Biomarkers

With improved technologies, biomarkers, failed drugs may come into their own

Tue, 24 Mar 2026 12:00:00 -0400

At BioEurope Spring 2026, pharma representatives and investors shared their thoughts about current and future landscapes of different disease areas, and on how to move toward success – both at the level of individual companies and for indications as a whole.

Aberrant HORMAD1 expression in TNBC increases sensitivity to mitotic kinase inhibitors

Fri, 20 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

HORMA domain-containing protein 1 (HORMAD1) is a protein that promotes meiotic recombination and its expression is usually restricted to germ-line cells, although it has been shown to be actively expressed out of context in about 60% of triple-negative breast cancers (TNBCs). A team at The Institute of Cancer Research has found that this aberrant expression in tumor cells perturbs mitotic arrest and generates aneuploidy, leading to a weakening of the spindle assembly checkpoint and in kinetochore-microtubule error correction.

Precision psychiatry beyond, or before, biomarkers

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 09:00:00 -0400

There is broad agreement that psychiatric diagnoses in their current form are not reflective of any underlying biology, and that this is one of the things hampering psychiatric drug development. “We are still fully reliant on descriptive diagnoses that yield heterogeneous patient cohorts,” Steve Hyman told the audience at the European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Roadmap Meeting on Precision Psychiatry in Amsterdam in January.

GWAS identifies variant associated with diabetic retinopathy and susceptibility to T2D

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Scientists at the University of Nottingham Ningbo China and collaborators aimed to identify genetic variants associated with diabetic retinopathy.

SCAN is core circuit affected in Parkinson’s disease

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, and tremor is one of its signatures. But it is a much more wide-ranging disorder, and patients experience problems with cognitive and emotional processes as well. SCAN, the somato-cognitive action network identified in 2023, could reshape the definition of PD. Treating this circuit can improve outcomes.

IL-22 and TL1A, a robust couple for diagnosing hidradenitis suppurativa

Thu, 12 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease with strong association with psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). While some signaling pathways are well defined in HS, the role of TNF-like ligand 1 (TL1A) is not well understood. A group of researchers has investigated the association of TL1A with HS, as well as its association with other cytokine networks.

TL1A is overexpressed in hidradenitis suppurativa

Mon, 09 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Despite the availability of advanced therapeutic options, about 40%-50% of patients with hidradenitis suppurativa do not achieve significant improvement in disease activity, thus there is a need for novel medications.

SCAN is core circuit affected in Parkinson’s disease

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that affects movement, and tremor is one of its signatures. But it is a much more wide-ranging disorder, and patients experience problems with cognitive and emotional processes as well. SCAN, the somato-cognitive action network identified in 2023, could reshape the definition of PD. Treating this circuit can improve outcomes.

MJFF grant supports Bexorg’s translational biomarker work

Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Bexorg Inc. has been awarded a research grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (MJFF) through the Targets to Therapies initiative to identify translational biomarkers for TRPML1-targeted therapies.

REST emerges as biomarker in ALS, knockdown improves ALS symptoms

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

About 10% of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) cases result from inherited genetic mutations, with about 20% of them attributed to mutations in the gene encoding the ubiquitous cytoplasmic copper/zinc superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1).

MicroRNAs in circulating extracellular vesicles as IPF biomarkers

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs gaining increasing attention due to their crucial role in gene expression regulation and influence in various cellular processes and diseases. miRNAs can be encapsulated in extracellular vesicles (EVs), which are released by most cell types to modulate gene expression in recipient cells.

Brain-derived tau in blood predicts stroke severity and outcome

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Brain-derived tau, a protein that is exclusive to the brain and detectable in the blood, could serve as an indicator of brain damage after an ischemic stroke. The analysis of this special form of tau has revealed a relationship between high levels of the protein and extensive brain injury, a higher risk of complications, and poorer outcomes.

Biallelic variants in COX18 identified as cause of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease is a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous sensorimotor peripheral neuropathies. It is the most frequent inherited neuromuscular disorder affecting 9.7-82.3 patients per 100,000 individuals. Over 100 genes with all patterns of inheritance have been linked to CMT. These genes encode proteins involved in nerve-specific processes, such as axonal transport, myelination and synaptic transmission, and in general housekeeping pathways. However, the reason underlying why defects in such ubiquitous proteins predominantly affect peripheral nerves remains unclear.

