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.

Presence of environmental chemicals in human milk does not necessarily indicate health risks for infants

"We strongly emphasize that the mere presence of an environmental chemical in human milk does not indicate that a health risk exists for breast-fed infants," said Cheston M. Berlin, Jr., M.D., Penn State University professor of pediatrics and pharmacology.

22 Sep 2005

22 biomarkers that provide a more accurate screening for prostate

Researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center have identified a panel of 22 biomarkers that together provide a more accurate screening for prostate cancer than the current prostate specific antigen, or PSA, test.

22 Sep 2005

Eating lots of fruits and vegetables greatly reduces risk of developing pancreatic cancer

In one of the largest studies of its kind, University of California - San Francisco (UCSF) researchers have found that eating lots of fruits and vegetables - particularly vegetables - is associated with about a 50 percent reduction in the risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic cancer is difficult to diagnose and remains largely untreatable.

21 Sep 2005

MRC call for proposals in experimental medicine

The Medical Research Council (MRC) has launched a Call for Proposals in experimental medicine today as part of its £15 million commitment to promote the translation of laboratory research into clinical practice for the benefit of patients.

7 Sep 2005

New tool to help unravel the function of an elusive DNA structure

A Rensselaer researcher has developed a new tool to help unravel the function of an elusive DNA structure. The findings, which were presented today at the 230th national meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) in Washington, D.C., could lead to a better understanding of diseases such as cancer and diabetes.

29 Aug 2005

Enzyme in the blood that could be a potential marker for heart failure

A team of scientists led by Walter Koch, Ph.D., director of the Center for Translational Medicine in the Department of Medicine in Jefferson Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, previously showed that an enzyme called GRK2 or beta-adrenergic kinase (ßARK1) is critically important in heart function.

22 Aug 2005

Cancer Research Technology licenses novel cancer diagnostic markers

Cancer Research Technology Limited announced today that they have entered into a worldwide license agreement with TriPath Imaging, Inc.

22 Aug 2005

Gene expression levels may reveal stage of Huntington's disease

A survey of the genome of patients with Huntington's Disease (HD) has identified potential markers of the progression of this devastating neurological disorder.

16 Aug 2005

Analytical tool to help detect cancer

Scientists have long used ultra-fine glass tubes known as capillaries to analyze the chemical makeup of substances. Called capillary electrophoresis, or CE, the method applies high voltage to the capillaries, and by measuring the rate that the various materials move through the capillaries, researchers are able to identify individual compounds.

16 Aug 2005

Activated Stat5 protein in prostate cancer can predict outcome, may help target treatment

Researchers from Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center at Georgetown University found that testing for an activated Stat5 protein in prostate tumor tissue effectively predicts which men have a form of prostate cancer that may become more aggressive and life threatening.

15 Aug 2005

Researchers identify protein called EMP-1 that is present in the tumors of patients who fail to respond to treatment with gefitinib

By the time the human genome was mapped, cancer researchers had already begun investigating the proteins that were encoded by these newly identified genes.

9 Aug 2005

Power3 converts provisional patent applications

Power3 Medical Products announced today that it has converted two provisional patent applications by the filing of two utility patent applications with the United States Patent and Trademark Office for the Company's disease specific biomarker discovery and disease specific immuno- diagnostic test designs.

4 Aug 2005

No single PSA level ensures safety from prostate cancer risk

Ian M. Thompson Jr., M.D., professor and chair of urology at the U T Health Science Center, is looking for a better test - or set of tests - to diagnose prostate cancer and to distinguish between cancers that will kill men if left untreated and those that will not threaten health and do not need treatment.

19 Jul 2005

New search method could aid in the discovery of biomarkers for breast cancer

Using a super-efficient method they invented to search for a type of cancer-related change in all genes of a cell, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute researchers have discovered new evidence about how the "microenvironment" of breast cancers helps drive the cancers' growth and migration.

13 Jul 2005

Researchers identify six genes associated with lymphocytic bronchitis - could mean new test, treatments

Researchers at the San Francisco VA Medical Center (SFVAMC) and the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have identified six genes associated with lymphocytic bronchitis, which is thought to lead to obliterative bronchitis (OB), the most common cause of long-term failure of transplanted lungs.

13 Jul 2005

Curcumin has potent anticancer powers

Curcumin, a spice commonly used in curries and other south Asian cooking, blocks a key biological pathway needed for development of melanoma and other cancers, say researchers from the University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center.

12 Jul 2005

Accuracy of PSA screening for detecting prostate cancer

A new study indicates there is no specific PSA value that has both high sensitivity and high specificity for monitoring healthy men for prostate cancer, but rather there is a continuum of prostate cancer risk at all values of PSA, according to a study in the July 6 issue of JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association.

6 Jul 2005

New low-cost technology that allows thousands of tumor slices to be screened side-by-side

Scientists at Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center have devised a new low-cost technology that allows thousands of tumor slices to be screened side-by-side, an improvement over current and more expensive methods that can analyze only several hundred tumors at once.

27 Jun 2005

FDA severely limits access to cancer drug Iressa

After Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials agreed with studies showing lung cancer drug, Iressa, did not help patients live longer, drug company AstraZeneca said it would severely limit access to its drug.

20 Jun 2005

AstraZeneca announces U.S. labeling change to Iressa (gefitinib tablets)

AstraZeneca has announced that after discussions with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the company is making a labeling change to Iressa (gefitinib tablets).

19 Jun 2005