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.

Study confirms Resveratrol's impact on cognitive processes of the brain

The subject of extensive studies across the world, Resveratrol is proving to be a major talking point in the scientific community. And as evidence comes to light of the continuing beneficial effects of this compound, a further study by the University of Northumbria in the UK has confirmed what many scientists already believe to be the case - that Resveratrol could have a significant impact on the cognitive processes of the human brain.

12 May 2010

FDA approves delivery of Cefepime in B. Braun's DUPLEX System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently approved an application that permits B. Braun Medical Inc. (B. Braun) to deliver FDA-approved 1g and 2g Cefepime for Injection USP and Dextrose Injection USP in B. Braun's DUPLEX® Drug Delivery System.

From B. Braun Melsungen AG 12 May 2010

Phase IIb study of EVP-6124 initiated in patients with Alzheimer's disease

EnVivo Pharmaceuticals today announced the initiation and dosing of patients in a Phase IIb study of its EVP-6124 compound, a selective alpha-7 nicotinic agonist in patients with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

12 May 2010

Personalized treatments for thyroid disorders to be presented at ATA meeting

Internationally recognized thyroid disease experts will meet to discuss "Thyroid Disorders in the Era of Personalized Medicine" May 13 - 16 in Minneapolis, Minnesota at the American Thyroid Association's (ATA) (www.thyroid.org) Spring Meeting to be held at the Minneapolis Hyatt Regency Hotel.

11 May 2010

SNP biomarker could reduce guesswork associated with prescribing drugs

A tiny gene mutation in human liver cells could one day influence how high or low a dose patients need of about half of the clinically used drugs on the market, new research suggests.

11 May 2010

Harbor BioSciences reports encouraging results from Triolex Phase IIa trials

Harbor Biosciences, a biopharmaceutical company developing novel therapeutics for the treatment of cancer, metabolic and inflammatory diseases, today released an update to its development program for Triolex to treat obesity-induced insulin resistance and type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).

10 May 2010

Astute Medical completes $26.5 million series B financing

Astute Medical, Inc., a developer of novel, biomarker-based medical diagnostics, today announced completion of a $26.5 million series B financing co-led by Domain Associates and Delphi Ventures. Astute will use the funding to advance research and development aimed at the identification and validation of protein biomarkers with the goal of commercializing high potential diagnostic products.

10 May 2010

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals first-quarter revenues down 61%

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, today updated its drug development progress and reported financial results for the three months ended March 31, 2010.

10 May 2010

Inflammation enzyme regulates production of brown fat tissue

Love handles, muffin tops and stomach tires - white fat tissue forms the typical curves in the notorious problem areas to store energy. Exactly the opposite happens in brown fat tissue: Instead of being stored, energy gets transformed into heat. To the dismay of many people, adults have only small amounts of this energy burner. By contrast, babies and animals in hibernation have lots of it in their bodies where it serves for heat regulation.

7 May 2010

NanoString Technologies receives ISO 13485:2003 certification

NanoString Technologies, Inc., a privately held life sciences company marketing a complete solution for detecting and counting large sets of target molecules in biological samples, today announced it has received ISO 13485:2003 certification, an internationally recognized quality standard for medical devices.

From NanoString Technologies 6 May 2010

Study aims to clarify expression patterns of CD24 in NSCLC

The May edition of the Journal of Thoracic Oncology features a study aimed to clarify expression patterns of a novel cancer biomarker, CD24, in non-small cell lung carcinomas (NSCLC) and to correlate the findings to clinicopathologic variables, such as performance status, age, gender and prognostic significance.

6 May 2010

VEGF is key target for new anti-angiogenesis drugs, Spanish team reports

Analyzing the expression of particular genes in lung cancers could soon allow researchers to identify groups of patients who are likely to benefit most from treatment with angiogenesis-inhibitor drugs, a Spanish team reports.

6 May 2010

RayBiotech announces biomarker grant winners

RayBiotech, Inc. has announced the winners of its Biomarker Discovery Pilot Grant program. In total, 18 award recipients were chosen for grants of up to $20,000 each, redeemable for RayBiotech products and services. "By offering these grants," states Dr. Ray (Ruopan) Huang, Founder and President of RayBiotech, "we intend to demonstrate that any researcher with a modest research budget can successfully discover and validate disease-related biomarkers using our antibody arrays."

6 May 2010

Positive results from Phase 2 clinical study of LX1031 in IBS patients presented at DDW 2010

Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a biopharmaceutical company focused on discovering and developing breakthrough treatments for human disease, presented results from its positive Phase 2 clinical study with LX1031 in patients with non-constipating irritable bowel syndrome at Digestive Disease Week 2010 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

6 May 2010

ChemoCentryx reports positive data with Traficet-EN in Crohn's disease trial

ChemoCentryx, Inc., today announced that it reported positive data with Traficet-EN™ (CCX282-B) in the Maintenance period of PROTECT-1 (Prospective Randomized Oral Therapy Evaluation in Crohn's disease Trial-1). Traficet-EN maintained a clinical remission rate (Crohn's Disease Activity Index (CDAI) less than 150) of approximately 50% in Crohn's patients over the course of 36 weeks, whereas in the placebo group remission decreased progressively from 50% to 31%.

5 May 2010

Novel biomarker test predicts risk of disease progression in patients with Crohn's disease

Prometheus Laboratories Inc., a specialty pharmaceutical and diagnostic company, announced new findings supporting a novel, algorithm-based biomarker test that helps clinicians effectively predict the risk of developing aggressive disease in patients with Crohn's disease.

4 May 2010

BioMarker Strategies receives $1M NCI grant funding to develop SnapPath live tumor cell testing system

BioMarker Strategies announced today that the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has approved the first $1 million in Phase II funding for the company's Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) contract to develop the SnapPath™ live tumor cell testing system. The company is developing the SnapPath™ system to better enable drug companies to stratify patients in clinical trials, as well as assist oncologists in determining the most effective targeted drug treatment for their cancer patients.

4 May 2010

New diagnostic tool could help detect heart attacks

A diagnostic tool developed by Rice University scientists to detect heart attacks using a person's saliva is being tested at the Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine in Houston.

4 May 2010

QIAGEN reports 20% revenue growth in first quarter 2010

QIAGEN N.V. today announced the results of operations for its quarter ended March 31, 2010. Net sales were at the high end of, and adjusted earnings per share for the first quarter 2010 exceeded the guidance provided by the Company on February 9, 2010.

From QIAGEN Manchester Limited 4 May 2010

Curis completes enrollment in Phase I clinical trial of CUDC-101 HDAC, EGFR and HER2 inhibitor

Curis, Inc., a drug development company seeking to develop next generation targeted small molecule drug candidates for cancer treatment, today announced that it has successfully completed enrollment and treatment of the last patient in its Phase I clinical trial of CUDC-101, Curis' first-in-class HDAC, EGFR and HER2 inhibitor.

3 May 2010