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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.

High-intensity therapy early after stroke shows no added benefit

A clinical trial led by University of Auckland researchers found that high-intensity therapy for patients begun within two weeks of a stroke did not improve hand and arm recovery beyond standard care.

26 Mar 2026

Circulating tumor DNA predicts breast cancer relapse after treatment

Fragments of tumor DNA circulating in the bloodstream of patients with breast cancer can predict whether they are likely to relapse, especially when samples are taken after the patients have received treatments prior to surgery.

26 Mar 2026

Scotland marks twenty years of landmark smoke-free legislation

Second-hand smoke exposure in Scotland is down 96% since the country's landmark smoke-free legislation came into force on March 26, 2006, new research by the University of Stirling and Public Health Scotland has shown.

26 Mar 2026

Healthy thymus gland linked to longer life and immune stability

The thymus is a small organ located in the upper chest that plays a central role in the immune system: it produces T cells - specialized immune cells that recognize and fight pathogens.

26 Mar 2026

Spear Bio introduces new ultra-sensitive neurodegenerative assays and expands direct access at AD/PD 2026

Spear Bio, an innovator in ultrasensitive protein biomarker detection, showcased three new SPEAR UltraDetect™ immunoassays—brain-derived p-Tau 217 (BD-pTau 217), α-synuclein (α-syn) and phospho-Ser129-α-synuclein (pS129-α-syn)—at the International Conference on Alzheimer’s & Parkinson’s Diseases (AD/PD 2026) last week.

From Spear Bio 26 Mar 2026

New guidance aims to standardize tumor mutational burden in cancer

Immune checkpoint inhibitors have transformed cancer care, yet only a minority of patients respond to monotherapy, and immune-related adverse events remain a major concern.

25 Mar 2026

Immunotherapy plus chemotherapy improves outcomes in stage III dMMR colon cancer

A new study from researchers at the Alliance for Clinical Trials in Oncology (Alliance) shows that patients with stage III colon cancer with deficient deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) mismatch repair (dMMR) had significantly better outcomes when the immunotherapy drug atezolizumab (Tecentriq®) was added to standard chemotherapy after surgery.

25 Mar 2026

Microscopic sensors could revolutionize diagnosis and monitoring of cancer

Microscopic sensors that are as thin as a strand of hair but capable of taking multiple measurements simultaneously could revolutionize the diagnosis and monitoring of diseases like cancer.

24 Mar 2026

Moderate coffee intake may lower heart failure risk

A systematic review and dose-response meta-analysis of seven prospective cohorts found that drinking 2 to 4 cups of coffee a day was associated with a modestly lower risk of incident heart failure. The lowest estimated risk appeared at 1 to 2 cups daily, although the evidence for a true non-linear J-shaped pattern was suggestive rather than definitive.

24 Mar 2026

Wholegrain rye changes gut bacteria and lowers inflammation in obesity trial

In a 12-week randomized trial, replacing refined wheat with wholegrain rye in a calorie-restricted diet did not produce greater weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity. Wholegrain rye did, however, lower C-reactive protein and alter gut microbiota and short-chain fatty acids in ways that may have positive cardiometabolic implications.

24 Mar 2026

CREB5 drives stem cell-like transcriptional programs in aggressive prostate cancer

A new research paper was published in Volume 17 of Oncotarget on March 17, 2026, titled "CREB5 regulates stem cell-like transcriptional programs to enhance tumor progression in prostate cancer."

24 Mar 2026

IGFBP1 identified as potential biomarker for IBD monitoring in elderly patients

A recent study published in Current Molecular Pharmacology highlights the potential of insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP1) as a monitoring biomarker for disease activity in elderly patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

24 Mar 2026

Cerebrospinal fluid marker enhances accuracy in diagnosis of Parkinson’s and Lewy body dementia

An international consortium has achieved a major breakthrough in the diagnosis of neurological diseases. In a recent publication in the scientific journal Nature Medicine, they describe the discovery of a new quantitative biomarker in lumbar fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) that is helping doctors to diagnose Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia more accurately.

24 Mar 2026

BNP predicts kidney disease progression risk in diabetes patients

The relationship between cardiovascular dysfunction and renal impairment is widely recognized as the cardiorenal interaction, a complex physiological link in which damage to one organ can accelerate deterioration in the other.

24 Mar 2026

New computational method links individual cells to patient outcomes

A computational method called scSurv, developed by researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo, links individual cells to patient outcomes using widely available bulk RNA sequencing data.

23 Mar 2026

AI-based ECG interpretation outperforms standard diagnosis of occlusive myocardial infarction

Artificial intelligence (AI)-based ECG interpretation outperformed standard pathways for the detection of occlusive myocardial infarction (MI), according to a study presented today at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2026,1 the annual congress of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

23 Mar 2026

Can your voice reveal stress levels?

This research explores speech prosody as a stress marker, analyzing the effects of relaxation methods on vocal changes and their implications for stress relief.

23 Mar 2026

Early biomarker predicts cognitive impairment after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

Routine early measurement of neurofilament light chain could help improve prediction of cognitive impairment after out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, according to a study presented today at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2026, the annual congress of the Association for Acute CardioVascular Care (ACVC), a branch of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

23 Mar 2026

Oral semaglutide fails to slow early Alzheimer’s decline in two phase 3 trials

Two large phase 3 trials found that oral semaglutide 14 mg did not slow cognitive or functional decline over 104 weeks in people with early symptomatic, amyloid-positive Alzheimer’s disease. Semaglutide was generally consistent with its known safety profile and showed some biomarker changes, but these did not translate into clinical benefit.

22 Mar 2026

Study identifies protein biomarker and potential treatment for schizophrenia

Current schizophrenia medications treat symptoms such as hallucinations and delusions, but do little for cognitive symptoms like disorganized thinking or executive dysfunction.

19 Mar 2026