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.

QPS acquires Xendo Drug Development

QPS Holdings, LLC, a leading full-service GLP/GCP-compliant contract research organization providing testing services to support preclinical and clinical research and development, announced the completion of its acquisition of Xendo Drug Development BV (XDD), headquartered in Groningen, The Netherlands. XDD, a European contract research organization (CRO), will be known as QPS Netherlands BV and become a wholly-owned subsidiary of QPS Holdings, LLC.

26 Jul 2010

Axela acquires Xceed Molecular

Axela Inc., an innovator in systems that multiplex protein biomarker testing in clinical research and diagnostics, has acquired Xceed Molecular, developer of the award-winning Ziplex® System for gene-expression analysis, the Breast Cancer Prognostic Assay, and Colon Cancer Xpress chip. The new Axela will be introduced at the 2010 American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC) annual meeting and Clinical Lab Expo, which takes place July 25 – 29 at the Anaheim Convention Center in California.

26 Jul 2010

Circulating aberrant cells increase as non-small cell lung cancer progresses

A novel approach detects genetically abnormal cells in the blood of non-small cell lung cancer patients that match abnormalities found in tumor cells and increase in number with the severity of the disease, a research team led by scientists at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center report in the journal Clinical Cancer Research.

23 Jul 2010

hBD-3 biomarker helps early stage detection of oral cancer

Detecting oral cancer in its earliest stages can save the lives of the nearly 40,500 people diagnosed annually. But early detection has been difficult. Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine researchers discovered a biomarker, called human beta defensin-3 (hBD-3), which may serve as an early warning. The defensin is present in all oral cancers and associated with the early stages of oral cancer.

23 Jul 2010

Affymetrix launches QuantiGene ViewRNA Assay formats

Affymetrix, Inc. today announced the launch of QuantiGene® ViewRNA Assay formats, which enable a new era of "in situ multiplex gene expression analysis" by allowing drug screening of native cells and advancing the pace of biomarker disease research and stem cell studies. These in situ assays enable researchers to visualize gene expression in individual cells at an unprecedented level of sensitivity and speed.

22 Jul 2010

Affymetrix second-quarter total revenue decreases to $71.7 million

Affymetrix, Inc., today reported its operating results for the second quarter of 2010. Total revenue for the quarter was $71.7 million, in line with previously announced expectations, as compared to total revenue of $81.6 million in the second quarter of 2009.

22 Jul 2010

Tethys Bioscience raises $33 million to drive market uptake of PreDx Diabetes Risk Score blood test

Tethys Bioscience, Inc., a privately held company, announced today that the company has recently raised $33 million, comprising $23 million of venture financing and a $10 million working capital loan. Participants in the venture financing included new investors Greenspring Associates, Inc. (formerly Montagu Newhall Associates, Inc.) and Paul Capital Investments, as well as current investors.

21 Jul 2010

University of Luebeck becomes part of Metaminer Cardiac Partnership

GeneGo, Inc., a leading provider of databases, software and services in systems biology and chemistry, announced today that Dr. Salah Mohamed in Department of Cardio and Thoracic Vascular Surgery at the University of Luebeck and his team will be part of the Metaminer Cardiac Partnership. Dr. Mohamed is published within 6 different reputed Scientific American Journals in connection with Biomarker Discovery work performed for the American Heart Association.

21 Jul 2010

ARUP announces new version of Septin 9 methylated DNA test

ARUP Laboratories, a leading national clinical and anatomic pathology reference laboratory and a leader in innovative laboratory research and development, today announced it is offering the Septin 9 methylated DNA test, a new blood-based colorectal cancer screening method. While ARUP is not the first laboratory to offer this test, this new version, developed and validated independently by ARUP, is clinically proven to detect a higher proportion of colorectal cancers than Septin 9 tests developed by other companies.

20 Jul 2010

SDIX announces multi-year collaboration with Banyan Biomarkers

SDIX, today announced a multi-year collaboration with Banyan Biomarkers, Inc. to provide products and services for Banyan's biomarker discovery work in the detection of traumatic brain injury.

