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.

Psychiatric disorders detected using blood test

ChondroGene Limited reported today that a paper entitled "Assessing the Validity of Blood- Based Gene Expression Profiles for the Classification of Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder: A preliminary Report" is available online on the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics' website.

19 Jan 2005

Strong association between high levels of hyaluronic acid and severe osteoarthritis

A chronic degenerative joint disease, osteoarthritis (OA) is a common cause of pain and disability among older Americans. OA of the knee affects up to 6 percent of the older population, while OA of the hip affects about another 3 percent. While treatments vary, there is hope that early intervention – before joint destruction can be clearly seen and measured on an X-ray image-will improve outcomes.

7 Jan 2005

Reduced progression of atherosclerosis tied to statin drugs lowering fats, protein

Aggressive therapy with statins -- drugs that inhibit cholesterol synthesis -- works better than moderate statin therapy in reducing fats and proteins in the blood that have been linked to atherosclerosis, a new multi-center study concludes. Statins’ effects on both complex compounds appear beneficial in cutting patients’ cardiovascular risks.

6 Jan 2005

ChondroGene and Pfizer osteoarthritis collaboration

ChondroGene reported today that it has entered into a new two-year research collaboration with Pfizer for the identification of novel therapeutic targets and biomarkers for the treatment and diagnosis of osteoarthritis (OA).

21 Dec 2004

Millennium Pharmaceuticals discovers protein biomarkers that could play a role in the early detection of rheumatoid arthritis

Researchers at Millennium Pharmaceuticals today announced the discovery of a panel of protein biomarkers that could play a role in the early detection, prognosis and monitoring of rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

14 Dec 2004

False positive cancer screening tests result not only in anxiety but also additional economic costs

Cancer screening tests can frequently produce false positive outcomes that may result not only in anxiety but also additional economic costs as well, according to research conducted by scientists at the Henry Ford Health System, Detroit, Mich., and published in the December issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

14 Dec 2004

Escalating costs and lengthy clinical trials are major concerns for researchers in the field of drug discovery

Escalating costs and lengthy clinical trials are major concerns for researchers attempting to boost productivity and efficiency in the field of drug discovery. Biomarkers are emerging as the solution to these problems with their ability to reduce drug development costs and time.

7 Dec 2004

Key molecule helps identify renal cell carcinoma

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered a key molecule that lets doctors identify one of the most aggressive types of kidney cancer. Patients with renal cell carcinoma who have higher levels of a molecule known as B7-H1 in their tumors are nearly five times more likely to die from the disease than patients with low levels or an absence of the molecule.

30 Nov 2004

New findings have implications for chronic use of COX-2 Inhibitors in pre-menopausal women

Heart disease is less pronounced in women than in men as humans age, but this difference narrows after menopause. Some studies have shown that estrogen slows heart disease in mouse models, but the mechanism is largely unknown.

18 Nov 2004

Breast cancer study seeks postmenopausal women

Researchers at RMIT University's Department of Food Science are recruiting healthy, postmenopausal women to volunteer for a study to see if diet and lifestyle can improve the treatment of breast cancer.

16 Nov 2004

Obesity could more than double an older woman's risk of acute myelogenous leukemia

A study from the University of Minnesota Cancer Center indicates that overweight and obesity could more than double an older woman's risk of acute myelogenous leukemia (AML), an often fatal cancer of the bone marrow and blood.

8 Nov 2004

Researchers identify biomarkers that could lead to more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus

University of Pittsburgh researchers have identified biomarkers that could result in earlier and more accurate diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), a devastating disease that affects as many as 1.5 million Americans, and occurs 10 to 15 times more frequently in women.

4 Nov 2004

New non-invasive diagnostic test for early-stage lung cancer

A non-invasive diagnostic test for early-stage bronchial carcinoma (lung cancer) was presented at White Rose Bioscience Forum in York yesterday (03 November).

4 Nov 2004

Neuroimaging initiative to track early signs of Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers are looking for ways to spot early warning signs in the brain of developing Alzheimer’s disease.

22 Oct 2004

Higher intake of dietary fiber is associated with lower circulating estrogen levels

Researchers from the Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the University of Hawaii in Honolulu, and the University of Helsinki in Finland have shown that, in Mexican American women, higher intake of dietary fiber is associated with lower circulating estrogen levels.

18 Oct 2004

Asthma research company Synairgen to float on London's Alternative Investment Market

A spin-out company from the University of Southampton specialising in finding and out-licensing treatments for chronic bronchitis (COPD) and the severest forms of asthma, is about to seek a listing on London's Alternative Investment Market (AIM).

13 Oct 2004

Biomarker called cystatin C predicts which people are less likely to survive a heart attack

A biomarker called cystatin C, which measures kidney function, predicts which people are less likely to survive a heart attack, according to research published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

11 Oct 2004

$10 million to establish a multidisciplinary research program in cancer nanotechnology

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded scientists from Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology two new collaborative research grants, totaling nearly $10 million, to establish a multidisciplinary research program in cancer nanotechnology and to develop a new class of nanoparticles for molecular and cellular imaging.

6 Oct 2004

New genomic, proteomic tools yield clues to exercise/diet effects on obesity, metabolic syndrome and diabetes

Applying the latest genomic and proteomic techniques has given researchers new clues for the interaction between exercise and diet, glucose metabolism and improvement in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.

5 Oct 2004

Spitting into a cup could someday be an alternative to blood testing

Researchers have identified the largest number of proteins to date in human saliva, a preliminary finding that could pave the way for more diagnostic tests based on saliva samples. Such tests show promise as a faster, cheaper and potentially safer diagnostic method than blood sampling, they say.