http://tethysbio.com/press.html Updates to Tethys press releases. en-US http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=36 2010-07-22T00:00:00Z
"We believe that Tethys represents an excellent investment opportunity based on the growing market penetration of PreDx DRS, successful implementation of sound financial, commercial and strategic initiatives and a robust patent estate," said John Avirett, Principal, Greenspring Associates. "We are pleased to join with other investors to support the company's continued progress toward building a sustainable, profitable business."

"Tethys is executing an aggressive program to drive market uptake of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score for the identification of patients at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes," said Mickey S. Urdea, PhD, chairman and chief executive officer of Tethys. "Since early 2009, more than 15,000 PreDx tests have been ordered in the US by physicians for patients they suspect to be at risk for the disease. We plan to continue to build market share through our regional sales force growth, partnerships and strategic alliances, and to expand access to programs designed to motivate patients to adopt the lifestyle and behavioral changes necessary to preempt development of disease."

About PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score
PreDx DRS was developed using a unique approach to quantifying biomarkers suspected of playing roles in diabetes development. Tethys technology enabled evaluation of many biomarkers utilizing very small amounts of blood from select and well-characterized large study cohorts with known diabetes outcomes. The company then determined the combination of these biomarkers with an algorithm that best identified an individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years. PreDx DRS has been validated by the Tethys Clinical Laboratory (TCL) in several large populations. The test uses standard immunoassay formats, sample collection and shipment methods. Currently performed exclusively by the CLIA-certified TCL, the test generates a Diabetes Risk Score between 1 and 10 that corresponds to an absolute percentage risk of developing disease.

About Type 2 Diabetes
Of the more than 57 million Americans who are categorized as being at high risk for diabetes based on conventional testing, most will never develop diabetes. PreDx DRS facilitates identification of the 10-20 percent of individuals at the highest, near-term risk, for whom intervention may be most beneficial.

Diabetes represents the largest pandemic in history: 171 million people worldwide have diabetes with hundreds of millions more at risk. Diabetes is, however, preventable. PreDx DRS offers a simple-to-use, accurate, validated tool to identify patients at imminent risk of developing diabetes while there is still time to forestall disease progression.

About Tethys
Tethys is a cardiometabolic diagnostics company that creates and commercializes breakthrough biomarker-based blood tests that predict imminent disease risk and enable targeted intervention to preempt the onset of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Tethys introduced its first product -- PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score -- to the market in 2008, and initiated sales in 2009. The Tethys PreDx platform includes products in development to determine risk for first-time heart attack, osteoporotic fracture and other cardiometabolic diseases with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing the devastating economic impact that debilitating, preventable diseases have on individuals and society. For more information about Tethys and PreDx DRS, please visit www.tethysbio.com.

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]]> http://www.technologyreview.com/biomedicine/25802/ 2010-07-14T00:00:00Z http://www.smartplanet.com/technology/video/diabetes-risk-test-prevents-disease-/439797/?tag=col2;video-roto 2010-07-01T00:00:00Z ]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=33 2010-06-24T00:00:00Z
PreDx DRS is a simple-to-use, multimarker blood test that enables accurate identification of patients who have the highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years. Of the more than 57 million Americans who are categorized as being at high risk for diabetes based on conventional testing, most will never develop diabetes. PreDx DRS facilitates identification of the 10-20 percent of individuals at the highest, near-term risk, for whom lifestyle or other intervention may be most beneficial.

"The rapid issuance of this first PreDx patent reflects the company's commitment to an intellectual property portfolio that will support its rapid commercialization of novel technology to identify patients at risk of developing type 2 diabetes and other chronic cardiometabolic diseases," said Mickey S. Urdea, Ph.D., Tethys chairman and chief executive officer. "The cost of treating all patients at risk for diabetes is not sustainable and threatens to break the U.S. healthcare system. We believe that the direct impact of PreDx DRS will be to mitigate the type 2 diabetes epidemic and lower healthcare costs by providing physicians with a powerful tool that will enable them to focus preemptive interventions on patients most at risk of developing the disease."

Diabetes represents the largest pandemic in history: 171 million people worldwide have diabetes with hundreds of millions more at risk. Diabetes is, however, preventable. PreDx DRS offers a simple-to-use, accurate, validated tool to identify patients at imminent risk of developing chronic cardiometabolic disease while there is still time to forestall disease progression.

About PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score

PreDx DRS was developed using a unique approach to quantifying biomarkers suspected of playing roles in diabetes development. Tethys technology enabled evaluation of many biomarkers utilizing very small amounts of blood from select and well-characterized large study cohorts with known diabetes outcomes. The company then determined the combination of these biomarkers -- the proprietary algorithm-- that best identified an individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 years. PreDx DRS has been validated by the Tethys Clinical Laboratory (TCL) in several large populations. The test uses standard immunoassay formats, sample collection and shipment methods. Currently performed exclusively by the CLIA-certified TCL, the test generates a Diabetes Risk Score between 1 and 10 that corresponds to an absolute percentage risk of developing disease.

About Tethys

Tethys is a cardiometabolic diagnostics company that creates and commercializes breakthrough biomarker-based blood tests that predict imminent disease risk and enable targeted intervention to preempt the onset of chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. Tethys introduced its first product -- PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score -- to the market in 2008, and initiated sales in 2009. The Tethys PreDx DRS platform includes products in development to determine risk for first-time heart attack, osteoporotic fracture and other cardiometabolic diseases with the goal of improving health outcomes and reducing the devastating economic impact that debilitating, preventable diseases have on individuals and society. For more information about Tethys and PreDx DRS, please visit www.tethysbio.com.
]]> http://tethysbio.com/audio/tethys_121409.mp3 2010-01-15T00:00:00Z http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=31 2009-12-17T00:00:00Z Mickey Urdea was presented with the first-ever DiNA Fast-Start Award at the 2009 BayBio Pantheon Ceremony at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco. The award was given to Tethys Bioscience as the young Bay Area company which has met important developmental milestones and achieved the most significant growth over a five year period. The award was presented to Tethys by Arliss Daniels, 2009 summer intern at Tethys and a senior at Oakland Technical High School. Arliss interned with Tethys under the East Bay's Biotech Partners program. ]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=28 2009-11-09T00:00:00Z
Proceeds from the financing will be used to expand commercialization of the Company's proprietary PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) product, a simple-to-administer blood test to help clinicians identify those patients at highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes within the next five years.

"These funds will enable Tethys to respond to rapidly increasing customer demand for the PreDx DRS from the large primary care physician market and to broaden our reach to these clinicians through new commercialization strategies," said Mickey Urdea, Ph.D., Chairman and CEO of Tethys. "To enhance the clinician's experience and effectiveness with the PreDx DRS, we are also developing a diabetes risk-reduction initiative, which will help them to educate their high-risk patients about critical lifestyle and behavioral changes that may help prevent the development of diabetes."

The PreDx DRS is a blood test performed by the Tethys Clinical Laboratory that provides enhanced diabetes risk assessment through the measurement of multiple biomarkers implicated in the development of type 2 diabetes. Test results are presented in the form of a Diabetes Risk Score: a number ranging from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) which directly correlates with a patient's risk of developing the disease within the next 5 years.

"Tethys is breaking new ground in the diabetes field with the PreDx DRS, which will help clinicians to identify patients at severe risk of becoming diabetic, and who are most likely to benefit from focused intervention and disease prevention management," said George Rehm, Managing Partner of aeris CAPITAL AG and member of the Tethys Board of Directors. "The Company's technology has broad utility in multiple chronic disease areas where early identification and disease prevention programs have the potential to improve health outcomes and reduce healthcare costs."

While diabetes has no cure, clinical studies have shown that it can be prevented, and determining one's diabetes risk is the first step in avoiding this chronic, life-threatening disease. Clinical studies have shown that aggressive intervention with diet and exercise alone can reduce the incidence of diabetes by up to 60%. With the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score, clinicians can identify those individuals with the greatest 5-year risk of diabetes conversion so they can receive appropriate diabetes prevention regimens.

George M. Rehm is a Managing Partner of aeris CAPITAL AG in Switzerland and has over twenty five years experience as a lawyer and executive in international licensing, technology transfer, investment and privatization transactions, involving the US, Europe and Asia, prior to commencing his current career in private equity. Currently, he holds board seats in numerous portfolio companies. Mr. Rehm remains of counsel to the Munich, Heidelberg and Berlin law firm of Weitnauer Partners. He received his BSFS from Georgetown University, and a JD from the University of California, Hastings College of Law.

About Tethys
Tethys Bioscience is a privately held company developing novel tests that address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases, such as diabetes. Founded in 2005, the Company integrates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory, and a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation. The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score is the Company's lead commercial product, which is helping physicians to predict and prevent type 2 diabetes. For more information, please visit www.tethysbio.com.

