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                                                                    EXHIBIT 10.9


                     AMENDMENT NO. 1 TO EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT

            THIS AMENDMENT NO. 1 (the "AMENDMENT"), dated as of March 5, 2003,
is made by and between INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC., a Delaware corporation
("EMPLOYER"), and PHILIP R. REILLY, an individual ("EMPLOYEE"). Employer and
Employee are parties to an Employment Agreement, dated April 1, 2000 (the
"EMPLOYMENT AGREEMENT"). Terms not otherwise defined in this Amendment shall
have the meanings given to them in the Employment Agreement.

            The parties agree as follows:

      1. This Amendment shall be effective upon the "Closing," as defined in the
Stock Purchase Agreement, dated as of the date of this Amendment, between
Employer and Pyxis Innovations Inc., a Delaware corporation.

      2. In Section 1 of the Employment Agreement, the Term is extended to
continue until three (3) years following the date of the Closing.

      3. In addition to any bonuses that may be received under Section 4 of the
Employment Agreement, Employee shall receive a bonus of $50,000 to be paid in
the following manner, provided that Employee is still employed by Employer at
the time of each payment:

            a) $25,000 on the six (6) month anniversary of the date of the
      Closing;

            b) $25,000 on the twelve (12) month anniversary of the date of the
      Closing.

      4. In consideration of the bonus set forth in Section 3 above and the
severance and other benefits provided in the Employment Agreement and below,
Employee agrees as follows:

            (a) Non-Competition. In consideration of the benefits of the
      Employment Agreement, including Employee's access to and limited use of
      proprietary and confidential information of the Company, as well as
      training, education and experience provided to Employee by the Company
      directly and/or as a result of work projects assigned by the Company with
      respect thereto, Employee hereby covenants and agrees that during the term
      of the Employment Agreement and for a period of twelve (12) months
      following termination of the Employment Agreement, regardless of how such
      termination may be brought about, Employee shall not, directly or
      indirectly, as proprietor, partner, stockholder, director, officer,
      employee, consultant, joint venturer, investor or in any other capacity,
      engage in, or own, manage, operate or control, or participate in the
      ownership, management, operation or control, of any entity which engages
      anywhere in the world in any business activity which is competitive to
      current business activities in which the Company participates during
      Employee's employment with the Company; provided however, the foregoing
      shall not, in any event, (i) prohibit Employee from purchasing and holding
      as an investment not more than 1% of any class of publicly traded
      securities of any entity which conducts a business in competition with the
      business of the Company, so long as Employee does not participate in any
      way in the management, operation or control of such entity, or (ii)
      prohibit Employee from continuing to own an equity interest of less than
      20% in GeneSage, Inc. It is further recognized and agreed that, even
      thought an activity may not be restricted under the foregoing provision,
      Employee shall not during the term of the Employment Agreement and for a
      period of twelve (12) months following termination of the Employment
      Agreement, regardless of how such termination may be brought about,
      provided any services to any person or entity which may be used against,
      or in conflict with the interests of, the Company or its customers or
      clients.

            (b) Judicial Reformation. Employee acknowledges that, given the
      nature of the Company's business, the covenants contained in Section (a)
      above establish reasonable
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      limitations as to time, geographic area and scope of activity to be
      restrained and do not impose a greater restraint than is reasonably
      necessary to protect and preserve the goodwill of the Company's business
      and to protect its legitimate business interests. If, however, Section (a)
      above is determined by any court of competent jurisdiction to be
      unenforceable by reason of its extending for too long a period of time or
      over too large a geographic area or by reason of it being too extensive in
      any other respect or for any other reason, it will be interpreted to
      extend only over the longest period of time for which it may be
      enforceable and/or over the largest geographic area as to which it may be
      enforceable and/or to the maximum extent in all other aspects as to which
      it may be enforceable, all as determined by such court.

            (c) Customer Lists; Non-Solicitation. In consideration of the
      benefits of the Employment Agreement, including Employee's access to and
      limited use of proprietary and confidential information of the Company, as
      well a training, education and experience provided to Employee by the
      Company directly and/or as a result of work projects assigned by the
      Company with respect thereto, Employee hereby further covenants and agrees
      that for a period of twelve (12) months following the termination of the
      Employment Agreement, regardless of how such termination may be brought
      about, Employee shall not, directly or indirectly, (i) use or make known
      to any person or entity the names or addresses of any clients or customers
      of the Company or any other information pertaining to them, (ii) call on
      for the purpose of competing, solicit, take away or attempt to call on,
      solicit or take away any clients or customers of the Company on whom
      Employee called or with whom he became acquainted during his employment
      with the Company, nor (iii) recruit or attempt to recruit any employees of
      the Company.

            (d) Affiliates. When used in Sections (a), (b) and (c) above, the
      term "Company" includes Interleukin Genetics, Inc. and all affiliates and
      subsidiaries of Interleukin Genetics, Inc.

      5. Section 6(f) is added to the Employment Agreement:

            Upon the expiration of the term of this Agreement, Employee shall be
            entitled to receive from Employer all of the compensation and
            benefits provided for in Section 7(e). In addition, if Employee is
            terminated pursuant to Section 7(b)(ii) or Section 7(e) or if
            Employee's employment terminates as a result of the expiration of
            the term of this Agreement, then the period during which Employee
            may exercise all stock options granted to him by the Company shall
            be extended until two years after the date Employee is terminated.

      6. Section 7(e) is amended by deleting the words "the earlier of occur of
(A) the expiration of the remaining portion of the term or (B)" in the seventh
and eighth lines thereof.

      7. Except as amended, hereby, all of the terms and conditions of the
Employment Agreement shall remain in full force and effect. This Amendment shall
be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the parties hereto and their
respective successors and assigns.

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            This Amendment No. 1 to the Employment Agreement has been executed
and delivered by the parties hereto as of the date first above written.

INTERLEUKIN GENETICS, INC.


By   /s/  Kenneth S. Kornman                             /s/  Philip R. Reilly
   --------------------------------------            ---------------------------
     Kenneth S. Kornman                                    PHILIP R. REILLY
     Its President

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