Biomarker Commons

Precision Therapeutics, Inc. has recently expanded their BioSpeciFx product to include 21 clinically-relevant biomarkers to help physicians with their treatment decisions. This enhances Precision's approach to personalizing cancer care by offering additional molecular markers, including the recently FDA-approved ALK-FISH test.

OPKO Health, Inc. yesterday announced the acquisition of an exclusive license from Arctic Partners Ab Oy (Turku, Finland) for two biomarkers in the kallikrein family which, used together with prostate specific antigen (PSA), can reduce the need for prostate biopsies by over 50%. These novel biomarkers were developed by investigators at the University of Malmo, Sweden, University of Turku, Finland, and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. The research results indicate that these markers can predict initial biopsy results in men suspected of having prostate cancer; they have been tested in over 8,000 men and were independently validated in the European Randomized Study of Prostate Cancer Screening (Rotterdam).

Evotec AG recently announced a second strategic alliance with Harvard University, this time including Brigham and Women's Hospital aimed at discovering and developing new biomarkers and treatments in the field of kidney disease. The first successful collaboration 'CureBeta' was established in March 2011 to develop new diabetes therapies targeting beta cell regeneration.

Continuing its commitment to advancing personalized medicine by offering world-leading experts and cutting-edge tools, Quintiles today announced that it has invested in a new company formed to provide oncology consulting services and new cancer biomarkers, the key to scientific selection of the right drug for the right patient.

A team of scientists, led by researchers at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine and Zacharon Pharmaceuticals, have developed a simple, reliable test for identifying biomarkers for mucopolysaccharidoses (MPS), a group of inherited metabolic disorders that are currently diagnosed in patients only after symptoms have become serious and the damage possibly irreversible. The findings will be published online January 8 in the journal Nature Chemical Biology.