Biomarker News and Research

RSS

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.

Carb-conscious dieters may be lowering their risk of breast cancer

Carb-conscious dieters may be lowering their risk of breast cancer while they’re shedding pounds, based on the findings of research published in this month’s edition of the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

9 Aug 2004

A new marker for osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, crippling age-related disease characterized by the gradual destruction of cartilage cushioning the joints.

5 Aug 2004

New method for detecting premature birth

Researchers at Oregon Health & Science University have discovered a method for detecting intra-amniotic infections in pregnant women using state-of-the-art methods.

29 Jul 2004

Stat5 protein is particularly plentiful in high histological grade human prostate cancer

Prostate cancer is much more likely to be aggressive if a key protein called Stat5 is found activated and in abundance in the cancer cells, report researchers from Georgetown University's Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center.

15 Jul 2004

The full effects of passive smoking may have been underestimated

Passive smoking and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: prospective study with cotinine measurement BMJ Online First.

29 Jun 2004

New York study reveals that babies in the womb are more sensitive than their mothers to DNA damage from pollution

A new study of the effects of combustion-related air pollutants in New York City reveals that babies in the womb are more sensitive than their mothers to DNA damage from such pollution.

26 Jun 2004

Newborns are more susceptible to DNA damage from pollution than their mothers

New Study of New York City Residents Shows That Newborns are More Susceptible to DNA Damage from Pollution than Their Mothers.

24 Jun 2004

Don't tell your Grandma! Brussel sprouts could help protect against cancer

“DNA damage is associated with cancer risk. Sources of DNA damage include diet-related carcinogens, and bodily processes like oxidative stress – and the raw sprouts protect against this kind of damage.

23 Jun 2004

More mammograms key to tackling breast cancer

Mammograms have helped to lower death rates from breast cancer, but a new report by the Institute of Medicine suggest a lot more needs to be done to improve breast cancer screening and save even more lives.

22 Jun 2004

New software helps understanding of protein-protein docking

These algorithms enable more efficient life science research by helping scientists to understand the action of therapeutically interesting proteins by predicting the manner in which two proteins interact at the atomic level.

15 Jun 2004

Biologist has identified gene patterns that characterize a biologically distinct subtype of estrogen receptor negative breast tumor

University of North Carolina molecular biologist Charles Perou has identified the pattern of genes that characterize a biologically distinct subtype of estrogen receptor negative breast tumor.

14 Jun 2004

Mammograms, wider access, better technologies needed

Mammography has helped lower the death rate from breast cancer, but a new report by the Institute of Medicine says much could be done to improve breast cancer screening and save even more lives.

12 Jun 2004

Combination treatment may help type 2 diabetes patients

New research presented by Peter Weissman, M.D., from the University of Miami, at the 64th Annual Scientific Sessions of the American Diabetes Association shows that combination treatment with rosiglitazone maleate and metformin significantly improves certain markers of cardiovascular disease risk in patients with type 2 diabetes compared to metformin alone.

6 Jun 2004

High school student makes significant contribution to breast cancer research

A high school student from Albany, New York, has made a significant contribution toward understanding how mutations to a gene called BRCA-1 contributes to hereditary breast cancer.

5 Jun 2004

New method for identifying proteins found in trace quantities in the blood

Using conventional technologies, researchers supported by the National Cancer Institute (Science Applications International Corporation-Frederick, Inc. (SAIC)) have developed a new method for identifying proteins found in trace quantities in the blood.

5 Jun 2004

Diabetics could be up to three times more likely to get bowel cancer

People with diabetes could be up to three times more likely to get bowel cancer – according to a report from Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council published*(1) today.

5 Jun 2004

People with diabetes could be up to three times more likely to get bowel cancer

Scientists tested a marker of the sugar levels in blood samples*(2) taken from almost 10,000 men and women aged between 45-79 and then checked their medical condition six years later.

5 Jun 2004

Discovery of a key marker in breast cancer tumors

Cancer researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center have discovered a key marker in breast cancer tumors that may help determine which women with early stage breast cancer have a better chance of survival. The research appears in the June 1 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

31 May 2004

Researchers identify molecules that underlie nerve fiber degeneration in multiple sclerosis patients

Yale researchers and collaborators have identified molecules that underlie nerve fiber degeneration in patients with secondary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a disease that cripples nearly three million people worldwide. The new findings are the first observations in humans of molecules that contribute to degeneration of nerve fibers.

27 May 2004

New study of tumor genetics may help to treat patients with head and neck cancer

Head and neck tumors account for more than 40,000 new cancers annually in the United States. The most common of these is squamous cell carcinoma. Prognosis is based largely on location and size of the tumor, and if the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to lymph nodes and distant sites in the body.

19 May 2004