohort
(Inter99)1-3

  • Retrospective baseline blood samples were tested from a large population of healthy subjects.
  • Using sensitive Molecular Counting Technology, which has the ability to detect a single molecule in an extremely small blood sample, 89 markers were quantified.
  • Over a 5-year period, 6% of subjects developed diabetes.
  • Based on blood markers initially present in the blood of those 6% subjects, Tethys narrowed their broad scope of 89 markers down to less than 20 markers with higher or lower levels common to those who had developed diabetes.
  • The small group of people identified as high risk by the biomarkers had a four times higher than average chance of developing diabetes within 5 years.
  • Conversely, based on their score, over half the subjects had a four times lower likelihood of developing diabetes in 5 years.
  • Of those who developed diabetes, 23% had normal blood glucose at the beginning of the study.


1. Population description: Jørgensen T, Borch-Johnsen K, Thomsen TF, Ibsen H, Glumer C, Pisinger C. A randomized non-pharmacological intervention study for prevention of ischaemic heart disease: baseline results Inter99. European Journal of Cardiovascular Prevention and Rehabilitation 2003;10:377-386.

2. Kolberg J, Gerwien R, Moler E, Rowe M, Urdea M, McKenna M, Hansen T, Pedersen O, Jørgensen T. Training and validation of a multimarker algorithm for the prediction of Type 2 diabetes from a 5 yr prospective study of 6,784 Danish people (Inter99). American Diabetes Association 68th Scientific Sessions, 2008.

3. Data on file, Tethys Clinical Laboratory, Tethys Bioscience, Inc., 2008


  Go to PredictMyRisk.com predxdiabetes.com

For Medical Professionals

Recent news

Nov 9, 2009
Tethys Bioscience Raises $25 Million in Series D Financing
The financing round is led by aeris Capital with George Rehm taking a seat on the Tethys board.

Oct 20, 2009
Gazing into the Future
(Journal of Life Sciences, Fall 2009)

Sep 24, 2009
A preemptive strike on diabetes: Emeryville's Tethys Biosciences rolls out pre-diabetes test
Tethys Bioscience featured in the September/October 2009 issue of Healthcare Journal of Northern California.

Aug 31, 2009
Personnel Additions and Promotions at Tethys Bioscience
Management Team in Position for Full Commercialization of its Line of Personalized-Prevention Diagnostics

Jul 15, 2009
Peer-Reviewed Publications Demonstrate Tethys Bioscience's Ability to Identify those at Highest Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes within Five Years
Diabetes journals publish two definitive papers supporting both the science behind and the clinical performance of lead product, the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score (DRS)

Jun 7, 2009
New Data in Support of Tethys Bioscience's PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score Presented at ADA Scientific Sessions
New data support cost-effectiveness and clinical utility of a risk assessment test for type 2 diabetes