]]> http://www.burrillreport.com/content/pastissues/TJOLS_Fall2009.pdf#page=20 2009-10-20T00:00:00Z
Edward Kersh, chief of cardiology at St. Luke's Hospital in San Francisco, began using the test in June. When the PreDx test shows a patient to be at high risk for developing diabetes, he says he refers them to the hospital's diabetes clinic for education and to help alter their lifestyles. Traditionally, though, he says getting patients to alter their lifestyle is a challenge — only about 10 percent do so over the long term. Though it's too early to tell, he thinks the PreDx test results will prove to be powerful motivators. "When the patient sees it in black and white on a piece of paper and reads it, they say, 'You mean I'm going to have diabetes in five years? What can I do about it?'" says Kersh. "You can X, Y, and Z, lose weight, exercise more.' They become very motivated to do it."]]> http://pdfs/HCJNC_-_Tethys.pdf 2009-09-24T00:00:00Z Healthcare Journal of Northern California.]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=22 2009-08-31T00:00:00Z Management Team in Position for Full Commercialization of its Line of Personalized-Prevention Diagnostics

EMERYVILLE, CALIF — August 31, 2009 — Tethys Bioscience, Inc. announced today that former Chief Business Officer Michael Richey has been promoted to President, and that several key executives have joined the company's management team.

In the last twelve months the company has launched its first commercial product — the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score — and has more than doubled in size, including the addition of experienced industry executives to help guide the company's momentum forward.

"As we continue to grow our company and our business of developing and commercializing high-value, biomarker-based diagnostic products, we are adding seasoned leaders to our team", said Mickey Urdea, company CEO. "These are individuals who will play prominent roles as we evolve into a fully integrated commercial entity"

Eric Book, M.D. has joined the company as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), overseeing the company's medical affairs, including clinical studies, scientific publications and payer strategies and regulatory affairs. Eric comes to Tethys from Blue Shield of California, where he was Senior Vice President and CMO. Dr. Book is a seasoned healthcare practitioner and executive with an extensive understanding of the steps to product reimbursement by healthcare insurers.

Brian Best, Tethys Vice President of Commercial Operations is leading the company's global commercialization efforts. Brian has 17 years of industry experience including product and business development, medical affairs, marketing and sales at Medicure Pharma, PDL Biopharma, Arginox, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and COR Therapeutics. Brian was also a consultant to the American College of Cardiology.

Ted Tarasow, newly named Vice President of Product Development and Laboratory Operations, has assumed responsibility for general laboratory operations in both the company's Emeryville and West Sacramento locations. Ted will oversee supply chain, product development, laboratory operations, and advanced technology programs at the company. In his more than 15 years experience as a research scientist, Ted has been a consultant to a number of biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies, was Director of the Biosecurity and Nanosciences Laboratory at Lawrence Livermore National Lab and was founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Invenux, Inc.

These three senior executives report directly to newly named President Michael Richey, who has been with the company since its founding in 2005, serving as Chief Business Officer. Mickey Urdea will retain his position as CEO of the company.

"Mike and I have worked together for over a decade and he has brought a wealth of diagnostics business experience and leadership to Tethys. I am confident that he, along with our seasoned management team, will continue to guide the company's future growth and prosperity."

Tethys also announced that in September Mohan S. Iyer, will fill Mr. Richey's former role as Chief Business Officer. Mohan comes to Tethys from Burrill & Company's Merchant Bank, where he served as Managing Director of Healthcare Investment Banking. His previous positions have also included Executive Vice President of Corporate and Business Development at South San Francisco's diaDexus, Inc., Senior Consultant to life science industry companies with The Wilkerson Group/IBM Healthcare Consulting and a number of manufacturing and capital projects management roles at Genentech. Mohan received his Master of Science degree in Biomedical Engineering from Duke University, and his MBA from Yale University. Reporting to Mickey Urdea, Mohan joins the Tethys Management Team.

About Tethys Bioscience

Tethys Bioscience is a predictive personalized medicine company developing novel tests which address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Founded in 2005, the company integrates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory, and a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation. Our partnerships with world class researchers and our solid financial foundation will enable Tethys to help transform the management of chronic diseases by providing personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: patients, doctors and the healthcare system as a whole.

About the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score

Tethys announced the expanded availability of its first predictive, personalized test — the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score -- in June 2008. The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) is a first-of-its-kind predictive tool that delivers an accurate assessment of an individual's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within the next five years. The test is performed exclusively by the Tethys Bioscience Clinical Laboratory on routinely collected blood samples.

The new blood test is designed to help physicians identify patients at highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The PreDx DRS is a quantitative in-vitro diagnostic test intended to aid in the assessment of a patient's risk for developing Type 2 diabetes within five years. This test is offered as a service by the CLIA-certified Tethys Clinical Laboratory and is performed on a fasting blood sample from patients at risk for diabetes. Risk factors include increased age, BMI, family history, hypertension, dysglycemia and dyslipidemia. The information provided by the PreDx DRS may be used by the physician in conjunction with other clinical indicators to develop an effective diabetes prevention program. The PreDx DRS is indicated for use as an adjunctive test to complement, not replace, other diagnostic and clinical procedures.

