Biophysical Difference

Biophysical250 measures 250 different biochemical markers that may indicate the presence of many conditions and diseases, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, metabolic disorders, autoimmune disease, viral and bacterial disease and hormonal imbalance. The biomarkers measured by Biophysical250 are used by more than 12 different medical specialties.

Biophysical250 includes biomarkers that measure:

We are very careful to set proper expectations with our clients, starting with this website and extending to the Biophysical250 nurses, who gather and confirm the client's medical history information and serve as a point of contact with our company.

Once a Biophysical250 assessment has been initiated for your patient, our medical team analyzes the data and generates a report.* Your patient may then choose to provide you with a copy of this personalized report.

Our goal is to provide you, as a physician, with a baseline assessment and dialogue about your patient's Biophysical250 results. At your patient's request, you may contact one of our physicians to go over the report's results and to discuss any results that are outside of reference ranges for these biomarkers.

The Biophysical250 program is designed for anyone who is concerned about their health—those who wish to know more about their current state of well being. This assessment was developed to give you and your patients a far more comprehensive perspective of their total health picture than any other exam or screening.

More information about the science and use of biomarkers can be found under Biomarker Research.

If you have questions about Biophysical250 or our testing process, please contact us at 800.532.7092, consult our frequently asked questions or submit a question. We will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

* In some states, physicians may have to order their patient’s Biophysical250 and/or receive the patient’s Biophysical250 results. Some states permit consumers to order laboratory tests, but require that laboratory test results be sent to licensed physicians. Other states require that licensed physicians order laboratory tests and that the laboratory test results go to a licensed physician. Our customer service representatives will be able to tell you if your state requires you to order Biophysical250 for your patient, receive the Biophysical250 results or both. If you are required to receive your patient’s Biophysical250 results, the results will be forwarded by private courier, with a signature required, to you as designated by your patient.

Disclaimer: Biophysical250 results do not constitute a medical opinion or advice. These results are not medical care, treatment, a treatment recommendation or a diagnosis. Communication with medical professionals employed by Biophysical Corporation about the Biophysical250 or its results does not establish a physician-patient relationship.

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The Value of Biomarker Stacking

The medical community has long recognized the value of looking at multiple biomarkers to screen for specific diseases and conditions as evidenced in the widespread use of these traditional lab tests:

In the emergency room, physicians now routinely view multiple test results to better identify those patients admitted to the emergency room that may have acute coronary syndrome.

The technology behind Biophysical250 extends the practice of biomarker “stacking”—examining multiple biomarkers in combination with one another. By measuring the biomarkers included in routine screening tests as well as several additional and esoteric biomarkers in combination, Biophyscial250 provides a more complete assessment of an individual’s overall health and increases screening accuracy as illustrated in the following examples.

Cardiovascular Disease

Biophysical250 includes the following biomarkers to screen for cardiovascular disease:

Basic biomarkers:
Additional biomarkers:

Biophysical250 also measures biomarkers related to inflammation in cardiovascular disease, including these recently identified chemokines and cytokines:

Additional esoteric biomarkers:
Thyroid Disease

Biophysical250 includes the following biomarkers to screen for thyroid disease:

Basic biomarkers:
Additional biomarkers:

Recent research shows that the thyroglobulin antigen is elevated in a significant percentage of individuals who have nodular goiter. Hashimoto s Thyroiditis—the most common form of autoimmune thyroiditis—is caused by the thyroid microsomal antibody (thyroid peroxidase) and thyroglobulin antibody.

Metabolic Syndrome

Biophysical250 includes the following biomarkers to screen for metabolic syndrome:

Basic biomarkers:
Additional biomarkers:

With recent research indicating that individuals who have metabolic syndrome are at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and hypertension, screening for this condition is rising in importance. The Biophysical physicians screen for metabolic syndrome by assessing a variety of factors in combination, including biomarkers, blood pressure, body mass index (BMI) and medical history. Stacking these multiple indicators helps physicians better determine an individual’s risk for developing this increasingly prevalent and dangerous condition.

