WorldWideScience

Sample records for biomarker discovery studies

  1. Proteomic and metabolomic approaches to biomarker discovery

    CERN Document Server

    Issaq, Haleem J

    2013-01-01

    Proteomic and Metabolomic Approaches to Biomarker Discovery demonstrates how to leverage biomarkers to improve accuracy and reduce errors in research. Disease biomarker discovery is one of the most vibrant and important areas of research today, as the identification of reliable biomarkers has an enormous impact on disease diagnosis, selection of treatment regimens, and therapeutic monitoring. Various techniques are used in the biomarker discovery process, including techniques used in proteomics, the study of the proteins that make up an organism, and metabolomics, the study of chemical fingerprints created from cellular processes. Proteomic and Metabolomic Approaches to Biomarker Discovery is the only publication that covers techniques from both proteomics and metabolomics and includes all steps involved in biomarker discovery, from study design to study execution.  The book describes methods, and presents a standard operating procedure for sample selection, preparation, and storage, as well as data analysis...

  2. Emerging Concepts and Methodologies in Cancer Biomarker Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Meixia; Zhang, Jinxiang; Zhang, Lanjing

    2017-01-01

    Cancer biomarker discovery is a critical part of cancer prevention and treatment. Despite the decades of effort, only a small number of cancer biomarkers have been identified for and validated in clinical settings. Conceptual and methodological breakthroughs may help accelerate the discovery of additional cancer biomarkers, particularly their use for diagnostics. In this review, we have attempted to review the emerging concepts in cancer biomarker discovery, including real-world evidence, open access data, and data paucity in rare or uncommon cancers. We have also summarized the recent methodological progress in cancer biomarker discovery, such as high-throughput sequencing, liquid biopsy, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and deep learning and neural networks. Much attention has been given to the methodological details and comparison of the methodologies. Notably, these concepts and methodologies interact with each other and will likely lead to synergistic effects when carefully combined. Newer, more innovative concepts and methodologies are emerging as the current emerging ones became mainstream and widely applied to the field. Some future challenges are also discussed. This review contributes to the development of future theoretical frameworks and technologies in cancer biomarker discovery and will contribute to the discovery of more useful cancer biomarkers.

  3. Biomarkers: in medicine, drug discovery, and environmental health

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Vaidya, Vishal S; Bonventre, Joseph V

    2010-01-01

    ... Identification Using Mass Spectrometry Sample Preparation Protein Quantitation Examples of Biomarker Discovery and Evaluation Challenges in Proteomic Biomarker Discovery The Road Forward: Targeted ...

  4. Biomarker discovery in mass spectrometry-based urinary proteomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomas, Samuel; Hao, Ling; Ricke, William A; Li, Lingjun

    2016-04-01

    Urinary proteomics has become one of the most attractive topics in disease biomarker discovery. MS-based proteomic analysis has advanced continuously and emerged as a prominent tool in the field of clinical bioanalysis. However, only few protein biomarkers have made their way to validation and clinical practice. Biomarker discovery is challenged by many clinical and analytical factors including, but not limited to, the complexity of urine and the wide dynamic range of endogenous proteins in the sample. This article highlights promising technologies and strategies in the MS-based biomarker discovery process, including study design, sample preparation, protein quantification, instrumental platforms, and bioinformatics. Different proteomics approaches are discussed, and progresses in maximizing urinary proteome coverage and standardization are emphasized in this review. MS-based urinary proteomics has great potential in the development of noninvasive diagnostic assays in the future, which will require collaborative efforts between analytical scientists, systems biologists, and clinicians. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Mass Spectrometry–Based Biomarker Discovery: Toward a Global Proteome Index of Individuality

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawkridge, Adam M.; Muddiman, David C.

    2011-01-01

    Biomarker discovery and proteomics have become synonymous with mass spectrometry in recent years. Although this conflation is an injustice to the many essential biomolecular techniques widely used in biomarker-discovery platforms, it underscores the power and potential of contemporary mass spectrometry. Numerous novel and powerful technologies have been developed around mass spectrometry, proteomics, and biomarker discovery over the past 20 years to globally study complex proteomes (e.g., plasma). However, very few large-scale longitudinal studies have been carried out using these platforms to establish the analytical variability relative to true biological variability. The purpose of this review is not to cover exhaustively the applications of mass spectrometry to biomarker discovery, but rather to discuss the analytical methods and strategies that have been developed for mass spectrometry–based biomarker-discovery platforms and to place them in the context of the many challenges and opportunities yet to be addressed. PMID:20636062

  6. The application of mass-spectrometry-based protein biomarker discovery to theragnostics

    OpenAIRE

    Street, Jonathan M; Dear, James W

    2010-01-01

    Over the last decade rapid developments in mass spectrometry have allowed the identification of multiple proteins in complex biological samples. This proteomic approach has been applied to biomarker discovery in the context of clinical pharmacology (the combination of biomarker and drug now being termed ‘theragnostics’). In this review we provide a roadmap for early protein biomarker discovery studies, focusing on some key questions that regularly confront researchers.