The PreDx DRS is not intended for the diagnosis of diabetes nor should it be used as the sole source of information when managing patients at risk of developing diabetes.

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]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=20 2009-07-15T00:00:00Z Diabetes journals publish two definitive papers supporting both the science behind and the clinical performance of lead product, the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score (DRS)

EMERYVILLE, Calif. — July 15, 2009 — As diabetes reaches epidemic proportions in the United States, clinicians struggle with a difficult question: how to prioritize their efforts to prevent the progression to diabetes in a population where more than 57 million Americans are currently estimated to be at risk for type 2 diabetes.

Tethys Bioscience, Inc., which has developed a novel tool to help clinicians identify and focus resources on those individuals at highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years, today announced the publication of two peer-reviewed articles that support the science behind and clinical performance of that tool, the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score.

In an article published in the July issue of Diabetes Care, a journal of the American Diabetes Association, Tethys researchers and their academic and medical collaborators demonstrate the validity of the research model that informed development of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score. The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score incorporates multiple biomarkers from several biological pathways implicated in the development of diabetes to estimate progression to the disease in a given population. The Diabetes Care paper demonstrates the superiority of this approach, when compared to single-risk indicators or clinical models, at estimating 5-year risk of progression to type 2 diabetes.

Tethys also announced today publication in the July issue of the Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology of a new paper that demonstrates the performance of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score test in the clinical laboratory setting. The study, conducted in the Tethys Bioscience Clinical Lab, demonstrates that the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score is better at risk prediction than impaired fasting glucose, a clinical risk index, or metabolic syndrome, methods that are used to assess likelihood of developing the disease.

The more accurate and convenient measure of type 2 diabetes risk stratification offered by the PreDx DRS provides a valuable tool for clinicians to use in conjunction with clinical factors to identify individuals with the highest risk of developing diabetes in five years, the authors say. These individuals are those for whom prevention programs may reduce the serious health consequences of type 2 diabetes.

“These publications add to a growing body of scientific and clinical evidence in support of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score,” said Mickey Urdea, Tethys' CEO. “Beyond these foundational studies, we have amassed one of the world's largest collections of blood samples with known cardiometabolic outcomes from a number of significant studies with multi-ethnic U.S. and international populations, and we will use these resources to augment the current body of data with new insights that support the utility of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score in broad, pan-ethnic populations. In addition, we are planning many more publications concerning our ongoing studies and the application of these clinical samples to a pipeline of Tethys products based on the company's proprietary technology.”

The Diabetes Care and Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology publications are a result of research collaboration between the company and the Research Centre for Prevention and Health, Glostrup Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark, as well as the Steno Diabetes Center, Copenhagen, Denmark.

About the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score
The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) is a first-of-its-kind predictive blood test that provides enhanced diabetes risk assessment through the measurement of biomarkers from multiple biological pathways implicated in the development of diabetes, including cardiovascular disease, inflammation, glucose metabolism, obesity, and cell death. It is designed to help clinicians identify individuals at highest risk of developing type 2 diabetes within 5 years.

Performed exclusively by the CLIA-certified Tethys Bioscience Clinical Laboratory, the test analyzes routinely collected blood samples from individuals who are considered at risk for diabetes because of the presence of one or more risk factors. These risk factors include elevated glucose levels, obesity, an inactive lifestyle, family history, high blood pressure, abnormal cholesterol levels, a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and for some women, a previous history of gestational diabetes.
Information provided by the PreDx DRS enables clinicians to more accurately identify those individuals at highest 5-year risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and may be used by the clinician in conjunction with other clinical indicators to develop an effective diabetes prevention program. The PreDx DRS is indicated for use as an adjunctive test to complement, not replace, other diagnostic and clinical procedures. For more information, visit http://www.predxdiabetes.com.

About Tethys Bioscience
Tethys Bioscience is a predictive personalized medicine company developing novel tests which address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Its first predictive, personalized test — the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score — was introduced in June 2008.

Founded in 2005, the company integrates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-licensed clinical laboratory, and a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation. Partnerships with world class researchers and a solid financial foundation are enabling Tethys to help transform the management of chronic diseases by providing personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: individuals, clinicians and the healthcare system as a whole.
]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=21 2009-06-07T00:00:00Z New data support cost-effectiveness and clinical utility of a risk assessment test for type 2 diabetes

EMERYVILLE, Calif. and NEW ORLEANS — June 7, 2009 — Tethys Bioscience, Inc., a predictive personalized medicine company developing novel tests to address chronic diseases, today announced the presentation of new data supporting the cost-effectiveness and clinical utility of its flagship product, the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score, at the American Diabetes Association's 69th Annual Scientific Sessions (June 5-9, New Orleans, Louisiana).

