Welcome to Pediatric Bioscience

Pediatric Bioscience (PBI) is a California based specialty clinical diagnostic company dedicated to developing and commercializing novel products to improve the diagnosis and treatment of children with autism (AU) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). 

It is currently estimated that 1 in 110 newborns in the US each year will be diagnosed with AU or ASD. More children today will be diagnosed with these disorders than diabetes, Down’s syndrome and cancer combined. With early behavioral intervention, 20% to 50% of children with AU/ASD will be able to attend mainstream schools. Currently however, the average age of diagnosis is 4.5 years, well past the window of opportunity for effective early intervention. As a result, the average incremental societal cost of AU/ASD is estimated at $3.2M per child, but could be reduced by as much as 66% with earlier diagnosis and intervention.

Pediatric Bioscience (PBI) has exclusively licensed several key discoveries from the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute, an international, multidisciplinary research organization. One of these discoveries has led to the development of PBI’s first test for Maternal Antibody Related autism (The MAR Test). The MAR test is comprised of a set of prognostic markers that identify women who may be at an increased risk of having a child with the MAR form of autism, which accounts for up to 20% of all cases (approximately 1 in 500 live births). To date, the test has demonstrated 100% accuracy—meaning if a mother or prospective mother has developed the antibodies, then her child will later be diagnosed with AU or ASD. Further, the data shows that the combination or pattern of antibodies present in the mother is predictive of eventual severity of the disorder in her child. This new test, the first non-invasive blood test of its kind, is planned to be available to physicians in the United States in the first half of 2013. Its initial suggested use will be for women prior to becoming pregnant or as a diagnostic tool for women after giving birth to identify whether their newborn infants are at risk of developing autism, thereby allowing for immediate behavioral intervention.