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.

Research to be conducted on bacterial microbes in space to discover new medicines

Along with supply and equipment cargo bound for the International Space Station, Space Shuttle Discovery STS-128 will carry an additional scientific payload being conducted by Austin-based Astrogenetix, the first commercial space company to use microgravity to discover the foundation of new medicines.

25 Aug 2009

Elevated levels of GLI1 protein linked to unfavorable prognosis and progressive stages in human breast cancer

Elevated levels of GLI1 (glioma-associated oncogene homolog 1) protein in human breast cancer are associated with unfavorable prognosis and progressive stages of disease. Researchers writing in the open access journal BMC Cancer found increased expression of GLI1 in samples taken from more advanced and less survivable tumors.

25 Aug 2009

SQI Diagnostics continues discussions with the FDA to market it's SQiDworks Diagnostics Platform in the US

SQI Diagnostics Inc. (TSX-V: SQD), a medical systems automation company focused on evolving laboratory-based biomarker testing, today announced its financial and operational results for the third quarter ended June 30, 2009.

24 Aug 2009

Ocimum Biosolutions finds place in third annual Inc. 5000 list

Ocimum Biosolutions, a leading integrated life sciences solutions company, has been listed in the third annual Inc. 5000, an exclusive ranking of the America’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents the most comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economy—America’s independent-minded entrepreneurs.

24 Aug 2009

Discovery of genetic biomarkers enable targeted personalised medication for Colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer-related death in the Western world. Fortunately physicians today have an abundance of drug therapies available to improve survival length for more advanced cancer patients. Now the discovery of genetic biomarkers relevant to CRC means that targeted personalised medication is increasingly common.

24 Aug 2009

Genway Clinical Laboratory offers ELISA-based test that detects tumor markers in blood serum

GenWay Clinical Laboratory, a US-based diagnostic company with CLIA certification, has validated a general tumor marker test in their laboratory and now offers this testing service. This is an ELISA-based assay which simply requires a small blood sample from the patient in order to quantify the amount of the tumor marker in their serum.

24 Aug 2009

Researchers find connection between eye disease and arginase

Elevated levels of the enzyme arginase contribute to vascular eye damage and Medical College of Georgia researchers say therapies to normalize its levels could halt progression of potentially blinding diseases such as diabetic retinopathy.

19 Aug 2009

New software programs improve the cancer biomarker identification process

caCORRECT and omniBioMarker programs earn silver-level compatibility certification from NIH/National Cancer Institute's cancer Bioinformatics Grid

19 Aug 2009

Prion found to be a biomarker for pancreatic cancer

Mad cow disease is caused by the accumulation of an abnormal protein, the prion, in the brain of an affected patient. Outside of the brain, very little is known about prions.

18 Aug 2009

New biomarker predicts response to hepatitis C treatment

Researchers have identified the first genetic marker that predicts response to hepatitis C treatments, and a single letter of DNA code appears to make a huge difference. Duke University Medical Center scientists says the biomarker not only predicts who is most likely to respond to treatment and who isn't, but also may explain why there are such different rates of response among racial and ethnic groups, a phenomenon that has puzzled physicians for years.

16 Aug 2009

Interleukin Genetics reports Q2 2009 financials

Interleukin Genetics, Inc. (NYSE Amex: ILI) today announced financial and operational results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2009.

13 Aug 2009

Virtualscopics reports record Q2 2009 financials

VirtualScopics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VSCP), a leading provider of quantitative imaging for clinical trials, today announced its financial results for the quarter and six months ended June 30, 2009.

12 Aug 2009

New biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease

A combination of proteins in the cerebrospinal fluid can reliably identify which patients with early symptoms of dementia will subsequently develop full-blown Alzheimer's disease, a research team at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden, has found in a major international study. The results were published in this week's edition of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

12 Aug 2009

Metabolon awarded patent for metabolomics software

Metabolon, Inc. has announced that it has been awarded a patent for its metabolomics software, Ion Tracker™, which provides a mechanism for creating new chemical library entries.

11 Aug 2009

Discovery of 'marker' molecule offers hope for liver cancer test

Cancer Research UK scientists have discovered a 'marker' molecule which could pinpoint when liver cells start to become cancerous, reveals research published in Science*.

9 Aug 2009

Research may bring powerful new test for inflammatory lung diseases

Chronic inflammatory lung diseases like chronic bronchitis and emphysema are a major global health problem, and the fourth leading cause of death and disability in developed countries, with smoking accounting for 90% of the risk for developing them.

3 Aug 2009

Identification of progressors in osteoarthritis by combining biochemical and MRI-based markers

A combination of biochemical and MRI markers will allow improved measurement of osteoarthritis (OA) progression. The biomarkers, described in BioMed Central's open access journal Arthritis Research and Therapy, will be useful for the design and interpretation of trials of new disease modifying drugs.

23 Jul 2009

UT Southwestern Medical Center grant aids study of lung cancer in people who never smoked

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center are among an elite group of cancer scientists to share a $2 million grant to find biomarkers for lung cancer that develops in people who have never smoked.

21 Jul 2009

Nanoparticle-based “chemical nose” sniffs out cancer earlier to improve treatment options

Using a "chemical nose" array of nanoparticles and polymers, researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have developed a fundamentally new, more effective way to differentiate not only between healthy and cancerous cells but also between metastatic and nonmetastatic cancer cells. It is a tool that could revolutionize cancer detection and treatment, according to Vincent M. Rotello, Ph.D., M.Phil., and D. Joseph Jerry, Ph.D., M.S., the investigators who led the study.

21 Jul 2009

Brain imaging (MRI/PET) bring us closer to earlier detection of Alzheimer's

Changes in the brain measured with MRI and PET scans, combined with memory tests and detection of risk proteins in body fluids, may lead to earlier and more accurate diagnosis of Alzheimer's, according to new research reported today at the Alzheimer's Association 2009 International Conference on Alzheimer's Disease (ICAD 2009) in Vienna.

14 Jul 2009