20 Jul 2010

Jinfiniti Biosciences moves from clinical studies to developing biomarkers

A new biotech company has grown out of laboratory and clinical studies at the Medical College of Georgia with the goal of improving the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes and cancer.

20 Jul 2010

Lorillard calls upon FDA TPSAC to employ dispassionate science in evaluation of menthol in cigarettes

With the words of Food and Drug Commissioner Margaret Hamburg on the screen beside him, a Lorillard Tobacco Company scientist today called upon the FDA's Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee (TPSAC) to employ a "truly science-based, data-driven" process in its evaluation of menthol in cigarettes. Earlier this week Hamburg made headlines when she told an FDA science panel to "Follow the science wherever it leads and the rest will fall into place."

17 Jul 2010

Study compares denture stomatitis genes with whole transcriptome for salivary biomarker analysis

The goal of the study was to compare whole-transcriptome, mucosal gene expression in Candida albicans (a parasitic fungus that can infect the mouth) associated chronic denture stomatitis to that of healthy oral mucosa and perform proteomic analyses of potential salivary biomarkers. Denture stomatitis is a condition in which the mucosa underneath a denture becomes inflamed and sometimes painful.

16 Jul 2010

MD Anderson Cancer Center continues to rank first in cancer care

The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center remains the leading hospital in the nation for cancer care for the fourth year straight, according to the annual "Best Hospitals" survey published by U.S. News & World Report.This is the seventh time in the last nine years that MD Anderson has ranked number one in the annual listing. Since the survey began in 1990, the institution has been ranked one of the top two cancer hospitals in the United States.

16 Jul 2010

UC San Diego and CTRI receive $37.2M NCRR Clinical and Translational Science Award

The University of California, San Diego Health Sciences and its expanding Clinical and Translational Research Institute (CTRI) have received a five-year, $37.2 million Clinical and Translational Science Award from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), part of the National Institutes of Health.

15 Jul 2010

Implantable artificial salivary gland to be developed for Xerostomia patients

The goal of this research was to create an ECM modified hyaluronic acid (HA) based hydrogel culture system that allows for the growth and differentiation of salivary acinar cells into functional acini-like structures capable of secreting large amounts of protein and fluid unidirectionally. Xerostomia, a condition resulting from irradiation of the head and neck, affects more than 40,000 cancer patients each year in the United States. According to this research, these patients will greatly benefit from the development of a functional implantable artificial salivary gland.

15 Jul 2010

NanoString Technologies increases throughput of nCounter Analysis System

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a novel digital molecular barcoding technology for detecting and counting large sets of targets in biological samples, today announced that it has increased the throughput of its nCounter Analysis System by expanding its multiplexing capacity to 800 gene transcripts per reaction.

From NanoString Technologies 15 Jul 2010

Keck School of Medicine receives grant for research on biomarker impact on breast cancer screening

Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) will test whether a set of blood-based biomarkers can assist mammography in the early detection of breast cancer with a $180,000 grant announced today from Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. The grant will fund research into whether specific biomarkers, or minute substances in the blood, can effectively distinguish breast cancer patients from their healthy counterparts and whether an inexpensive, less invasive screening strategy can be developed based on this approach.

15 Jul 2010

Children with highest levels of FeNO more likely to develop asthma: Study

Children with elevated levels of exhaled nitric oxide are at increased risk for developing asthma, particularly among children without a parental history of the disease, a study by US researchers at the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California (USC) has found. The study is published ahead of print in the European Respiratory Journal.

15 Jul 2010

Research provides understanding of EGME's effects on metabolism

Metabolon, Inc., the leader in global metabolism, biomarker discovery and analysis, announces the publication of "Ethylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether-Induced Toxicity is Mediated through the Inhibition of Flavoprotein Dehydrogenase Enzyme Family", in the journal Toxicological Sciences on July 8, 2010. The paper was co-authored by Dr. Makoto Takei and colleagues at Daiichi-Sankyo in collaboration with Metabolon scientists.

14 Jul 2010