The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) is a first-of-its-kind risk-assessment tool that delivers an assessment of an individual's risk of developing type 2 diabetes within five years, This PreDx DRS, along with other clinical information, may assist physicians to target prevention efforts to patients at greatest risk. Data from two separate presentations help to demonstrate the clinical and economic utility of the test, confirming its ability to assess diabetes risk in a new, previously unstudied population and demonstrating that a model of a diabetes prevention program using the test represents a "cost-effective" means of assessing diabetes risk according to standard measures.

"The data presented at ADA add to the mounting body of evidence in support of the utility of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score," said Mickey Urdea, Tethys' chairman and chief executive officer. "By arming physicians and patients with tools to accurately gauge risk of diabetes and take action to prevent or delay it, we may be able to reduce the enormous health and economic toll of this growing epidemic."

Data presented were as follows:

Health Economic Rationale for PreDx Diabetes Risk Score: Sean D. Sullivan, PhD, a professor in the departments of Pharmacy and Health Services at the University of Washington and director of the university's Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy Program, delivered an oral presentation on the long-term cost-effectiveness of a diabetes prevention program employing the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score. Sullivan and colleagues modeled three scenarios for stratifying a cohort of patients (mean age 55, BMI >25) according to their risk of developing type 2 diabetes: use of the PreDx DRS, usage of fasting plasma glucose testing, and average clinical practice (fasting plasma glucose testing, 20% compliance). In each scenario in the model, patients identified as high-risk received metformin therapy. The model indicated that the risk-stratification strategy employing PreDx with intervention in high-risk patients reduced mortality, improved quality of life, and reduced the overall cost of preventing diabetes. The strategy was found to be cost effective (cost per quality adjusted life year of less than $50,000) over a 10-year time horizon, and with potential for cost-savings at a 15+ year time horizon. Additionally, the model indicated that the PreDx DRS strategy prevented, over ten years, almost 120 cases of diabetes per 1000 high-risk patients, versus less than 60 cases for fasting plasma glucose and less than 20 for average clinical practice.

"Long-term diabetes disease management is a costly proposition, both in terms of its effects on the patient and the healthcare system at large," said Dr. Sullivan. "As diabetes' prevalence grows, it will be critically important to develop new, cost-effective methods of anticipating the disease. Our research indicates that using the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score to help stratify patients according to their risk is cost-effective in a ten-year horizon, and perhaps even cost-saving over a lifetime, making it an important consideration as we collectively work to stave off what is rapidly becoming a global epidemic of chronic disease."

Exciting Development Data on a Diabetes Risk Assessment Tool: Tethys researchers, along with those of leading Danish and Swedish universities, presented data on the continued development of a Diabetes risk assessment tool. The data supports a risk assessment approach in a new population. In a poster at the meeting, researchers detailed their work in the Botnia cohort, a Finnish family-based study of 1,968 subjects, demonstrating that a risk assessment score could be generalized beyond the population in which it was developed (the Inter99 study, a Danish longitudinal population-based study). Furthermore, the performance of the risk tool in the Botnia cohort was superior to other tests typically used for type 2 diabetes risk assessment, including fasting plasma glucose, oral glucose tolerance, and other diabetes screening methods.

About Tethys Bioscience
Tethys Bioscience is a predictive personalized medicine company developing novel tests which address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Founded in 2005, the company integrates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-certified clinical laboratory, and a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation. The company's partnerships with world class researchers and its solid financial foundation will enable Tethys to help transform the management of chronic diseases by providing personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: patients, doctors and the healthcare system as a whole. For additional information, please visit www.tethysbio.com.

About the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Score
Tethys announced the expanded availability of its first predictive, personalized test — the PreDx Diabetes Risk Score - in June 2008. The PreDx Diabetes Risk Score (DRS) is a first-of-its-kind predictive tool that delivers an assessment of an individual's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within the next five years. The test is performed exclusively by the Tethys Bioscience Clinical Laboratory on routinely collected blood samples.

The new blood test is designed to help physicians identify patients at highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The PreDx DRS is a quantitative in-vitro diagnostic test intended to aid in the assessment of a patient's risk for developing Type 2 diabetes within five years. This test is offered as a service by the CLIA-certified Tethys Clinical Laboratory and is performed on a fasting blood sample from patients at risk for diabetes. Risk factors include increased age, BMI, family history, hypertension, dysglycemia and dyslipidemia. The information provided by the PreDx DRS may be used by the physician in conjunction with other clinical indicators to develop an effective diabetes prevention program.
]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=19 2008-11-20T00:00:00Z Company joins national move to ensure Americans know their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes.

