Biomarker News and Research

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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.

Personalized therapy shows improved response in cancer patients

In a meta-analysis of hundreds of clinical trials involving thousands of patients, researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine report that therapeutic approaches using precision medicine, which emphasizes the use of individual genetics to refine cancer treatment, showed improved response and longer periods of disease remission, even in phase I trials.

7 Jun 2016

Rice study takes deeper look at how inflammation bridges stress and diabetes

A Rice University study has found a link between emotional stress and diabetes, with roots in the brain's ability to control anxiety.

7 Jun 2016

Personlized exercise pattern may help reduce neuropathic symptoms of chemotherapy

Researchers at the University of Rochester Wilmot Cancer Institute discovered something simple and inexpensive to reduce neuropathy in hands and feet due to chemotherapy--exercise.

6 Jun 2016

Nivolumab drug shows better response rate in metastatic bladder cancer patients

The immune checkpoint blockade drug nivolumab reduced tumor burden in 24.4 percent of patients with metastatic bladder cancer, regardless of whether their tumors had a biomarker related to the drug's target, according to clinical trial results from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

6 Jun 2016

New method helps quantify HSATII RNA in blood serum of pancreatic cancer patients

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma is one of the most aggressive and deadliest forms of cancer. Treatment options are limited because symptoms typically do not appear until the disease is advanced and complete surgical resection of tumors is not possible.

3 Jun 2016

Scientists reveal how ER+ breast cancer uses cholesterol-based molecule to evade anti-hormone treatments

New research funded by Breast Cancer Now has identified how the most common breast cancers could be using a cholesterol-based molecule to evade standard anti-hormone treatments, causing patients’ disease to return.

2 Jun 2016

RSI-MRI imaging technology can effectively differentiate aggressive prostate cancer

Physicians have long used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to detect cancer but results of a University of California San Diego School of Medicine study describe the potential use of restriction spectrum imaging (RSI) as an imaging biomarker that enhances the ability of MRI to differentiate aggressive prostate cancer from low-grade or benign tumors and guide treatment and biopsy.

2 Jun 2016

Testing for maternal alcohol biomarkers in blood may help identify pregnancies at high FAS risk

It is well known that drinking during pregnancy can lead to fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the offspring. Unfortunately, not all pregnant women are truthful about their levels of drinking.

2 Jun 2016

Using proteomic mass spectrometry imaging to detect malignant melanoma: an interview with Stephen Turner

Today, using anatomic pathology, the differences in appearance of a normal or a malignant lesion can be difficult to tell when just using light microscopy.

2 Jun 2016

New roadmap can help guide researchers to speed up biomarker-based research on Alzheimer's disease

Biomarkers could revolutionise the early detection of and therapy for Alzheimer's disease. However, experts attending the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen criticized that the big breakthroughs are slow in coming because of a lack of priorities in research.

1 Jun 2016

Ocaliva drug gets FDA approval for primary biliary cholangitis treatment

On Friday, May 27, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval for Ocaliva (obeticholic acid) for the treatment of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) in combination with ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) in adults with an inadequate response to UDCA, or as a single therapy in adults unable to tolerate UDCA.

1 Jun 2016

Renal function trajectories predict CV events in diabetes patients

Steeper declines in renal function over time are associated with greater increases in the risk of major cardiovascular events among patients with Type 2 diabetes, research shows.

1 Jun 2016

ITBCC takes revolutionary step in improving biomarker assessment in colorectal cancer

In colorectal cancer, the presence of invasive tumor cells at the advancing edge of the tumor can provide valuable information on prognosis. Initiated by the Colorectal Cancer Research Group at the Institute of Pathology, University of Bern, a consensus conference was held to determine how this phenomenon should best be put into practice.

31 May 2016

Need for standardised guidelines to fight Alzheimer's disease

Some 47 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia. Scientists are working feverishly to find a cure for the most common form, Alzheimer's. At the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen, Prof Gunhild Waldemar issued an appeal for researchers to work together and draw up standardised guidelines for early identification and treatment of the disease.

31 May 2016

Experts discuss new insights into early stages of Parkinson’s disease at EAN Congress

Early diagnosis and starting treatment as early as possible are decisive factors in achieving improved quality of life for Parkinson's sufferers. Experts are discussing a wide range of new insights into the early stages of the disease at the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology in Copenhagen.

31 May 2016

Overcoming barriers in autism research: an interview with Gahan Pandina

There are currently no medications which address the core symptoms of ASD, and a significant barrier to their development is that researchers have historically lacked effective methods for measuring clinical outcomes.

30 May 2016

Applying deep neural networks to predict pharmacologic properties of drugs and drug repurposing

Deep learning, frequently referred to as artificial intelligence, a branch of machine learning utilizing multiple layers of neurons to model high-level abstractions in data, has outperformed humans in tasks including image, text and voice recognition, autonomous driving and others, and is now being applied to drug discovery and biomarker development.

28 May 2016

Study identifies potential new treatment for subset of gastric cancer patients

Testing cancers for 'addiction' to a gene that boosts cell growth can pick out patients who may respond to a targeted drug under development, a major new study reports.

28 May 2016

NR supplements can reduce diabetes-related complications in mice

A naturally occurring vitamin, nicotinamide riboside (NR), can lower blood sugar levels, reduce fatty liver, and prevent peripheral nerve damage in mouse models of prediabetes and type 2 diabetes (T2D), according to a new study by researchers at the University of Iowa and the Iowa City VA Health Care System.

27 May 2016

Research sheds new light on biological processes underlying neurodegeneration in AD

Progranulin is a central protein in both neuronal survival and neurodegenerative diseases. It is thus not surprising that altered progranulin levels represent a universal theme shared across several common neurodegenerative diseases.

26 May 2016

Biomarker News and Research

Further Reading

Personalized therapy shows improved response in cancer patients

Rice study takes deeper look at how inflammation bridges stress and diabetes

Personlized exercise pattern may help reduce neuropathic symptoms of chemotherapy

Nivolumab drug shows better response rate in metastatic bladder cancer patients

New method helps quantify HSATII RNA in blood serum of pancreatic cancer patients

Scientists reveal how ER+ breast cancer uses cholesterol-based molecule to evade anti-hormone treatments

RSI-MRI imaging technology can effectively differentiate aggressive prostate cancer

Testing for maternal alcohol biomarkers in blood may help identify pregnancies at high FAS risk

Using proteomic mass spectrometry imaging to detect malignant melanoma: an interview with Stephen Turner

New roadmap can help guide researchers to speed up biomarker-based research on Alzheimer's disease

Ocaliva drug gets FDA approval for primary biliary cholangitis treatment

Renal function trajectories predict CV events in diabetes patients

ITBCC takes revolutionary step in improving biomarker assessment in colorectal cancer

Need for standardised guidelines to fight Alzheimer's disease

Experts discuss new insights into early stages of Parkinson’s disease at EAN Congress

Overcoming barriers in autism research: an interview with Gahan Pandina

Applying deep neural networks to predict pharmacologic properties of drugs and drug repurposing

Study identifies potential new treatment for subset of gastric cancer patients

NR supplements can reduce diabetes-related complications in mice

Research sheds new light on biological processes underlying neurodegeneration in AD

Event guide: 16th Clinical Biomarkers & CDx Summit Europe eBook

Latest eBooks

Industry Focus eBook - Analytical Chemistry (3rd edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Microbiome (1st edition)

Industry Focus eBook - Cell biology (5th edition)

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Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo