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.

Lignans lower risk of death in women with breast cancer

Phytoestrogens are plant compounds which, in the human body, can attach to the receptors for the female sexual hormone estrogen and which are taken in with our daily diet. A number of findings have attributed a cancer protective effect to these plant hormones. At DKFZ, a team headed by Prof. Dr. Jenny Chang-Claude summarized the results of several studies in a meta-analysis last year and showed that a diet rich in phytoestrogens lowers the risk of developing breast cancer after menopause.

14 Sep 2011

Genetic variant associated with increased long-term mortality risk after coronary artery bypass graft procedure

Duke University Medical Center researchers have found a genetic variant that seems to be associated with lower five-year survival after a coronary artery bypass.

14 Sep 2011

Hawthorn, CoPlex Therapeutics sign licensing deal to develop and commercialize hawAD14 for Alzheimer's

Hawthorn Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today an exclusive global licensing deal with CoPlex Therapeutics on hawAD14, a preclinical oral small molecule candidate for the treatment of Alzheimer's and other neurodegenerative diseases.

13 Sep 2011

IBN scientists harness ultrasmall peptides to repair spinal disc damage

New ultrasmall peptides that can be used as building blocks for a wide range of regenerative applications such as spinal disc replacement and cartilage repair have been developed by scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN), the world's first bioengineering and nanotechnology research institute. These peptides spontaneously assemble in water to form hydrogels, which resemble collagen, a major component of connective tissues found in cartilage, ligaments, tendons, bone and skin.

12 Sep 2011

JHUSON nursing research news

In a six-month, randomized controlled study of asthmatic children living with smokers reported in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, August 2011, Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing (JHUSON) professor and School of Medicine faculty member Arlene Butz, MSN, CPNP, ScD, and others found that regular use of indoor air cleaners can greatly reduce household air pollution and lower rates of children's daytime asthma symptoms.

12 Sep 2011

WSU researcher receives $418,000 NINDS grant to study spinal muscular atrophy

Graham Parker, Ph.D., assistant professor of research in the Department of Pediatrics at Wayne State University's School of Medicine, was awarded $418,000 from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke of the National Institutes of Health to study how a particular gene might be involved in the progression of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) - the number one genetic killer of children younger than 2 years old.

12 Sep 2011

InnoCentive, JDRF announce $100,000 Challenge to uncover solutions for insulin-dependent diabetes

The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF), the worldwide leader for research to cure, treat, and prevent type 1 diabetes, and InnoCentive, Inc., the pioneer in open innovation and crowdsourcing, today announced a $100,000 Challenge calling for innovative ways to approach the discovery and development of a glucose-responsive insulin drug as a means to treat insulin-dependent diabetes.

9 Sep 2011

Scientists uncover new ways to stimulate pancreatic beta cell growth

One of the holy grails in diabetes research is to discover molecules that stimulate beta cell growth and to find drugs that target these molecules. Now, JDRF-funded researchers in collaboration with the pharmaceutical company Hoffmann-La Roche, have done both, discovering not only a protein that regulates beta cell growth, but also a chemical compound that stimulates it.

7 Sep 2011

Computer-tailored nutrition education not effective in reducing fat intake

As lifestyles get busier and waistlines get bigger; many people are turning to online nutrition programs. In promotion of healthful nutrition behaviors, computer-tailored nutrition education has been identified as a promising health education strategy, especially in the promotion of lower fat intake.

7 Sep 2011

SYSU, ASU collaborate to develop early and predictive diagnostics for colorectal cancer

Arizona State University (ASU) and China's Sun Yat-Sen University (SYSU) have formalized a research collaboration aimed at developing early and predictive diagnostics to improve patient outcomes for colorectal cancer.

7 Sep 2011

Fujirebio Diagnostics receives FDA 510(k) clearance for Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm test

Fujirebio Diagnostics, the industry leader in oncology biomarker assays, announced today that it has received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market the company's HE4 Test in an algorithm called ROMA (HE4 EIA + ARCHITECT CA 125 II) to aid in assessing whether a premenopausal or postmenopausal woman who presents with an ovarian adnexal mass is at high or low likelihood of finding malignancy on surgery.