Neurotrimin unveiled as marker in intellectual disability

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Neurotrimin (NTM) is a member of the IgLON family, the disruption of which has been tied to emotional learning deficits and anxiety-like behavior in animal models. A mutation in the NTM gene was found to disrupt NTM protein heterodimerization with other IgLON family members, suggesting a potential link between NTM dysfunction and neurodevelopmental and behavioral disorders.

SERPINB1 as potential biomarker for spinocerebellar ataxia type 2

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Researchers from Goethe-Universität and collaborators investigated novel molecular biomarker candidates for spinocerebellar ataxia type 2, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder caused by a CAG repeat expansion mutation in the coding region of the ATXN2 gene, which encodes ataxin-2.

LINC01116 has prognostic value in lung cancer, study shows

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 08:00:00 -0500

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerged as potential markers of disease, since they associate with proteins that regulate gene expression, translation or stability, among others, and where hypoxia might play a role in this scenario. In recently published work, researchers analyzed clinical data from patients with lung adenocarcinoma to identify hypoxia-modulated lncRNAs in vivo and in vitro, and which could correlate with prognosis.

LINC01116 has prognostic value in lung cancer, study shows

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Mesothelin is biomarker, potential target in arthritic bone damage

Tue, 25 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

In a recent study published in Cell Reports Medicine, researchers from the Institute of Chinese Materia Medica of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences and Xi’an Jiao Tong University Health Science Center found that Mesothelin (MSLN) was significantly elevated in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) rats and mice, where it drove osteoclast differentiation.

UK Biobank delivers largest metabolomics dataset of 500K profiles

Fri, 21 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

It’s the biological resource that keeps on giving, and now UK Biobank has released the final tranche of data on the levels of 249 metabolites in the blood of its half a million participants.

UK Biobank delivers largest metabolomics dataset of 500K profiles

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:00:00 -0500

It’s the biological resource that keeps on giving, and now UK Biobank has released the final tranche of data on the levels of 249 metabolites in the blood of its half a million participants.

‘Most complete’ map of oral microbiome enables links to systemic disease

Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

South Korean researchers led by Lee In-suk of Yonsei University have reported the most complete oral microbiome catalog to date, with more than 72,000 genomes. Detailed in Cell Host & Microbe on Nov. 12, 2025, the database is expected to serve as a universal platform for academia and enable “precision microbiome medicine” for the industry, Lee told BioWorld.

‘Most complete’ map of oral microbiome enables links to systemic disease

Thu, 13 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

With transdiagnostic approach, smaller target groups aren’t inevitably smaller markets

Fri, 07 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Despite the formidable challenges for developing precision psychiatry, the approach is notching its first successes in the preclinical and even some clinical settings. Many individual studies as well as large projects like the Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Markers studies and the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network have been looking at multiple biomarker types, and have begun to identify predictors of specific symptoms, or disease progression.

With transdiagnostic approach, smaller target groups aren’t inevitably smaller markets

Thu, 06 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Anchoring, and bootstrapping, psychiatry into the precision medicine era

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Psychiatry has struggled to enter the precision medicine era. But through a mix of innovations and bootstrapping, progress is coming to the field. Scientists are working on improving diagnoses by investigating potential biomarkers and collection methods.

Anchoring, and bootstrapping, psychiatry into the precision medicine era

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

With transdiagnostic approach, smaller target groups aren’t inevitably smaller markets

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Despite the formidable challenges for developing precision psychiatry, the approach is notching its first successes in the preclinical and even some clinical settings. Many individual studies as well as large projects like the Psychiatric Ratings using Intermediate Markers (PRISM) studies and the Psychiatric Biomarkers Network (PBN) have been looking at multiple biomarker types, and have begun to identify predictors of specific symptoms, or disease progression.

Anchoring, and bootstrapping, psychiatry into the precision medicine era

Tue, 04 Nov 2025 08:00:00 -0500

Biomarker panel of three serum microRNAs predicts cervical cancer prognosis

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) play key roles in cancer development by regulating genes involved in cell growth, differentiation, invasion, metastasis and angiogenesis. Because their expression patterns differ across tumor types and stages, miRNA profiles hold strong potential as noninvasive diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.

LINC01354 is a prognostic marker in esophageal cancer

Thu, 23 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Esophageal cancer is among the most lethal cancers with a high mortality rate worldwide. Chinese researchers have explored the potential link between long intergenic non-protein coding RNA 1354 (LINC01354) and esophageal cancer.