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STUDY PUBLISHED IN STROKE FINDS TESTING FOR Lp-PLA2 AND hs-CRP MORE ACCURATELY IDENTIFIES INDIVIDUALS AT RISK OF SUFFERING A STROKE s

SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., December 19, 2008—diaDexus, Inc., manufacturer of the PLAC® Test, today announced the publication of a peer-reviewed study showing that adding the inflammatory biomarkers lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2) and hs-CRP to traditional risk factor assessment significantly improves the prediction of ischemic stroke throughout a five-year period. Lp-PLA2 is a vascular specific inflammatory enzyme implicated in the formation of rupture-prone plaque. In the study, published online today and to be published in the February 2009 issue of STROKE, Lp-PLA2 was measured using the PLAC® Test, the only FDA-cleared blood test to aid in assessing risk for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis.

The multi-center study, led by investigators from Methodist and Baylor College of Medicine, included about 1,000 patients from the Atherosclerosis Risk In Communities (ARIC) Study. Patients were initially classified into three risk categories based on traditional risk factor assessment: low, intermediate and high risk groups. Traditional risk factors used to initially classify risk level included age, gender, race, smoking status, systolic blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, diabetes, use of anti-hypertensive medications, and BMI. After initial classification, 86 percent of participants were deemed low risk; 11 percent intermediate risk; and 3 percent high risk. Most revealing, the addition of Lp-PLA2 and hs-CRP to the traditional risk factors reclassified 39 percent of the intermediate risk group—11 percent were reclassified to the high risk group and 28 percent to the low risk group.

“If we can identify increased risk for stroke, we can recommend, exercise, smoking cessation, and cholesterol and blood pressure medication to reduce a person’s risk for stroke by more than 30 percent,” said Dr. Vijay Nambi, lead author on the study and assistant professor of medicine-atherosclerosis and vascular medicine at BCM and staff cardiologist Center for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention at The Methodist DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center. “Adding these two biomarkers to traditional risk assessment tools improves our ability to do that.”

“Stroke is the third leading cause of death and disability in the U.S.,” said Patrick Plewman, president and chief executive officer at diaDexus. “This new study further validates the PLAC Test, providing physicians with new information, beyond traditional risk factors, to help identify individuals at increased risk of suffering a stroke. Strokes can be prevented if we know who we should treat.”

About the PLAC® Test
The PLAC® Test is the only FDA-cleared blood test to aid in assessing risk for coronary heart disease and ischemic stroke associated with atherosclerosis. The simple blood test measures levels of a novel risk marker, lipoprotein-associated phospholipase A2 (Lp-PLA2), or rupture prone plaque in the blood stream; it is rupture prone plaque and thrombosis (major blood clot), not stenosis (narrowing of the arteries), that causes the vast majority of heart attacks. The PLAC Test is recommended for patients at moderate to high risk for heart attack or stroke, according to an expert panel consensus published in a June 2008 supplement to The American Journal of Cardiology.

About diaDexus
diaDexus, Inc., a privately held diagnostics company based in South San Francisco, is focused on the development and commercialization of patent-protected in vitro diagnostic products addressing unmet needs in cardiovascular disease. For more information, visit www.plactest.com or www.diaDexus.com.

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