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.

Major research effort to improve quality of care for heart patients

People suffering from angina or heart attacks are set to benefit from a major investigation by the University of Bristol into their quality of care.

5 Feb 2009

Primary care doctors miss opportunities to recommend colon cancer screening

While it is known that patients with few primary care doctor's office visits are less likely to receive colorectal cancer screening, new research indicates that even patients who see their physicians regularly also do not receive screening.

3 Feb 2009

Regular physical activity linked to better quality of life in early-stage lung cancer survivors

Survivors of early-stage lung cancer who take part in regular physical activity have a better quality of life, according to a study in the February issue of the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers and Prevention , available online now.

3 Feb 2009

Capn4 protein predicts liver cancer recurrence and after transplantation

A new study suggests that Capn4, a protein involved in cell migration, is associated with liver cancer recurrence and metastasis after liver transplantation.

3 Feb 2009

Sun-intensive holidays may increase future skin cancer risk in children

Vacationing at the shore led to a 5 percent increase in nevi (more commonly called "moles") among 7-year-old children, according to a paper published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

3 Feb 2009

BioGenes as new designated partner in EU funded dementia project

BioGenes GmbH, a specialist in sophisticated antibody development, has been chosen as a new partner of cNEUPRO. cNEUPRO is a EU funded research project to analyse neurodegenerative diseases and discover novel biomarkers, and so improve early and differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's dementia.

2 Feb 2009

Shift workers' body clocks studied to prevent certain cancers

Does shift work predispose you to cancer by altering the body's response to hormones?

2 Feb 2009

Biomarkers as a guide to therapy in heart failure patients

There has been much interest in the biomarker known as N-terminal brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) as a precise guide for the diagnosis, prognosis and treatment of heart failure.

29 Jan 2009

Avoiding environmental tobacco smoke during pregnancy

Environmental Tobacco Smoke (ETS) commonly called secondhand smoke or passive smoking, can harm a developing fetus and may account for complications during pregnancy and birth. It is now known that non-whites experience more adverse pregnancy effects than do whites from smoking and ETS exposure.

29 Jan 2009

Less severe first heart attacks linked to decline in coronary heart disease deaths

The severity of first heart attacks has dropped significantly in the United States - propelling a decline in coronary heart disease deaths, researchers reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

19 Jan 2009

Potential new biomarker for colon cancer

Cincinnati scientists have identified a new biomarker that could help predict a person's risk of developing colon cancer and how aggressive it may become.

19 Jan 2009

Defects in critical DNA repair genes may predict pancreatic cancer risk

Abnormalities in genes that repair mistakes in DNA replication may help identify people who are at high risk of developing pancreatic cancer, a research team from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center reports in the Jan. 15 issue of Clinical Cancer Research .

19 Jan 2009

Discovery of potential biomarker for smoking-related lung diseases

Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have demonstrated that a recently discovered class of molecule called microRNA (miRNAs), regulate the gene expression changes in airway cells that occur with smoking and lung cancer.

13 Jan 2009

Variations in mismatch repair genes predict prognosis in pancreatic cancer

Variations in mismatch repair genes can help predict treatment response and prognosis in patients with pancreatic cancer, according to research from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center presented today in advance of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium.

13 Jan 2009

Estrogen plus progestin therapy may decrease risk of colorectal cancer

The combination of estrogen plus progestin, which women stopped taking in droves following the news that it may increase their risk of breast cancer, may decrease their risk of colorectal cancer, according to a report published in the January issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers and Prevention , a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

8 Jan 2009

Cylene Pharmaceuticals starts CX-4945 trial - first-in class inhibitor of CK2

Cylene Pharmaceuticals announced today that it has initiated a Phase I clinical trial of its oral CK2 protein kinase inhibitor, CX-4945, in patients with advanced solid tumors, Castleman's disease, or multiple myeloma.

5 Jan 2009

In lung cancer, silencing one crucial gene disrupts normal functioning of genome

While examining patterns of DNA modification in lung cancer, a team of international researchers has discovered what they say is a surprising new mechanism.

1 Jan 2009

Barcode chip enables cheaper, faster blood testing

A new barcode chip developed by a multi-institutional team of investigators promises to revolutionize diagnostic medical testing. In less than 10 minutes and using just a pinprick's worth of blood, the chip can measure the concentrations of dozens of proteins, including those that herald the presence of diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

29 Dec 2008

Magnetic nanotags allow sensitive detection of cancer biomarkers

The detection of cancer-associated proteins, or biomarkers, in blood samples is a potentially powerful tool for early diagnosis of cancer and monitoring of cancer treatment.

29 Dec 2008