Banyan Biomarkers Receives Contract by U.S. Department of Defense for Banyan BTI™

“Several years ago, the U.S. Department of Defense made a commitment to support research and development of a blood test that provides objective data to healthcare providers when evaluating patients with a traumatic brain injury,” said Henry L. Nordhoff, Chairman and CEO of Banyan Biomarkers. “Today, we are proud to deliver on that commitment and provide the Banyan BTI test to help medical professionals more effectively manage soldiers who have suspected TBI.”

Banyan BTI identifies two brain-specific protein biomarkers Ubiquitin Carboxyl-terminal Hydrolase-L1 (UCH-L1) and Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein (GFAP) that are detected in the blood soon after a brain injury. In February, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted marketing authorization to Banyan Biomarkers for the commercialization of Banyan BTI to aid in the evaluation of patients with a suspected mild TBI or concussion.

“For more than a decade, finding a better way to diagnose and evaluate traumatic brain injuries has been a top priority for the Department of Defense,” said Lt. Col. Kara Schmid, Project Manager for the Neurotrauma and Psychological Health Project Management Office for the U.S. Army Medical Materiel Development Activity. “We believe this test will provide a significant capability for the way we evaluate and care for our service members with TBI.”

The development of Banyan BTI™ was supported by the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command under Contract No. W81XWH-10-C-0251. Any views, opinions, conclusions, and/or findings contained in this press release are those of Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. and should not be construed as an official Department of the Army position, policy, or decision, unless so designated by other documentation.

About Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

Falls, automobile accidents, sports-related injuries, assaults, and, in the military, improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and combat wounds are common causes of TBI. The U.S. Center for Disease Control estimates there are more than 2.5 million emergency room visits in the United States because of head injuries and TBI is an economic burden of more than $76 billion annually on the healthcare system.¹ Traumatic brain injury is the leading cause of disability and the number one cause of death for young adults.²

¹ CDC https://www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/severe.html
² CDC www.cdc.gov/traumaticbraininjury/get_the_facts.html

About Banyan Biomarkers

Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. has developed the first blood test, Banyan BTI™, that can be used by physicians to objectively aid in the evaluation of patients with suspected traumatic brain injury (TBI), also known as concussions. Banyan BTI consists of two test kits (Banyan UCH-L1^® Kit and Banyan GFAP^® Kit) that measure two specific protein biomarkers that rapidly appear in the blood after a brain injury. To learn more about the Company and Banyan BTI, visit www.banyanbio.com.

Banyan Biomarkers, Banyan, Brain Trauma Indicator, BTI, Banyan UCH-L1, Banyan GFAP, and the brain and tree logos are the trademarks and copyrights of Banyan Biomarkers, Inc.

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