  7. Mass Spectrometry-Based Biomarker Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhou, Weidong; Petricoin, Emanuel F; Longo, Caterina

    2017-01-01

    The discovery of candidate biomarkers within the entire proteome is one of the most important and challenging goals in proteomic research. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics is a modern and promising technology for semiquantitative and qualitative assessment of proteins, enabling protein sequencing and identification with exquisite accuracy and sensitivity. For mass spectrometry analysis, protein extractions from tissues or body fluids and subsequent protein fractionation represent an important and unavoidable step in the workflow for biomarker discovery. Following extraction of proteins, the protein mixture must be digested, reduced, alkylated, and cleaned up prior to mass spectrometry. The aim of our chapter is to provide comprehensible and practical lab procedures for sample digestion, protein fractionation, and subsequent mass spectrometry analysis.

  8. Improving the quality of biomarker discovery research: the right samples and enough of them.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pepe, Margaret S; Li, Christopher I; Feng, Ziding

    2015-06-01

    Biomarker discovery research has yielded few biomarkers that validate for clinical use. A contributing factor may be poor study designs. The goal in discovery research is to identify a subset of potentially useful markers from a large set of candidates assayed on case and control samples. We recommend the PRoBE design for selecting samples. We propose sample size calculations that require specifying: (i) a definition for biomarker performance; (ii) the proportion of useful markers the study should identify (Discovery Power); and (iii) the tolerable number of useless markers amongst those identified (False Leads Expected, FLE). We apply the methodology to a study of 9,000 candidate biomarkers for risk of colon cancer recurrence where a useful biomarker has positive predictive value ≥ 30%. We find that 40 patients with recurrence and 160 without recurrence suffice to filter out 98% of useless markers (2% FLE) while identifying 95% of useful biomarkers (95% Discovery Power). Alternative methods for sample size calculation required more assumptions. Biomarker discovery research should utilize quality biospecimen repositories and include sample sizes that enable markers meeting prespecified performance characteristics for well-defined clinical applications to be identified. The scientific rigor of discovery research should be improved. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  9. Cancer Biomarker Discovery: Lectin-Based Strategies Targeting Glycoproteins

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David Clark

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Biomarker discovery can identify molecular markers in various cancers that can be used for detection, screening, diagnosis, and monitoring of disease progression. Lectin-affinity is a technique that can be used for the enrichment of glycoproteins from a complex sample, facilitating the discovery of novel cancer biomarkers associated with a disease state.

  10. Mass spectrometry for protein quantification in biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Mu; You, Jinsam

    2012-01-01

    Major technological advances have made proteomics an extremely active field for biomarker discovery in recent years due primarily to the development of newer mass spectrometric technologies and the explosion in genomic and protein bioinformatics. This leads to an increased emphasis on larger scale, faster, and more efficient methods for detecting protein biomarkers in human tissues, cells, and biofluids. Most current proteomic methodologies for biomarker discovery, however, are not highly automated and are generally labor-intensive and expensive. More automation and improved software programs capable of handling a large amount of data are essential to reduce the cost of discovery and to increase throughput. In this chapter, we discuss and describe mass spectrometry-based proteomic methods for quantitative protein analysis.

  11. Glycoscience aids in biomarker discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Serenus Hua1,2 & Hyun Joo An1,2,*

    2012-06-01

    Full Text Available The glycome consists of all glycans (or carbohydrates within abiological system, and modulates a wide range of important biologicalactivities, from protein folding to cellular communications.The mining of the glycome for disease markers representsa new paradigm for biomarker discovery; however, this effortis severely complicated by the vast complexity and structuraldiversity of glycans. This review summarizes recent developmentsin analytical technology and methodology as applied tothe fields of glycomics and glycoproteomics. Mass spectrometricstrategies for glycan compositional profiling are described, as arepotential refinements which allow structure-specific profiling.Analytical methods that can discern protein glycosylation at aspecific site of modification are also discussed in detail.Biomarker discovery applications are shown at each level ofanalysis, highlighting the key role that glycoscience can play inhelping scientists understand disease biology.

  12. Biomarker Discovery in Human Prostate Cancer: an Update in Metabolomics Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ana Rita Lima

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Prostate cancer (PCa is the most frequently diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer death among men in Western countries. Current screening techniques are based on the measurement of serum prostate specific antigen (PSA levels and digital rectal examination. A decisive diagnosis of PCa is based on prostate biopsies; however, this approach can lead to false-positive and false-negative results. Therefore, it is important to discover new biomarkers for the diagnosis of PCa, preferably noninvasive ones. Metabolomics is an approach that allows the analysis of the entire metabolic profile of a biological system. As neoplastic cells have a unique metabolic phenotype related to cancer development and progression, the identification of dysfunctional metabolic pathways using metabolomics can be used to discover cancer biomarkers and therapeutic targets. In this study, we review several metabolomics studies performed in prostatic fluid, blood plasma/serum, urine, tissues and immortalized cultured cell lines with the objective of discovering alterations in the metabolic phenotype of PCa and thus discovering new biomarkers for the diagnosis of PCa. Encouraging results using metabolomics have been reported for PCa, with sarcosine being one of the most promising biomarkers identified to date. However, the use of sarcosine as a PCa biomarker in the clinic remains a controversial issue within the scientific community. Beyond sarcosine, other metabolites are considered to be biomarkers for PCa, but they still need clinical validation. Despite the lack of metabolomics biomarkers reaching clinical practice, metabolomics proved to be a powerful tool in the discovery of new biomarkers for PCa detection.