Autoimmune Disease

Biophysical250 includes the following biomarkers to screen for autoimmune disease:

Basic biomarkers:
Additional biomarkers:

It should be noted that the routine screening test for autoimmune disease that measures the anti-nuclear antibody (ANA) and rheumatoid factor (RF) biomarkers is not definitive, because although a significant percentage of people over 50 have weakly positive ANAs and rheumatoid factors they never develop autoimmune disease. The Biophysical medical team is aware of this dilemma and has spent considerable time attempting to define the cut-off levels for all of the autoimmune biomarkers measured in the Biophysical250 to increase the probability that a positive result will be clinically significant. Biophysical250 includes 17 autoimmune biomarkers to screen for SLE, scleroderma, polymyositis, PBC, Sjogren’s syndrome, rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune vasculitis, celiac disease type 1 diabetes and autoimmune thyroiditis. Using the biomarker stacking approach increases the changes of correctly identifying the risk of autoimmune disease.

Velocity of Change

Biomarker assessment measures an individual’s biochemistry, which can indicate the presence of developing diseases and medical conditions. Levels of specific biomarkers changing dramatically over time can be indicative of health problems; therefore measuring biomarkers on multiple occasions is much more helpful in detecting diseases than measuring biomarkers one time. The first assessment serves to indicate an individual’s current state of health and establishes a baseline for future analysis.

By establishing baselines for each biomarker and then performing biomarker assessments periodically—every year or two thereafter—physicians can get better insights into what is normal blood chemistry for an individual and what is not. If, in subsequent testing, the levels of a particular biomarker change dramatically, it may be because of a developing problem.

For example, repeatedly measuring the level of the PSA biomarker over the course of several years may show that one man’s PSA level is consistently on the higher level of the normal range. This consistency indicates that this “higher than average” PSA level is normal for him and that his prostate remains healthy.

Another man’s first biomarker screening may show that his PSA level is in the low normal range, again indicating a healthy prostate. Subsequent screenings, however, show a marked increase in his PSA level to the high normal level. By monitoring and observing the “velocity of change” in this individual’s PSA level, his physician has an indication that this man may be at risk. With this early warning, further tests can be performed to discover if, in fact, the man has early-stage prostate cancer.

A Word about Reference Ranges

Biophysical strives for accurate screening results by using the most accurate reference ranges for each of the 250 biomarkers measured in the Biophysical250 health assessment. This is accomplished through a variety of methodologies:

While Biophysical adheres to CSLI guideline based on two standard deviations when appropriate, in instances where more research is available from reliable sources we use the more precise reference ranges. For example,

The Biophysical medical team does not use the results of the Biophysical250 to make a definitive diagnoses. Our role is to examine the results to identify biomarker patterns that suggest an individual may have an increase risk for developing a disease or have an underlying condition and relay this interpretation to our client or a physician for further evaluation.

How the Technology Works

Biophysical relies on proven microsphere-based technology coupled with automated liquid handling systems to measure hundreds of analytes in a very small quantity of blood, producing excellent assay precision and reproducibility very quickly.

Of the 250 biomarkers contained in Biophysical250, 189 of the protein-based markers are analyzed using just 25 microliters of blood using this innovative bead-based multiplexed immunoassay technology.

This is how it works:

Polystyrene microspheres beads—each the size of bacteria—are impregnated with red and infrared fluorophores and divided into 100 distinct sets each using different intensities of the florescent dyes. Each bead set is then coated with an immunochemical reagent specific to a particular bioassay that binds with analytes in the blood sample and is tested up to 100 times to validate the results for accuracy.

The resulting microspheres are read by a sophisticated laser system, at a rate of thousands per second. Two lasers excite the internal dyes in the beads. The red laser identifies the classification of each microsphere and the green laser excites any orange fluorescence associated with the binding of the particular analyte. The system recognizes when a reaction takes place, indicating the presence and concentration of a particular analyte. Because each microsphere carries a unique signature, the technology can determine to which set it belongs. Take the example of a PSA bead: the red laser identifies the bead as a PSA and the green laser quantifies the level of PSA. In this way, we can test 100 unique assays within a single sample simultaneously with precision and reproducibility.

Laboratory Certification

Biophysical adheres to the highest accreditation standards in the industry. Our laboratories in Austin, Texas maintain CLIA certification and we actively participate in the College of American Pathologists (CAP) Surveys for proficiency testing. Several major pharmaceutical research companies use our labs for their research.