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A biomarker is a biological molecule found in blood, other body fluids, or tissues that is a sign of a normal or abnormal process, or of a condition or disease. A biomarker may be used to see how well the body responds to a treatment for a disease or condition. Also called molecular marker and signature molecule.

Researchers use data to identify different forms of prostate cancers and effective treatment options

Some prostate cancer patients unnecessarily undergo surgery or harsh treatments because science fails to identify the differences between slow-growing and aggressive forms of the disease. Researchers at Case Western Reserve University and Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes are developing technology that allows patients to safely choose to do nothing, opt for relatively mild treatments or take drastic measures. [More]
Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer have similar genetic origins

Some aggressive forms of prostate cancer have similar genetic origins

Mayo Clinic researchers have used next generation genomic analysis to determine that some of the more aggressive prostate cancer tumors have similar genetic origins, which may help in predicting cancer progression. The findings appear online today in the journal Cancer Research. [More]
Mayo Clinic, Cancer Genetics form joint venture to improve cancer care

Mayo Clinic, Cancer Genetics form joint venture to improve cancer care

Mayo Clinic and Cancer Genetics Inc. today launched OncoSpire Genomics, a joint venture with the singular goal of improving cancer care by discovering and commercializing diagnostic tests that leverage next-generation sequencing. [More]

UC Irvine chemists create new method to identify clinically usable markers for prostate cancer in urine

Early screening for prostate cancer could become as easy for men as personal pregnancy testing is for women, thanks to UC Irvine research published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society. [More]
A1-PI treatment slows progression of emphysema in patients with AATD

A1-PI treatment slows progression of emphysema in patients with AATD

Treatment with an Alpha-1 proteinase inhibitor (A1-PI), a naturally occurring protein that protects lung tissue from breakdown and protects the lung's elasticity, is effective in slowing the progression of emphysema in patients with Alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency (AATD), a life-threatening genetic disorder, according to a new study presented at the 2013 American Thoracic Society International Conference. [More]
Systemic inflammation is linked with depression in COPD patients, say researchers

Systemic inflammation is linked with depression in COPD patients, say researchers

Depression is common in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and has been linked with disease severity and impaired quality of life. Now, for the first time, researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have linked the systemic inflammation associated with COPD with depression in these patients. [More]
Multiple studies examine ideal biomarkers for Huntington's disease

Multiple studies examine ideal biomarkers for Huntington's disease

While Huntington's disease (HD) is currently incurable, the HD research community anticipates that new disease-modifying therapies in development may slow or minimize disease progression. The success of HD research depends upon the identification of reliable and sensitive biomarkers to track disease and evaluate therapies, and these biomarkers may eventually be used as outcome measures in clinical trials. Biomarkers could be especially helpful to monitor changes during the time prior to diagnosis and appearance of overt symptomatology. [More]
Stronger epigenetic changes in estrogen responsive genes linked to postpartum depression

Stronger epigenetic changes in estrogen responsive genes linked to postpartum depression

The epigenetic modifications, which alter the way genes function without changing the underlying DNA sequence, can apparently be detected in the blood of pregnant women during any trimester, potentially providing a simple way to foretell depression in the weeks after giving birth, and an opportunity to intervene before symptoms become debilitating. [More]
Researchers identify novel biomarkers for predicting mortality in ICU patients

Researchers identify novel biomarkers for predicting mortality in ICU patients

A metabolic profile of intensive care unit patients based on biomarkers of four metabolites can be used to accurately predict mortality, according to a new study. [More]
Promising method to distinguish pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis

Promising method to distinguish pancreatic cancer from chronic pancreatitis

Researchers at Mayo Clinic have developed a promising method to distinguish between pancreatic cancer and chronic pancreatitis - two disorders that are difficult to tell apart. A molecular marker obtained from pancreatic "juices" can identify almost all cases of pancreatic cancer, their study shows. [More]
Alnylam reports pre-clinical data from ALN-AS1 program for treatment of AIP

Alnylam reports pre-clinical data from ALN-AS1 program for treatment of AIP

Alnylam Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leading RNAi therapeutics company, announced today that it has presented key pre-clinical proof-of-concept data from its RNAi therapeutic program targeting aminolevulinate synthase-1 (ALAS-1) for the treatment of porphyria including acute intermittent porphyria. [More]
NW Bio starts Phase III clinical trial with DCVax-L for brain cancer at King's College Hospital in UK

NW Bio starts Phase III clinical trial with DCVax-L for brain cancer at King's College Hospital in UK

Northwest Biotherapeutics, a biotechnology company developing DCVax-L personalized immune therapies for solid tumor cancers, today announced that its Phase III clinical trial with DCVax-L for brain cancer has been initiated at King's College Hospital in the UK. [More]

Previstage GCC Colorectal Cancer Staging Test study to be presented at 2013 ASCO Annual Meeting

DiagnoCure Inc., today announced that results from a large validation study of the PrevistageTM GCC Colorectal Cancer Staging Test have been selected for presentation at the 2013 American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting, taking place in Chicago, Illinois from May 31 to June 4, 2013. [More]
UIC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science selects six research projects for new pilot grants

UIC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science selects six research projects for new pilot grants

The University of Illinois at Chicago's Center for Clinical and Translational Science has selected six research projects to receive pilot grants in 2013. [More]
LDL cholesterol blood level declines found to have abruptly ended in 2008

LDL cholesterol blood level declines found to have abruptly ended in 2008

Decades of declines in LDL cholesterol blood levels, a key marker of death risk from heart disease, abruptly ended in 2008, and may have stalled since, according to a multi-year, national study published in PLOS ONE. [More]
Study suggests that a blood protein contributes to early development of atherosclerosis

Study suggests that a blood protein contributes to early development of atherosclerosis

It's on Saturday that the Journal of the American Heart Association published the conclusive results from a study directed by Dr. Éric Thorin of the Montreal Heart Institute (MHI), which suggests for the first time that a blood protein contributes to the early development of atherosclerosis. [More]
Cancers physically alter cells in lymphatic system to promote the spread of disease

Cancers physically alter cells in lymphatic system to promote the spread of disease

Researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center report that cancers physically alter cells in the lymphatic system - a network of vessels that transports and stores immune cells throughout the body - to promote the spread of disease, a process called metastasis. [More]
New British technologies are transforming healthcare and saving lives

New British technologies are transforming healthcare and saving lives

Innovative projects including: smart-phone test and tracking systems for infectious diseases; fibre optic probes that can monitor people's condition in intensive care; and in-home sensors that can relay patient information to doctors immediately, have benefitted from a -32 million investment. [More]

ALS-ETF, Denovo partner to explore personalized medicine approach for ALS

The ALS Emergency Treatment Fund and Denovo Biomarkers have announced a partnership to explore using Denovo's technology to identify potential responder groups for drugs being studied in ALS patients. [More]

Clinical study predicting risk of near-term MI and death in CAD patients to be published in JACC

FirstMark, a division of GenWay Biotech that is focused on developing and commercializing noninvasive diagnostic and health monitoring tests for unmet clinical needs, today announced that results from the break-through proof-of-concept clinical study, performed in collaboration with Emory University and MedStar Washington Hospital Center, will be published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. [More]