  13. Approach to cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker discovery and evaluation in HIV infection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Price, Richard W; Peterson, Julia; Fuchs, Dietmar; Angel, Thomas E; Zetterberg, Henrik; Hagberg, Lars; Spudich, Serena; Smith, Richard D; Jacobs, Jon M; Brown, Joseph N; Gisslen, Magnus

    2013-12-01

    Central nervous system (CNS) infection is a nearly universal facet of systemic HIV infection that varies in character and neurological consequences. While clinical staging and neuropsychological test performance have been helpful in evaluating patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers present a valuable and objective approach to more accurate diagnosis, assessment of treatment effects and understanding of evolving pathobiology. We review some lessons from our recent experience with CSF biomarker studies. We have used two approaches to biomarker analysis: targeted, hypothesis-driven and non-targeted exploratory discovery methods. We illustrate the first with data from a cross-sectional study of defined subject groups across the spectrum of systemic and CNS disease progression and the second with a longitudinal study of the CSF proteome in subjects initiating antiretroviral treatment. Both approaches can be useful and, indeed, complementary. The first is helpful in assessing known or hypothesized biomarkers while the second can identify novel biomarkers and point to broad interactions in pathogenesis. Common to both is the need for well-defined samples and subjects that span a spectrum of biological activity and biomarker concentrations. Previously-defined guide biomarkers of CNS infection, inflammation and neural injury are useful in categorizing samples for analysis and providing critical biological context for biomarker discovery studies. CSF biomarkers represent an underutilized but valuable approach to understanding the interactions of HIV and the CNS and to more objective diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. Both hypothesis-based and discovery methods can be useful in advancing the definition and use of these biomarkers.

  14. Approach to Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) Biomarker Discovery and Evaluation in HIV Infection

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Price, Richard W.; Peterson, Julia; Fuchs, Dietmar; Angel, Thomas E.; Zetterberg, Henrik; Hagberg, Lars; Spudich, Serena S.; Smith, Richard D.; Jacobs, Jon M.; Brown, Joseph N.; Gisslen, Magnus

    2013-12-13

    Central nervous system (CNS) infection is a nearly universal facet of systemic HIV infection that varies in character and neurological consequences. While clinical staging and neuropsychological test performance have been helpful in evaluating patients, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers present a valuable and objective approach to more accurate diagnosis, assessment of treatment effects and understanding of evolving pathobiology. We review some lessons from our recent experience with CSF biomarker studies. We have used two approaches to biomarker analysis: targeted, hypothesis-driven and non-targeted exploratory discovery methods. We illustrate the first with data from a cross-sectional study of defined subject groups across the spectrum of systemic and CNS disease progression and the second with a longitudinal study of the CSF proteome in subjects initiating antiretroviral treatment. Both approaches can be useful and, indeed, complementary. The first is helpful in assessing known or hypothesized biomarkers while the second can identify novel biomarkers and point to broad interactions in pathogenesis. Common to both is the need for well-defined samples and subjects that span a spectrum of biological activity and biomarker concentrations. Previouslydefined guide biomarkers of CNS infection, inflammation and neural injury are useful in categorizing samples for analysis and providing critical biological context for biomarker discovery studies. CSF biomarkers represent an underutilized but valuable approach to understanding the interactions of HIV and the CNS and to more objective diagnosis and assessment of disease activity. Both hypothesis-based and discovery methods can be useful in advancing the definition and use of these biomarkers.

  15. Proteome analysis of body fluids for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Krüger, Thomas; Lautenschläger, Janin; Grosskreutz, Julian; Rhode, Heidrun

    2013-01-01

    Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder of motor neurons leading to death of the patients, mostly within 2-5 years after disease onset. The pathomechanism of motor neuron degeneration is only partially understood and therapeutic strategies based on mechanistic insights are largely ineffective. The discovery of reliable biomarkers of disease diagnosis and progression is the sine qua non of both the revelation of insights into the ALS pathomechanism and the assessment of treatment efficacies. Proteomic approaches are an important pillar in ALS biomarker discovery. Cerebrospinal fluid is the most promising body fluid for differential proteome analyses, followed by blood (serum, plasma), and even urine and saliva. The present study provides an overview about reported peptide/protein biomarker candidates that showed significantly altered levels in certain body fluids of ALS patients. These findings have to be discussed according to proposed pathomechanisms to identify modifiers of disease progression and to pave the way for the development of potential therapeutic strategies. Furthermore, limitations and advantages of proteomic approaches for ALS biomarker discovery in different body fluids and reliable validation of biomarker candidates have been addressed. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larry Gold

    2010-12-01

    Full Text Available The interrogation of proteomes ("proteomics" in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology and medicine.We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 µL of serum or plasma. Our current assay measures 813 proteins with low limits of detection (1 pM median, 7 logs of overall dynamic range (~100 fM-1 µM, and 5% median coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding signature of DNA aptamer concentrations, which is quantified on a DNA microarray. Our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded protein-binding entities with defined shapes and unique nucleotide sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD. We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to rapidly discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states.We describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine.