Emeryville, CA (November 19, 2008) - Tethys Bioscience, Inc. has joined more than 37 national organizations and companies to become a National Diabetes Goal Champion. The National Diabetes Goal is an effort by organizations, trade associations, and corporations to help reduce the number of type 2 diabetes cases in the United States.

The Goal seeks to ensure that, by 2015, 45% of Americans who are at risk (59 million adults) for type 2 diabetes will understand their individual risk and what actions to take to prevent diabetes. Today, only 17% of American adults - approximately 22 million of the more than 130 million at risk - who are at risk for diabetes actually are aware of their risk and the steps they can take to prevent the disease.

"Tethys is proud to be among the supporters of the National Diabetes Goal, which parallels the company's goal to foster diabetes prevention through personalized risk assessment", said Mickey Urdea, founder, chairman and CEO of Tethys. "We believe that preventing diabetes will result only through the integration of the medical community, industry, advocacy groups and media in a unified campaign."

Today nearly two-thirds of U.S. adults (133 million) are overweight or obese, a key risk factor for diabetes. While in 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) conducted a study which showed that nearly 24 million people in the U.S. have diabetes - an increase of more than 3 million in two years. Additionally an estimated 57 million American adults are known to be "pre-diabetic", placing them at increased risk for adverse outcomes associated with diabetes, including retinopathy, stroke, myocardial infarction and death.

"We will support the National Diabetes Goal to maximize diabetes-risk awareness and promote prevention as we broaden availability of the PreDxTM Diabetes Risk Test in the U.S." said Mike Richey, Tethys Chief Business Officer. "The Test results in a 5-year risk score which will enable individuals and their physicians to identify their personalized risk and take action in time to prevent the disease. Our objective is to encourage Americans to understand their risk by knowing their diabetes risk score".

About the National Diabetes Goal
The National Diabetes Goal was first launched in May 2008 by the National Changing Diabetes Program (NCDP) in conjunction with many healthcare stakeholders, including, among others the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Diabetes Educators.

About Tethys Bioscience
Tethys Bioscience is a predictive personalized medicine company developing novel tests which address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Founded in 2005, the company integrates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-licensed clinical laboratory, and a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation. Our partnerships with world class researchers and our solid financial foundation will enable Tethys to help transform the management of chronic diseases by providing personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: patients, doctors and the healthcare system as a whole.

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]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=16 2008-09-17T00:00:00Z Addition of metabolite technology uniquely positions company as it expands its line of predictive diagnostic tests

Emeryville, Calif. — Tethys Bioscience, Inc. announced today that it has acquired Lipomics Technologies of West Sacramento, Calif. Financial terms were not disclosed.
The acquisition brings together Lipomics' metabolite profiling technology with Tethys' proven expertise in the use of protein biomarkers to create novel tests capable of accurately predicting a person's likelihood of developing chronic diseases. Tethys launched its first such test — the PreDx™Diabetes Risk Test — earlier this year, and is working to develop similar tests that will predict a person's likelihood of experiencing an osteoporotic bone fracture or a major cardiac event.

Integration of the Lipomics understanding of lipid biology with the Tethys protein biomarker analysis capability provides the Company with state-of-the-art technology as it extends its focus beyond diabetes. With this combination, Tethys is uniquely positioned to develop unprecedented insights into the biological mechanisms of a host of diseases.

"We are very excited to add this highly complementary expertise to our increasingly diversified technology portfolio," said Mickey Urdea, Tethys founder, chairman and CEO. "We believe that the best solutions for predicting and thereby preventing a range of chronic conditions will come from the thoughtful integration of multiple types of biomarkers — including proteins and metabolites. The addition of Lipomics furthers our goal of arming patients and physicians with insights that will help reduce the incidence of preventable chronic diseases."

With completion of the acquisition today, full integration of the companies is well underway. Effective today, all 30 employees of Lipomics will become part of Tethys. Steven M. Watkins, PhD., co-founder, president and chief scientific officer of Lipomics, will assume the role of chief technology officer at Tethys. The Lipomics facility will continue its comprehensive and quantitative profiling of lipid metabolites as Tethys West Sacramento.

"From the moment we began discussions with Tethys we were each struck by the complementary nature of our technologies, our core skills, and our sharp focus on addressing unmet clinical needs," Watkins said. "The Lipomics team is delighted to become part of Tethys, and to bring our expertise to bear on advancing the field of predictive personalized medicine."