7 Sep 2011

Vertex VX-509 12-week Phase 2a study on RA meets two primary endpoints

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated today announced that treatment with the investigational selective oral JAK3 inhibitor VX-509 in a Phase 2a trial resulted in substantial and statistically significant improvements in multiple measurements of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) activity.

6 Sep 2011

Shiva Biomedical, CorMedix to extend CRMD001 phase III trial in chronic kidney disease

CorMedix Inc., a pharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing therapeutic products for the prevention and treatment of Cardiorenal disease, today announced it has amended its agreement with Shiva Biomedical, LLC.

6 Sep 2011

Lilly, QIAGEN partner to develop and commercialize companion diagnostic for JAK2 V617F

QIAGEN today announced that it has entered into a partnership with Eli Lilly and Company for the development, manufacturing and commercialization of a molecular companion diagnostic for an early stage investigational compound currently being developed by Lilly. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 6 Sep 2011

Autism diagnosis by brain scan a possibility

A team of Stanford scientists have found that the brains of autistic children have a distinctive topography and could be captured using new imaging techniques. This could someday create a template for the autistic brain that could be used to diagnose kids at a very early age they claim.

5 Sep 2011

Nature journal publishes Metabolon's genome wide association study

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in metabolomics, biomarker discovery and biochemical analysis, announced the publication of "Human Metabolic Individuality in Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research" in the journal Nature.

3 Sep 2011

Pemetrexed treatment produces better outcomes in ALK-translocated NSCLC patients

Patients with ALK-rearranged non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) responded significantly better to pemetrexed than patients whose cancer did not show ALK translocation, according to research published in the September issue of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, the official publication of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.

2 Sep 2011

FDA approves crizotinib for treatment of ALK-positive lung cancer

In a major triumph for personalized medicine, the FDA approved the drug crizotinib for use with the lung cancer type known as ALK-positive.

2 Sep 2011

CWRU, NeoProteomics sign licensing deal for four bioinformatics software programs

Case Western Reserve University and NeoProteomics Inc. have announced the university's licensing of four software programs designed to improve understanding of biology at a complex molecular level for improved treatment of cancers and various other diseases.

31 Aug 2011

Avantra is now Courtagen Life Sciences

Avantra Biosciences Corporation today announced that effective immediately it is changing its name to Courtagen Life Sciences, Inc. The company will continue to use the Avantra name for their proteomics portfolio, which includes the Avantra Biomarker System.

30 Aug 2011

Biomarker News and Research

Further Reading

Lignans lower risk of death in women with breast cancer

Genetic variant associated with increased long-term mortality risk after coronary artery bypass graft procedure

Hawthorn, CoPlex Therapeutics sign licensing deal to develop and commercialize hawAD14 for Alzheimer's

IBN scientists harness ultrasmall peptides to repair spinal disc damage

JHUSON nursing research news

WSU researcher receives $418,000 NINDS grant to study spinal muscular atrophy

InnoCentive, JDRF announce $100,000 Challenge to uncover solutions for insulin-dependent diabetes

Scientists uncover new ways to stimulate pancreatic beta cell growth

Computer-tailored nutrition education not effective in reducing fat intake

SYSU, ASU collaborate to develop early and predictive diagnostics for colorectal cancer

Fujirebio Diagnostics receives FDA 510(k) clearance for Risk of Ovarian Malignancy Algorithm test

Vertex VX-509 12-week Phase 2a study on RA meets two primary endpoints

Shiva Biomedical, CorMedix to extend CRMD001 phase III trial in chronic kidney disease

Lilly, QIAGEN partner to develop and commercialize companion diagnostic for JAK2 V617F

Autism diagnosis by brain scan a possibility

Nature journal publishes Metabolon's genome wide association study

Pemetrexed treatment produces better outcomes in ALK-translocated NSCLC patients

FDA approves crizotinib for treatment of ALK-positive lung cancer

CWRU, NeoProteomics sign licensing deal for four bioinformatics software programs

Avantra is now Courtagen Life Sciences

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