  17. Aptamer-based multiplexed proteomic technology for biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gold, Larry; Ayers, Deborah; Bertino, Jennifer; Bock, Christopher; Bock, Ashley; Brody, Edward N; Carter, Jeff; Dalby, Andrew B; Eaton, Bruce E; Fitzwater, Tim; Flather, Dylan; Forbes, Ashley; Foreman, Trudi; Fowler, Cate; Gawande, Bharat; Goss, Meredith; Gunn, Magda; Gupta, Shashi; Halladay, Dennis; Heil, Jim; Heilig, Joe; Hicke, Brian; Husar, Gregory; Janjic, Nebojsa; Jarvis, Thale; Jennings, Susan; Katilius, Evaldas; Keeney, Tracy R; Kim, Nancy; Koch, Tad H; Kraemer, Stephan; Kroiss, Luke; Le, Ngan; Levine, Daniel; Lindsey, Wes; Lollo, Bridget; Mayfield, Wes; Mehan, Mike; Mehler, Robert; Nelson, Sally K; Nelson, Michele; Nieuwlandt, Dan; Nikrad, Malti; Ochsner, Urs; Ostroff, Rachel M; Otis, Matt; Parker, Thomas; Pietrasiewicz, Steve; Resnicow, Daniel I; Rohloff, John; Sanders, Glenn; Sattin, Sarah; Schneider, Daniel; Singer, Britta; Stanton, Martin; Sterkel, Alana; Stewart, Alex; Stratford, Suzanne; Vaught, Jonathan D; Vrkljan, Mike; Walker, Jeffrey J; Watrobka, Mike; Waugh, Sheela; Weiss, Allison; Wilcox, Sheri K; Wolfson, Alexey; Wolk, Steven K; Zhang, Chi; Zichi, Dom

    2010-12-07

    The interrogation of proteomes ("proteomics") in a highly multiplexed and efficient manner remains a coveted and challenging goal in biology and medicine. We present a new aptamer-based proteomic technology for biomarker discovery capable of simultaneously measuring thousands of proteins from small sample volumes (15 µL of serum or plasma). Our current assay measures 813 proteins with low limits of detection (1 pM median), 7 logs of overall dynamic range (~100 fM-1 µM), and 5% median coefficient of variation. This technology is enabled by a new generation of aptamers that contain chemically modified nucleotides, which greatly expand the physicochemical diversity of the large randomized nucleic acid libraries from which the aptamers are selected. Proteins in complex matrices such as plasma are measured with a process that transforms a signature of protein concentrations into a corresponding signature of DNA aptamer concentrations, which is quantified on a DNA microarray. Our assay takes advantage of the dual nature of aptamers as both folded protein-binding entities with defined shapes and unique nucleotide sequences recognizable by specific hybridization probes. To demonstrate the utility of our proteomics biomarker discovery technology, we applied it to a clinical study of chronic kidney disease (CKD). We identified two well known CKD biomarkers as well as an additional 58 potential CKD biomarkers. These results demonstrate the potential utility of our technology to rapidly discover unique protein signatures characteristic of various disease states. We describe a versatile and powerful tool that allows large-scale comparison of proteome profiles among discrete populations. This unbiased and highly multiplexed search engine will enable the discovery of novel biomarkers in a manner that is unencumbered by our incomplete knowledge of biology, thereby helping to advance the next generation of evidence-based medicine.

  18. Proteomics for discovery of candidate colorectal cancer biomarkers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Álvarez-Chaver, Paula; Otero-Estévez, Olalla; Páez de la Cadena, María; Rodríguez-Berrocal, Francisco J; Martínez-Zorzano, Vicenta S

    2014-01-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most common cause of cancer-related deaths in Europe and other Western countries, mainly due to the lack of well-validated clinically useful biomarkers with enough sensitivity and specificity to detect this disease at early stages. Although it is well known that the pathogenesis of CRC is a progressive accumulation of mutations in multiple genes, much less is known at the proteome level. Therefore, in the last years many proteomic studies have been conducted to find new candidate protein biomarkers for diagnosis, prognosis and as therapeutic targets for this malignancy, as well as to elucidate the molecular mechanisms of colorectal carcinogenesis. An important advantage of the proteomic approaches is the capacity to look for multiple differentially expressed proteins in a single study. This review provides an overview of the recent reports describing the different proteomic tools used for the discovery of new protein markers for CRC such as two-dimensional electrophoresis methods, quantitative mass spectrometry-based techniques or protein microarrays. Additionally, we will also focus on the diverse biological samples used for CRC biomarker discovery such as tissue, serum and faeces, besides cell lines and murine models, discussing their advantages and disadvantages, and summarize the most frequently identified candidate CRC markers. PMID:24744574

  19. Metabolomics for Biomarker Discovery: Moving to the Clinic

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Aihua; Sun, Hui; Yan, Guangli; Wang, Ping; Wang, Xijun