About Tethys Bioscience
Tethys Bioscience is a predictive personalized medicine company developing novel tests which address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Founded in 2005, the company integrates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-licensed clinical laboratory, and a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation. Our partnerships with world class researchers and our solid financial foundation will enable Tethys to help transform the management of chronic diseases by providing personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: patients, doctors and the healthcare system as a whole.

About Lipomics
Lipomics Technologies provides industry-leading metabolic assessments for drug research, clinical diagnostics and personalized medicine. The Company's proprietary analytical technologies generate comprehensive, accurate and quantitative profiles of lipid metabolites. Lipomics delivers deep and rich knowledge about biological and metabolic changes induced by disease, drug action, nutritional or lifestyle influences. In partnership with pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and nutrition companies, Lipomics uses its technologies to discover new diagnostic biomarkers, improve drug discovery, develop companion diagnostics and enable individualized health management. Visit Lipomics on the Web at: www.lipomics.com

About the PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Test
Tethys announced the expanded availability of its first predictive, personalized test — the PreDx Diabetes Risk Test — in June. The PreDx Diabetes Risk Test is a first-of-its-kind predictive tool that delivers an accurate assessment of an individual's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within the next five years. The test is performed exclusively by the Tethys Bioscience Clinical Laboratory on routinely collected blood samples.
The new blood test is designed to help physicians identify patients at highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes so that they can promote lifestyle changes or initiate treatment plans to prevent or slow progression to Type 2 diabetes. Numerous studies have demonstrated that such interventions can reduce the incidence of new onset diabetes by 30—60%.
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]]> http://eastbay.bizjournals.com/eastbay/stories/2008/06/16/story11.html 2008-07-02T00:00:00Z
Averting even a fraction of diabetes cases could help businesses put a dent in the $58 billion of indirect costs they bore in 2007 from diabetes-related absenteeism, productivity losses, disability expenses and early mortality, according to the American Diabetes Association. The company's analysis predicts the test could head off more than $11,200 in diabetes care costs per patient over 10 years.]]> http://epidemix.org/blog/?p=254 2008-07-02T00:00:00Z http:// 2008-06-09T00:00:00Z
The PreDX Diabetes Risk Test serves as a predictive tool that is said by the company to deliver an accurate assessment of an individual's risk of developing Type 2 diabetes within the next five years. The test is performed exclusively by the Tethys Bioscience Clinical Laboratory on routinely collected blood samples.

]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=8 2008-06-07T00:00:00Z
The new blood test is designed to help physicians identify patients at highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes so that they can promote lifestyle changes or initiate treatment plans to prevent or slow progression to Type 2 diabetes. Numerous studies have demonstrated that such interventions can reduce the incidence of new onset diabetes by 30-60%.

"There are a number of proven methods that clinicians can use to delay or prevent Type 2 diabetes in high-risk people," said Dr. Thomas Buchanan, Professor of Medicine at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine. "The problem has been the lack of an easy-to-use clinical test to identify the high-risk people. The PreDx Diabetes Risk Test solves that problem. For the first time, clinicians can order a single blood test to assess their patients' diabetes risk and identify those who are in greatest need of diabetes prevention. This is a real paradigm shift."

Using data generated from thousands of patients who were monitored for up to 17 years, Tethys identified specific proteins and other biomarkers that are most predictive of a person's progression to Type 2 diabetes. Through comprehensive analysis of proteins and integration of multiple risk-defining biomarkers, the company developed a sophisticated test capable of stratifying at-risk individuals. Using a routine blood sample, Tethys provides an individualized risk report that indicates the likelihood of diabetes onset in a patient within the next five years.

"It is already known that we are facing a diabetes epidemic that will only grow worse in the next 10-20 years," said Dr. Sean Sullivan, Director of Pharmaceutical Outcomes Research and Policy at the University of Washington. "The ability to identify patients at high risk years ahead of disease diagnosis may allow us to halt diabetes progression, saving lives and helping to maintain or improve the quality of life for our patients, while also reducing the overall expenses associated with the disease."

"We are very proud to offer this innovative, clinically useful tool that enables physicians to accurately identify those at highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes long before the disease occurs," said Mickey Urdea, founder, chairman, and CEO of Tethys Bioscience. "The PreDx Diabetes Risk Test can help physicians and patients to change the course of diabetes progression. Our mission is to provide tools that will facilitate early intervention in preventable diseases."

A presentation to be made at the ADA's 68th Scientific Sessions this week supports the accuracy and clinical utility of the PreDx Diabetes Risk Test. The report entitled 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) J. Kolberg, et al. shows that a simple blood test, based on multiple serum biomarkers, indicates the risk of conversion to Type 2 diabetes, which can provide doctors and patients with objective, quantitative information to intervene and prevent the onset of the disease. These results are being presented in poster format (#1019-P) from Saturday, June 7 through Monday, June 9 in Hall D of San Francisco's Moscone Convention Center. Furthermore, a number of publications concerning Tethys' work will appear in the next several months.

