Cancer Biomarker News and Research

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New class of breast cancer: Overexpression of LRP6 gene could be a potential marker

A newly identified cancer biomarker could define a new subtype of breast cancer as well as offer a potential way to treat it, say researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Their findings will be published in the March 1 online early edition issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

2 Mar 2010

Abbott seeks U.S. approval for HE4 assay to monitor recurrence/progression of epithelial ovarian cancer

A new diagnostic tool physicians can use to monitor patients for the most common form of ovarian cancer may soon be available in the United States. Abbott's ARCHITECT HE4 assay uses a simple blood test to help in monitoring for the recurrence or progression of epithelial ovarian cancer. If approved, this important immunoassay would be the first automated HE4 test available in the United States.

9 Feb 2010

Blood test may be effective for diagnosing lung cancer

Of the nearly 150,000 abnormal chest X-rays performed each year in the United States, 25 percent of patients will display only benign lung pathologies on further surgical examination.

13 Jan 2010

Preliminary results from Nektar Therapeutics' NKTR-102 Phase 2 study in platinum-resistant ovarian cancer

Nektar Therapeutics today announced preliminary results from the first stage of a two-stage Phase 2 clinical study evaluating NKTR-102 in women with platinum-resistant ovarian cancer. In the first stage of the study, 39 patients enrolled with platinum-resistant disease were evaluable for the primary endpoint of overall response rate using Gynecologic Cancer InterGroup (GCIG) criteria, i.e., a combination of response by tumor imaging

12 Jan 2010

Abraxis Bioscience awards John Wayne Cancer Institute $1M grant for identifying new cancer biomarkers

A $1 million grant from Abraxis Bioscience, Inc. to a world-famous research laboratory at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Saint John’s Health Center could help save lives of cancer patients by helping doctors more rapidly assess whether a treatment is working or not.

12 Jan 2010

SDI to discover biomarkers in collaboration with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

SDI (Strategic Diagnostics Inc.), a provider of biotechnology-based products and services, and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (the Hutchinson Center) today jointly announced they will collaborate to discover biomarkers for use in the early detection of a variety of cancers.

7 Jan 2010

Multivariable analyses identify epidemiological risk factors for ovarian cancer

Concentrations of the biomarkers CA125, human epididymis protein 4 (HE4), and mesothelin began to rise 3 years before clinical diagnosis of ovarian cancer, according to a new study published online December 30 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. However, the biomarkers became substantially elevated only in the last year prior to diagnosis.

31 Dec 2009

New biomarkers can predict patients' response to certain drugs

Recent advances in cancer therapeutics have led to the discovery of biomarkers that can predict patient response to certain drugs. Screening for mutations in the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGRF) prior to non-small cell lung cancer treatment, for example, has been shown to indentify patients who are likely to respond to treatment with erlontinib. This maximizes the drug's impact, and spares patients who are not likely to benefit from being subjected to potentially debilitating side effects.

19 Nov 2009

Set of critical decision points in cancer biomarker and drug development summarized

A commentary published online October 23 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute summarizes a set of critical decision points in cancer biomarker and drug development. The points, which emerged from a workshop, include developing a clear understanding of the biology of the target and its interaction with the drug and the factors affecting the performance of the biomarker assay.

24 Oct 2009

Early diagnostic for ovarian cancer to be developed

BioProspecting NB Inc. (BPNBI) and the Atlantic Cancer Research Institute (ACRI) have established a formal collaboration to develop an early diagnostic for ovarian cancer based on BPNBI's unique, proprietary cancer management platform.

23 Oct 2009

NCI selects Integral Molecular to map epitopes for monoclonal antibodies

Integral Molecular, Inc. has been selected by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to map epitopes for monoclonal antibodies directed against cancer biomarkers. Protein targets of interest to the Clinical Cancer Proteomics community will be analyzed using Shotgun Mutagenesis Mapping technology to identify amino acids that are essential for antibody binding, allowing the discovery and characterization of cancer-specific biomarkers.

1 Oct 2009

New microchip to detect type and severity of cancer

UofT researchers have used nanomaterials to develop a microchip sensitive enough to quickly determine the type and severity of a patient's cancer so that the disease can be detected earlier for more effective treatment.

29 Sep 2009

Cancer Research UK launches a new Cancer Centre at Cardiff

Cardiff today (Thursday) joins a unique chain of Cancer Research UK Centres that are being launched across the UK.

10 Sep 2009

Nanotags pinpoint multiple cancer markers in live animals

Using nanoparticles designed specifically to produce a bright Raman spectroscopic signal, a team of investigators at the Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence Focused on Therapy Response (Stanford University Center for Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence [CCNE]) has shown that it can simultaneously track as many as 10 different optical tags in a living animal.

7 Sep 2009

Rapid detection and profiling of cancer cells in fine-needle aspirates

Using a new type of paramagnetic nanoparticle and a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system built into a microfluidic device, a team of investigators at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School has created an assay system capable of detecting as few as two cancer cells in 1 microliter of biological fluid. In addition, the new assay requires little sample processing and produces results in less than 15 minutes.

7 Sep 2009

New noninvasive technique to detect colorectal and gastric cancers found

A preliminary evaluation of methylation of two gene promoters in fecal DNA showed promise as a noninvasive method to detect colorectal and gastric cancers, according to a new study published online August 21 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

24 Aug 2009

Genway Clinical Laboratory offers ELISA-based test that detects tumor markers in blood serum

GenWay Clinical Laboratory, a US-based diagnostic company with CLIA certification, has validated a general tumor marker test in their laboratory and now offers this testing service. This is an ELISA-based assay which simply requires a small blood sample from the patient in order to quantify the amount of the tumor marker in their serum.

24 Aug 2009

New software programs improve the cancer biomarker identification process

caCORRECT and omniBioMarker programs earn silver-level compatibility certification from NIH/National Cancer Institute's cancer Bioinformatics Grid

19 Aug 2009

IU Simon Cancer Center researcher heads cancer study during Indiana Black Expo's health fair

A small drop of blood can provide researchers with countless clues into cancer. You can help researchers at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center by donating a blood sample during the Indiana Black Expo's INShape Indiana Black & Minority Health Fair.

6 Jul 2009

Search for prostate cancer biomarkers continues

Collaboration in prostate cancer translational research in Europe is not only vital to sustain the progress achieved in recent years but also to streamline current efforts between researchers and clinicians and avoid duplication or overlaps. This was amongst the goals of the two-day Prostate Cancer Translational Research in Europe (PCTRE) Meeting which opened today in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

23 Jun 2009