    2015-01-01

    To improve the clinical course of diseases, more accurate diagnostic and assessment methods are required as early as possible. In order to achieve this, metabolomics offers new opportunities for biomarker discovery in complex diseases and may provide pathological understanding of diseases beyond traditional technologies. It is the systematic analysis of low-molecular-weight metabolites in biological samples and has become an important tool in clinical research and the diagnosis of human disease and has been applied to discovery and identification of the perturbed pathways. It provides a powerful approach to discover biomarkers in biological systems and offers a holistic approach with the promise to clinically enhance diagnostics. When carried out properly, it could provide insight into the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of diseases, help to identify patients at risk of disease, and predict the response to specific treatments. Currently, metabolomics has become an important tool in clinical research and the diagnosis of human disease and becomes a hot topic. This review will highlight the importance and benefit of metabolomics for identifying biomarkers that accurately screen potential biomarkers of diseases. PMID:26090402

  20. Using Aptamers for Cancer Biomarker Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yun Min Chang

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Aptamers are single-stranded synthetic DNA- or RNA-based oligonucleotides that fold into various shapes to bind to a specific target, which includes proteins, metals, and molecules. Aptamers have high affinity and high specificity that are comparable to that of antibodies. They are obtained using iterative method, called (Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment SELEX and cell-based SELEX (cell-SELEX. Aptamers can be paired with recent advances in nanotechnology, microarray, microfluidics, and other technologies for applications in clinical medicine. One particular area that aptamers can shed a light on is biomarker discovery. Biomarkers are important in diagnosis and treatment of cancer. In this paper, we will describe ways in which aptamers can be used to discover biomarkers for cancer diagnosis and therapeutics.

  1. Integration of Proteomics, Bioinformatics, and Systems Biology in Traumatic Brain Injury Biomarker Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Guingab-Cagmat, J.D.; Cagmat, E.B.; Hayes, R.L.; Anagli, J.

    2013-01-01

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major medical crisis without any FDA-approved pharmacological therapies that have been demonstrated to improve functional outcomes. It has been argued that discovery of disease-relevant biomarkers might help to guide successful clinical trials for TBI. Major advances in mass spectrometry (MS) have revolutionized the field of proteomic biomarker discovery and facilitated the identification of several candidate markers that are being further evaluated for their efficacy as TBI biomarkers. However, several hurdles have to be overcome even during the discovery phase which is only the first step in the long process of biomarker development. The high-throughput nature of MS-based proteomic experiments generates a massive amount of mass spectral data presenting great challenges in downstream interpretation. Currently, different bioinformatics platforms are available for functional analysis and data mining of MS-generated proteomic data. These tools provide a way to convert data sets to biologically interpretable results and functional outcomes. A strategy that has promise in advancing biomarker development involves the triad of proteomics, bioinformatics, and systems biology. In this review, a brief overview of how bioinformatics and systems biology tools analyze, transform, and interpret complex MS datasets into biologically relevant results is discussed. In addition, challenges and limitations of proteomics, bioinformatics, and systems biology in TBI biomarker discovery are presented. A brief survey of researches that utilized these three overlapping disciplines in TBI biomarker discovery is also presented. Finally, examples of TBI biomarkers and their applications are discussed. PMID:23750150

  2. Biomarker discovery for colon cancer using a 761 gene RT-PCR assay

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hackett James R

    2007-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Reverse transcription PCR (RT-PCR is widely recognized to be the gold standard method for quantifying gene expression. Studies using RT-PCR technology as a discovery tool have historically been limited to relatively small gene sets compared to other gene expression platforms such as microarrays. We have recently shown that TaqMan® RT-PCR can be scaled up to profile expression for 192 genes in fixed paraffin-embedded (FPE clinical study tumor specimens. This technology has also been used to develop and commercialize a widely used clinical test for breast cancer prognosis and prediction, the Onco typeDX™ assay. A similar need exists in colon cancer for a test that provides information on the likelihood of disease recurrence in colon cancer (prognosis and the likelihood of tumor response to standard chemotherapy regimens (prediction. We have now scaled our RT-PCR assay to efficiently screen 761 biomarkers across hundreds of patient samples and applied this process to biomarker discovery in colon cancer. This screening strategy remains attractive due to the inherent advantages of maintaining platform consistency from discovery through clinical application. Results RNA was extracted from formalin fixed paraffin embedded (FPE tissue, as old as 28 years, from 354 patients enrolled in NSABP C-01 and C-02 colon cancer studies. Multiplexed reverse transcription reactions were performed using a gene specific primer pool containing 761 unique primers. PCR was performed as independent TaqMan® reactions for each candidate gene. Hierarchal clustering demonstrates that genes expected to co-express form obvious, distinct and in certain cases very tightly correlated clusters, validating the reliability of this technical approach to biomarker discovery. Conclusion We have developed a high throughput, quantitatively precise multi-analyte gene expression platform for biomarker discovery that approaches low density DNA arrays in numbers of

  3. Novel ageing-biomarker discovery using data-intensive technologies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Griffiths, H R; Augustyniak, E M; Bennett, S J; Debacq-Chainiaux, F; Dunston, C R; Kristensen, P; Melchjorsen, C J; Navarrete, Santos A; Simm, A; Toussaint, O

