April 2, 2008

METABOLON RESEARCH OFFERS INSIGHT INTO METABOLIC AGE

Metabolomics Technology Identifies Predictive Age-Related Biomarkers

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC (April 2, 2008)—Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics-driven biomarker discovery and analysis, announced today the publication of research on the identification of biochemical markers of aging. The research, appearing in the April edition of Pharmacogenomics, studied 269 subjects, ranging in age from 20 to 65 years old.

A recent guest on the "Live to Be 150…Can You Do It?" special with Barbara Walters, David Sinclair, Ph.D., associate professor of pathology at Harvard Medical School and director of the Glenn Laboratories for Biological Mechanisms of Aging, commented on the research, “These are very interesting results. Although numerous studies have been done on aging, this is the first global metabolomics study which provides a glimpse into how one’s metabolic profile dramatically changes with age.”

“As one grows older the aging process has a profound effect on the biochemistry of blood,” explained Dr. Mike Milburn, Ph.D., Metabolon’s chief scientific officer and lead researcher on the study. “Because we are able to easily identify and analyze these age-related biochemical changes, this research could be used to develop a simple test which compares one’s chronological age to a biochemical age index. This biochemical age index could then be used to help guide lifestyle changes by indicating a true metabolic age.”

Conducting analysis using Metabolon’s proprietary biochemical profiling platform, blood samples from each patient revealed well over 100 biochemical markers (biomarkers) showing significant age-related changes. While some of the individual markers identified in this study have previously been identified by researchers as related to age, Metabolon’s unique global analysis provided unprecedented insight into the vast array of markers in a single analysis. By comparing the chronological age of the subjects to this global view of age-related biomarkers, the research demonstrates the ability to measure a person’s metabolic age.

The published paper detailing this study is available online at http://www.futuremedicine.com/doi/pdf/10.2217/14622416.9.4.383.

About Metabolon

Metabolon is a diagnostics and services company offering the industry’s leading biochemical profiling platform. Metabolon’s patented platform provides a global analysis of complex biological samples for the discovery of markers and pathways associated with drug action and disease. This metabolomics-driven approach enables the identification of biomarkers useful for the development of a wide range of diagnostics and provides insight into complex biochemical processes such as drug action, toxicology and bioprocess optimization. For more information about Metabolon, please visit www.metabolon.com.