Bio-Nanotechnology-Based Serum Analysis to Impact Personalized Medicine

Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) has reported in its April 1 issue that academic and scientists are researching on serum analysis to discover biomarkers that can be used in personalized medicine.

Editor in chief John Sterling says this technology will help identify biosignatures and biomarker expression types. It can also be used for clinical trials of patients.

Exiqon will report on its diagnostic program to help early identification of colorectal cancer (CRC) at the upcoming national conference to be hosted by the American Association for Cancer Research. The company used its miRCURY LNA Universal RT microRNA PCR system to identify the presence of a miRNA signature in blood plasma that indicates the presence of CRC. Multiple patient miRNAs in 200 patients exhibiting CRC were compared with an equal control group. A validation study incorporating about 5,000 patient prototypes will be completed by end 2011.

The VeriStrat platform from Biodesix is used in laboratories to anticipate reactions to a second-line biotherapeutic therapy option. The test focuses on patients who could benefit from the erlotinib treatment, an EGFR-TKI in patients suffering from advanced large-cell lung cancer. An analysis of the BR.21 pivotal tests for erlotinib was used to corroborate these findings. The report also consists of analyses of companies such as Luminex, Serametrix, ProFACT Proteomics, and Alphylase.

Source: http://www.genengnews.com/