    2015-11-01

    Ageing is accompanied by many visible characteristics. Other biological and physiological markers are also well-described e.g. loss of circulating sex hormones and increased inflammatory cytokines. Biomarkers for healthy ageing studies are presently predicated on existing knowledge of ageing traits. The increasing availability of data-intensive methods enables deep-analysis of biological samples for novel biomarkers. We have adopted two discrete approaches in MARK-AGE Work Package 7 for biomarker discovery; (1) microarray analyses and/or proteomics in cell systems e.g. endothelial progenitor cells or T cell ageing including a stress model; and (2) investigation of cellular material and plasma directly from tightly-defined proband subsets of different ages using proteomic, transcriptomic and miR array. The first approach provided longitudinal insight into endothelial progenitor and T cell ageing. This review describes the strategy and use of hypothesis-free, data-intensive approaches to explore cellular proteins, miR, mRNA and plasma proteins as healthy ageing biomarkers, using ageing models and directly within samples from adults of different ages. It considers the challenges associated with integrating multiple models and pilot studies as rational biomarkers for a large cohort study. From this approach, a number of high-throughput methods were developed to evaluate novel, putative biomarkers of ageing in the MARK-AGE cohort. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Bioinformatics and biomarker discovery "Omic" data analysis for personalized medicine

    CERN Document Server

    Azuaje, Francisco

    2010-01-01

    This book is designed to introduce biologists, clinicians and computational researchers to fundamental data analysis principles, techniques and tools for supporting the discovery of biomarkers and the implementation of diagnostic/prognostic systems. The focus of the book is on how fundamental statistical and data mining approaches can support biomarker discovery and evaluation, emphasising applications based on different types of "omic" data. The book also discusses design factors, requirements and techniques for disease screening, diagnostic and prognostic applications. Readers are provided w

  5. The path from biomarker discovery to regulatory qualification

    CERN Document Server

    Goodsaid, Federico

    2013-01-01

    The Path from Biomarker Discovery to Regulatory Qualification is a unique guide that focuses on biomarker qualification, its history and current regulatory settings in both the US and abroad. This multi-contributed book provides a detailed look at the next step to developing biomarkers for clinical use and covers overall concepts, challenges, strategies and solutions based on the experiences of regulatory authorities and scientists. Members of the regulatory, pharmaceutical and biomarker development communities will benefit the most from using this book-it is a complete and practical guide to biomarker qualification, providing valuable insight to an ever-evolving and important area of regulatory science. For complimentary access to chapter 13, 'Classic' Biomarkers of Liver Injury, by John R. Senior, Associate Director for Science, Food and Drug Administration, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA, please visit the following site:  http://tinyurl.com/ClassicBiomarkers Contains a collection of experiences of different...

  6. Urinary Proteomics Pilot Study for Biomarker Discovery and Diagnosis in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Rossing, Kasper; Bosselmann, Helle Skovmand; Gustafsson, Finn

    2016-01-01

    and Results Urine samples were analyzed by on-line capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization micro time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-MS) to generate individual urinary proteome profiles. In an initial biomarker discovery cohort, analysis of urinary proteome profiles from 33 HFr......Background Biomarker discovery and new insights into the pathophysiology of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) may emerge from recent advances in high-throughput urinary proteomics. This could lead to improved diagnosis, risk stratification and management of HFrEF. Methods.......6%) in individuals with diastolic left ventricular dysfunction (N = 176). The HFrEF-related peptide biomarkers mainly included fragments of fibrillar type I and III collagen but also, e.g., of fibrinogen beta and alpha-1-antitrypsin. Conclusion CE-MS based urine proteome analysis served as a sensitive tool...

  7. Topic model-based mass spectrometric data analysis in cancer biomarker discovery studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Minkun; Tsai, Tsung-Heng; Di Poto, Cristina; Ferrarini, Alessia; Yu, Guoqiang; Ressom, Habtom W

    2016-08-18

    A fundamental challenge in quantitation of biomolecules for cancer biomarker discovery is owing to the heterogeneous nature of human biospecimens. Although this issue has been a subject of discussion in cancer genomic studies, it has not yet been rigorously investigated in mass spectrometry based proteomic and metabolomic studies. Purification of mass spectometric data is highly desired prior to subsequent analysis, e.g., quantitative comparison of the abundance of biomolecules in biological samples. We investigated topic models to computationally analyze mass spectrometric data considering both integrated peak intensities and scan-level features, i.e., extracted ion chromatograms (EICs). Probabilistic generative models enable flexible representation in data structure and infer sample-specific pure resources. Scan-level modeling helps alleviate information loss during data preprocessing. We evaluated the capability of the proposed models in capturing mixture proportions of contaminants and cancer profiles on LC-MS based serum proteomic and GC-MS based tissue metabolomic datasets acquired from patients with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and liver cirrhosis as well as synthetic data we generated based on the serum proteomic data. The results we obtained by analysis of the synthetic data demonstrated that both intensity-level and scan-level purification models can accurately infer the mixture proportions and the underlying true cancerous sources with small average error ratios (data, we found more proteins and metabolites with significant changes between HCC cases and cirrhotic controls. Candidate biomarkers selected after purification yielded biologically meaningful pathway analysis results and improved disease discrimination power in terms of the area under ROC curve compared to the results found prior to purification. We investigated topic model-based inference methods to computationally address the heterogeneity issue in samples analyzed by LC/GC-MS. We observed

  8. The Knowledge-Integrated Network Biomarkers Discovery for Major Adverse Cardiac Events

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, Guangxu; Zhou, Xiaobo; Wang, Honghui; Zhao, Hong; Cui, Kemi; Zhang, Xiang-Sun; Chen, Luonan; Hazen, Stanley L.; Li, King; Wong, Stephen T. C.

