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.

Gothenburg researchers aim to discover new methods for treatment of childhood obesity

By studying intestinal flora in newborn children, Professor Fredrik Bäckhed and his team of researchers at Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Sweden, aim to discover new methods to treat childhood obesity.

17 Oct 2012

Stat5 protein could serve as biomarker to help guide prostate cancer treatment

Men who had high levels of the activated Stat5 protein in their prostate cancer after a radical prostatectomy were more likely to have a recurrence or die from the disease compared to men who had little to no presence of the growth protein, according to a recent study published in Human Pathology by Jefferson's Kimmel Cancer Center researchers.

17 Oct 2012

Sustained attention deficits in bipolar patients, relatives

Patients with bipolar disorder and their first-degree relatives exhibit deficits in sustained attention, study results show.

16 Oct 2012

VeriStrat identifies NSCLC patients likely to respond to erlotinib

A study, published in the November 2012 issue of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer's (IASLC) Journal of Thoracic Oncology, showed the plasma test VeriStrat can predict response but not survival benefit from erlotinib. The study was conducted on a subset of patients enrolled in the NCIC Clinical Trials Group, BR.21 phase III trial of erlotinib versus placebo in previously treated advanced non-small cell lung cancer patients.

16 Oct 2012

Fit elderly NSCLC patients should be considered for salvage targeted therapy

Until there are more validated biomarkers to direct treatment decisions, many physicians use patient age to decide what therapy to give their patients. Literature data report that older patients often go undertreated because of concerns for limited tolerance to toxic therapies.

16 Oct 2012

Critical Diagnostics signs agreements with four new European distributors

Critical Diagnostics, a U.S.-based biomarker company focused on cardiovascular diseases, today announced that it has signed agreements with four new European distributors in Germany, Spain, France and Turkey.

15 Oct 2012

Neurotensin as an indicator for poor health outcomes in women

The satiety hormone neurotensin may provide a novel biomarker for assessing risk for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and breast cancer among women, report researchers.

12 Oct 2012

Antioxidant defense reduced in schizophrenia, bipolar disorder

Results from a Tunisian study suggest that the antioxidant defense system is altered in patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

11 Oct 2012

New research lists cell stiffness as possible biomarker for metastatic ovarian cancer

New Georgia Tech research shows that cell stiffness could be a valuable clue for doctors as they search for and treat cancerous cells before they're able to spread. The findings, which are published in the journal PLoS One, found that highly metastatic ovarian cancer cells are several times softer than less metastatic ovarian cancer cells.

11 Oct 2012

Fibulin-3 protein may help identify mesothelioma in early stages

Researchers at NYU School of Medicine have discovered the protein product of a little-known gene may one day prove useful in identifying and monitoring the development of mesothelioma in early stages, when aggressive treatment can have an impact on the progression of disease and patient prognosis.

11 Oct 2012

UCSF project to explore mystery behind advanced prostate cancer

Many men survive prostate cancer, but thousands of others -- whose cancer spreads -- inevitably develop resistance to even the most promising treatments, leaving them with few medical options and a dwindling span of life.

10 Oct 2012

Salivary-biomarker approach can identify individuals at future risk of PTSD, depression

Each year, more than a million Americans are at-risk of developing serious mental health problems after experiencing a terrifying event or serious physical injury. Once manifested, these psychiatric illnesses, such as post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, can be extremely crippling and difficult to treat and are a leading cause of disability in civilian, military and minority populations.

10 Oct 2012

Mayo researchers discover new therapy for patients with neuromyelitis optica

Mayo Clinic researchers have identified a new therapy for patients with neuromyelitis optica that appears to stop inflammation of the eye nerves and spinal cord. NMO is a debilitating central nervous system disorder that is often misdiagnosed as multiple sclerosis (MS).

10 Oct 2012

Study compares gene expression levels in two key hippocampal regions affected by Alzheimer's

Researchers from the Computational Intelligence Group based at the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid's Facultad de Informática have used machine learning and data mining techniques to compare gene expresssion levels in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients in two key regions of the hippocampus: the dentate gyrus, where the disease appears to have little or no effect, and the entorhinal cortex, where Alzheimer's disease produces major neuronal damage.

10 Oct 2012

Almac signs collaboration agreement with DSM in the field of biocatalysis

DSM Pharmaceutical Products, the custom manufacturing and technology business of Royal DSM, announced today that it has signed a collaboration agreement with the Almac Group Ltd. (UK) in the field of biocatalysis to provide sustainable manufacturing services to the pharmaceutical industry.

8 Oct 2012

Urinary adiponectin as a marker for diabetic nephropathy

Urinary adiponectin may provide a novel biomarker for diabetic nephropathy, shows research from Finland.

4 Oct 2012

Novel technology can identify potential biomarkers of ulcerative colitis

Scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute have developed a novel technology that can identify, in animal models, potential biomarkers of ulcerative colitis, a type of inflammatory bowel disease that affects the lining of the colon.

4 Oct 2012

Biomarkers can increase success rate of clinical trials for breast cancer drugs by almost 50%

Using biological markers--genetic characteristics that are associated with some patients with breast cancer--can increase the success rate of clinical trials for breast cancer drugs by almost 50 per cent, says new research from the University of Toronto Mississauga.

3 Oct 2012

Addition of ficlatuzumab to gefitinib may be effective in select subsets of patients with NSCLC

AVEO Oncology today announced that detailed results from an exploratory, randomized Phase 2 study evaluating the combination of ficlatuzumab, the company's HGF inhibitory antibody, and gefitinib compared to gefitinib monotherapy in previously untreated Asian subjects with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) were presented at the 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO).

1 Oct 2012

Sorafenib does not improve overall survival among patients with NSCLC

Treatment with the drug sorafenib as a third or fourth line therapy does not result in improved overall survival among patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), according to findings released at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna. However, a post-hoc biomarker analysis of the trial data that was also presented suggests that patients with EGFR-mutant tumors may benefit.

29 Sep 2012