About Type 2 Diabetes
The United States and countries throughout the world face a growing epidemic of diabetes. More than 60 million individuals are at risk for Type 2 diabetes in the U.S. alone, with more than 14.6 million diagnosed and 6.2 million remaining undiagnosed. The total annual economic cost of diabetes in the US in 2007 was estimated to be $174 billion, an increase of over 30% in the past five years.

Tethys believes that the best way to reduce the heavy economic and health burdens of diabetes is to arm people with the tools they need to understand their true risk of developing the disease. Preventing or delaying the progression to Type 2 diabetes has the potential to dramatically alter the economic and health impact of the disease.

Tethys is partnering with leading diabetes research centers and physicians to provide practical information that at-risk individuals can use to reduce their likelihood of progressing to Type 2 diabetes.

About Tethys Bioscience
Tethys Bioscience is a personalized predictive medicine company developing novel tests which address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic diseases such as diabetes. Founded in 2002, the company incorporates an experienced management team, innovative research based on sound science, a CLIA-licensed clinical laboratory, a commercialization team with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation, strategic alliances with world-class researchers and partners, and a solid financial foundation to help transform the management of chronic diseases by providing personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: patients, doctors, and the healthcare system as a whole.

The PreDx Diabetes Risk Test is performed exclusively by the Tethys Clinical Laboratory.

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]]> http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2008/05/27/BUF210SLHI.DTL 2008-05-27T00:00:00Z
The diagnostic test to be launched next month by Tethys Bioscience is designed to pick up early signs that a patient will develop the most common type of diabetes - while there's still time to prevent that from happening.]]> http://tethysbio.com/press_article.html?id=4 2008-01-10T00:00:00Z Biomarker discovery company builds strong financial and clinical foundation in preparation for release of technology enabling early detection of risk for diabetes

Tethys Bioscience today announced that it has reached two significant milestones in its drive to release PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Test, a multi-biomarker technology that provides a more complete picture of an individual's future risk of developing diabetes. The company received its latest round of funding (Series C), and also received the licensing of its CLIA Lab by the State of California. Both moves place Tethys Bioscience in a strong position to establish itself as a leader in the emerging field of personalized predictive medicine and to achieve its goal of helping to stem the burgeoning epidemic of chronic, high-burden metabolic disease. PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Test will be generally available in the first half of 2009.

The new round of funding is led by Intel Capital, which was created specifically to invest in innovation and has a strong interest in the emerging field of predictive personalized medicine. This latest financing augments a process begun with earlier investments from some of the biggest names in the venture capital field, including Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Mohr Davidow Ventures.

"We're very pleased to receive this round of financing from our investors, and we believe it supports our vision to dramatically improve the detection and treatment, and ultimately prevention, of chronic diseases," said Mickey Urdea, CEO of Tethys Bioscience." It gives us the resources to accelerate our work in this critical field, and to introduce a technology that enables a clinically simple blood test that provides an objective means to identify individuals at highest risk for diabetes. This will in turn give medical professionals, and their patients, the opportunity to intervene and modify the risk before irreversible damage occurs

Tethys Bioscience also announced the licensing of its clinical lab by the State of California. This marks a significant step forward for the company, enabling it to make its testing services available for sale and to offer test results obtained in Tethys' own laboratory, where the technology was also developed.

There is a very large market for early detection technology enabling personalized preventive efforts in diabetes and other chronic diseases. It is estimated that up to 7% of the population, or nearly 21 million people, have diabetes, with more than six million of those currently undiagnosed. Further, the number of individuals at risk for diabetes is estimated to be greater than double the number of those with diabetes. PreDx™ Diabetes Risk Test involves a simple to administer blood test, which fits easily into current clinical practice and provides clinically important, personalized risk information — while matching or outperforming traditional clinical risk scores and measures of glucose dysregulation or insulin resistance.

About Tethys Bioscience
Tethys Bioscience is dedicated to the discovery, development and commercialization of novel biological markers — biomarkers — that provide a practical tool to address the growing global healthcare challenge of chronic metabolic diseases such as diabetes. Tethys Bioscience comes to market with a unique combination: management, research, and commercialization teams with extensive experience in diagnostic innovation, strategic alliances with world-class researchers and partners, and a solid financial foundation to help transform the management of chronic diseases with personalized, preventive solutions that aid every constituency: patients, doctors, and the healthcare system as a whole.


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