    2010-01-01

    The mass spectrometry (MS) technology in clinical proteomics is very promising for discovery of new biomarkers for diseases management. To overcome the obstacles of data noises in MS analysis, we proposed a new approach of knowledge-integrated biomarker discovery using data from Major Adverse Cardiac Events (MACE) patients. We first built up a cardiovascular-related network based on protein information coming from protein annotations in Uniprot, protein–protein interaction (PPI), and signal transduction database. Distinct from the previous machine learning methods in MS data processing, we then used statistical methods to discover biomarkers in cardiovascular-related network. Through the tradeoff between known protein information and data noises in mass spectrometry data, we finally could firmly identify those high-confident biomarkers. Most importantly, aided by protein–protein interaction network, that is, cardiovascular-related network, we proposed a new type of biomarkers, that is, network biomarkers, composed of a set of proteins and the interactions among them. The candidate network biomarkers can classify the two groups of patients more accurately than current single ones without consideration of biological molecular interaction. PMID:18665624

  9. Proteomic biomarker discovery in 1000 human plasma samples with mass spectrometry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Cominetti, Ornella; Núñez Galindo, Antonio; Corthésy, John

    2016-01-01

    automated proteomic biomarker discovery workflow. Herein, we have applied this approach to analyze 1000 plasma samples from the multicentered human dietary intervention study "DiOGenes". Study design, sample randomization, tracking, and logistics were the foundations of our large-scale study. We checked...

  10. Computational and Experimental Approaches to Cancer Biomarker Discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Krzystanek, Marcin

    of a patient’s response to a particular treatment, thus helping to avoid unnecessary treatment and unwanted side effects in non-responding individuals.Currently biomarker discovery is facilitated by recent advances in high-throughput technologies when association between a given biological phenotype...... and the state or level of a large number of molecular entities is investigated. Such associative analysis could be confounded by several factors, leading to false discoveries. For example, it is assumed that with the exception of the true biomarkers most molecular entities such as gene expression levels show...... random distribution in a given cohort. However, gene expression levels may also be affected by technical bias when the actual measurement technology or sample handling may introduce a systematic error. If the distribution of systematic errors correlates with the biological phenotype then the risk...

  11. Proteomic Approaches in Biomarker Discovery: New Perspectives in Cancer Diagnostics

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kocevar, Nina; Komel, Radovan

    2014-01-01

    Despite remarkable progress in proteomic methods, including improved detection limits and sensitivity, these methods have not yet been established in routine clinical practice. The main limitations, which prevent their integration into clinics, are high cost of equipment, the need for highly trained personnel, and last, but not least, the establishment of reliable and accurate protein biomarkers or panels of protein biomarkers for detection of neoplasms. Furthermore, the complexity and heterogeneity of most solid tumours present obstacles in the discovery of specific protein signatures, which could be used for early detection of cancers, for prediction of disease outcome, and for determining the response to specific therapies. However, cancer proteome, as the end-point of pathological processes that underlie cancer development and progression, could represent an important source for the discovery of new biomarkers and molecular targets for tailored therapies. PMID:24550697

  12. Proteomic Biomarker Discovery in 1000 Human Plasma Samples with Mass Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cominetti, Ornella; Núñez Galindo, Antonio; Corthésy, John; Oller Moreno, Sergio; Irincheeva, Irina; Valsesia, Armand; Astrup, Arne; Saris, Wim H M; Hager, Jörg; Kussmann, Martin; Dayon, Loïc

    2016-02-05

    The overall impact of proteomics on clinical research and its translation has lagged behind expectations. One recognized caveat is the limited size (subject numbers) of (pre)clinical studies performed at the discovery stage, the findings of which fail to be replicated in larger verification/validation trials. Compromised study designs and insufficient statistical power are consequences of the to-date still limited capacity of mass spectrometry (MS)-based workflows to handle large numbers of samples in a realistic time frame, while delivering comprehensive proteome coverages. We developed a highly automated proteomic biomarker discovery workflow. Herein, we have applied this approach to analyze 1000 plasma samples from the multicentered human dietary intervention study "DiOGenes". Study design, sample randomization, tracking, and logistics were the foundations of our large-scale study. We checked the quality of the MS data and provided descriptive statistics. The data set was interrogated for proteins with most stable expression levels in that set of plasma samples. We evaluated standard clinical variables that typically impact forthcoming results and assessed body mass index-associated and gender-specific proteins at two time points. We demonstrate that analyzing a large number of human plasma samples for biomarker discovery with MS using isobaric tagging is feasible, providing robust and consistent biological results.

