biomarkers

Viewing posts tagged biomarkers

03 Jul 2017

Precision Medicine Beyond the Genome

By Jay Goth

Today, doctors can tailor a drug therapy to your unique genetic profile, giving you the full benefits of a drug while reducing unwanted side effects — all in harmony with the blueprints of your biology.

Now, through a new $30,000 grant from the J.R. & Inez Jay Fund, researchers at the University of Kansas and Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City are investigating how to tailor drug therapies using exosomes — nanoscale sacs full of biomarkers like lipids, proteins and nucleic acids found in bodily fluids — that can be used to achieve a noninvasive “liquid biopsy.”

“Beyond genetics, there are layers of complexities during development from childhood to adolescence to adulthood.”

–Michael Wang, University of Kansas

The new exosome-based technology could be especially useful in developing personalized medical treatments for children and teens, Wang said.

For the full story visit the University of Kansas website here.

Visit the University of Kansas

29 Jun 2017

Finding the Source of Cancers

By Jay Goth

Investigators at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine and at Xijing Hospital and Sun Yat-sen Cancer Center in China say that DNA methylation can provide effective markers for at least four major cancers.

The biomarkers are able to differentiate malignant tissues from normal tissues and also provide information on prognosis and survival, according to the researchers.

“This new simple method will be of great value to pinpoint the primary source of the tumor.”

–Michael Karin, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology, UC San Diego School of Medicine.

“Choosing the proper cancer treatment with the best chance of recovery and survival depends greatly upon accurately diagnosing the specific type or subtype of cancer,” said Kang Zhang, M.D., Ph.D., founding director of the Institute for Genomic Medicine and co-director of biomaterials and tissue engineering at the Institute of Engineering in Medicine, both at UC San Diego School of Medicine.

Read the entire article at Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News here.

22 Jun 2017

NGS Companion Diagnostic Approved by FDA

By Jay Goth

The US Food and Drug Administration today approved the first next-generation sequencing-based companion diagnostic that can analyze alterations in a panel of genes predictive of response across three non-small cell lung cancer treatments.

The panel, however, gauges alterations in 23 genes in total. The test report will not only indicate whether patients have ROS1, EGFR, and BRAF alterations linked to the three FDA-approved treatments, but also the presence or absence of variants in other genes.

This initial approval makes way for Thermo Fisher to quickly expand the indication of the panel into new markers predictive of drug response. The company is actively working with other drugmakers to expand the indications for the Oncomine Dx Target Test.

Read the entire article at Genome Web.

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Get more genomic news at GenomeWeb

21 Jun 2017

Breakthrough FDA Ruling

By Jay Goth

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) granted accelerated approval to the immunotherapy pembrolizumab for patients with solid tumors that have one of two specific genetic features known as mismatch repair deficiency and high microsatellite instability. The approval covers adult and pediatric patients whose cancer has progressed despite prior treatment and who have no alternative treatment options.

This is the first time that FDA has approved a cancer treatment based solely on the presence of a genetic feature in a tumor, rather than the patient’s cancer type.

“I think this is a step forward for precision medicine.”

–James Gulley, M.D., Ph.D., head of the immunotherapy section of NCI’s Center for Cancer Research

Having a biomarker to identify patients who are most likely to respond is “an area we have widely anticipated as being the next step in understanding how to better use immunotherapies,” said Dr. Gulley. “It’s a welcome first step, and there’s much more yet to be done.”

For the full article, visit the National Cancer Institute page here.

13 Jun 2017

Predictive Gene Expressions

By Jay Goth

Qiagen has reported that the company and Bristol-Myers Squibb will explore the use of NGS to develop gene expression profiles as predictive or prognostic tools for use with several BMS immuno-oncology therapies. The companies also plan to enter into a further agreement to develop diagnostic products using the jointly developed profiles to expand the use of NGS technology with other BMS immuno-oncology therapies.

“Greater precision in the treatment of cancer may enable faster decision making to identify which patient populations are most likely to derive benefit from our immuno-oncology agents.”

–Fouad Namouni, Bristol-Myers Squibb

This development is an example of the trend towards companion diagnostics, in which the use of predictive biomarkers identify individually-based therapies.
Read the announcement here.

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Get more genomic news at GenomeWeb

30 May 2017

New Sensor for Early Cancer Detection

By Jay Goth

A new plasmonic sensor developed by researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign will serve as a reliable early detection of biomarkers for many forms of cancer and eventually other diseases.

Research from University of Illinois

“…instead of needing a vile of blood for a test, a simple finger prick will do.”

For now, detection methods for cancer biomarkers are being implemented in high-risk patients, especially cancer patients in remission. They take time, specialized equipment, and are labor-intensive.
In the future, however, because of the portability and inexpensive nature of this method, it can be more easily administered to any patient at routine check-ups. This would allow those with an elevated concentration of CEA to be treated even before cancer cells spread in the body.
Read the full article at the University of Illinois Engineering site.

03 Apr 2017

Cancer subtypes could be distinguished using metabolomic analysis

By Jay Goth

The emerging field of metabolomics has the potential to contribute significantly to biomarker discovery and cancer. While other techniques, such as DNA sequencing, have led to significant advances in precision oncology, metabolomics has yet to make its mark on the field.

New methods of using metabolomics as a tool for clinical cancer research and care were presented at the 2nd Annual Biomarker Conference by CureMatch, developer of a decision support platform for combination therapy in cancer.
See the full story at Oncology Central.

27 Mar 2017

Researchers Link Noncoding Genetic Variants to Neurodevelopmental Disorders

By Jay Goth

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics studying the DNA of children with severe language problems say they have identified genetic variants in the 3′ untranslated region genome (3’UTRome), which is part of the noncoding part of the genome.

“Our study shows that the identification and testing of noncoding variants will foster our understanding of the genetic causes of neurodevelopmental disorders, which is crucial in the long-term for the design of new and effective therapeutics.”

— Sonja Vernes, Ph.D.
Get the full story at Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

New Article in GEN

23 Mar 2017

Atomic Force Microscopy – Say What??

By Jay Goth

Knowledge of protein folding is important because proteins must assume the correct three-dimensional structure to function properly. Misfolding may inactivate a protein or make it toxic. A new approach has allowed JILA scientists to capture the protein’s folding steps at microsecond resolution.

By showing how the folding of membrane proteins can be studied in more detail, JILA scientists have shown how researchers may better understand previously obscure biophysical processes related to diseases such as neurodegeneration and cancer.

Get the full story at Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News.

New Article in GEN

“The increased complexity was stunning. Better instruments revealed all sorts of hidden dynamics that were obscured over the last 17 years when using conventional technology.”

— Tom Perkins, Ph.D., the leader of the team at JILA

17 Mar 2017

New Report on Personalized Medicine Released

By Jay Goth

For more than two millennia, medicine has maintained its aspiration of being personalized. In ancient times, Hippocrates combined an assessment of the four humors — blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile — to determine the best course of treatment for each patient. Today, the sequence of the four chemical building blocks that comprise DNA, coupled with telltale proteins in the blood, enable more accurate medical predictions.

A new report from the Personalized Medicine Coalition describes the current state of personalized medicine and the opportunities in the future.

Get the full report here.

“The power in tailored therapeutics is for us to say more clearly to payers, providers, and patients: ‘this drug is not for everyone, but it is for you.’ That is exceedingly powerful.”

–John C. Lechleiter, Ph.D. former Chairman, President, and CEO, Eli Lilly and Company

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