  13. Systems biology and biomarker discovery

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rodland, Karin D.

    2010-12-01

    Medical practitioners have always relied on surrogate markers of inaccessible biological processes to make their diagnosis, whether it was the pallor of shock, the flush of inflammation, or the jaundice of liver failure. Obviously, the current implementation of biomarkers for disease is far more sophisticated, relying on highly reproducible, quantitative measurements of molecules that are often mechanistically associated with the disease in question, as in glycated hemoglobin for the diagnosis of diabetes [1] or the presence of cardiac troponins in the blood for confirmation of myocardial infarcts [2]. In cancer, where the initial symptoms are often subtle and the consequences of delayed diagnosis often drastic for disease management, the impetus to discover readily accessible, reliable, and accurate biomarkers for early detection is compelling. Yet despite years of intense activity, the stable of clinically validated, cost-effective biomarkers for early detection of cancer is pathetically small and still dominated by a handful of markers (CA-125, CEA, PSA) first discovered decades ago. It is time, one could argue, for a fresh approach to the discovery and validation of disease biomarkers, one that takes full advantage of the revolution in genomic technologies and in the development of computational tools for the analysis of large complex datasets. This issue of Disease Markers is dedicated to one such new approach, loosely termed the 'Systems Biology of Biomarkers'. What sets the Systems Biology approach apart from other, more traditional approaches, is both the types of data used, and the tools used for data analysis - and both reflect the revolution in high throughput analytical methods and high throughput computing that has characterized the start of the twenty first century.

  14. Mass spectrometry imaging enriches biomarker discovery approaches with candidate mapping.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Scott, Alison J; Jones, Jace W; Orschell, Christie M; MacVittie, Thomas J; Kane, Maureen A; Ernst, Robert K

    2014-01-01

    Integral to the characterization of radiation-induced tissue damage is the identification of unique biomarkers. Biomarker discovery is a challenging and complex endeavor requiring both sophisticated experimental design and accessible technology. The resources within the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)-sponsored Consortium, Medical Countermeasures Against Radiological Threats (MCART), allow for leveraging robust animal models with novel molecular imaging techniques. One such imaging technique, MALDI (matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization) mass spectrometry imaging (MSI), allows for the direct spatial visualization of lipids, proteins, small molecules, and drugs/drug metabolites-or biomarkers-in an unbiased manner. MALDI-MSI acquires mass spectra directly from an intact tissue slice in discrete locations across an x, y grid that are then rendered into a spatial distribution map composed of ion mass and intensity. The unique mass signals can be plotted to generate a spatial map of biomarkers that reflects pathology and molecular events. The crucial unanswered questions that can be addressed with MALDI-MSI include identification of biomarkers for radiation damage that reflect the response to radiation dose over time and the efficacy of therapeutic interventions. Techniques in MALDI-MSI also enable integration of biomarker identification among diverse animal models. Analysis of early, sublethally irradiated tissue injury samples from diverse mouse tissues (lung and ileum) shows membrane phospholipid signatures correlated with histological features of these unique tissues. This paper will discuss the application of MALDI-MSI for use in a larger biomarker discovery pipeline.

  15. Application of mass spectrometry-based proteomics for biomarker discovery in neurological disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Venugopal Abhilash

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics has emerged as a powerful approach that has the potential to accelerate biomarker discovery, both for diagnostic as well as therapeutic purposes. Proteomics has traditionally been synonymous with 2D gels but is increasingly shifting to the use of gel-free systems and liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS. Quantitative proteomic approaches have already been applied to investigate various neurological disorders, especially in the context of identifying biomarkers from cerebrospinal fluid and serum. This review highlights the scope of different applications of quantitative proteomics in understanding neurological disorders with special emphasis on biomarker discovery.

  16. Crowdsourcing Disease Biomarker Discovery Research: The IP4IC Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chancellor, Michael B; Bartolone, Sarah N; Veerecke, Andrew; Lamb, Laura E

    2018-05-01

    Biomarker discovery is limited by readily assessable, cost efficient human samples available in large numbers that represent the entire heterogeneity of the disease. We developed a novel, active participation crowdsourcing method to determine BP-RS (Bladder Permeability Defect Risk Score). It is based on noninvasive urinary cytokines to discriminate patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome who had Hunner lesions from controls and patients with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome but without Hunner lesions. We performed a national crowdsourcing study in cooperation with the Interstitial Cystitis Association. Patients answered demographic, symptom severity and urinary frequency questionnaires on a HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant website. Urine samples were collected at home, stabilized with a preservative and sent to Beaumont Hospital for analysis. The expression of 3 urinary cytokines was used in a machine learning algorithm to develop BP-RS. The IP4IC study collected a total of 448 urine samples, representing 153 patients (147 females and 6 males) with interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome, of whom 54 (50 females and 4 males) had Hunner lesions. A total of 159 female and 136 male controls also participated, who were age matched. A defined BP-RS was calculated to predict interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome with Hunner lesions or a bladder permeability defect etiology with 89% validity. In this novel participation crowdsourcing study we obtained a large number of urine samples from 46 states, which were collected at home, shipped and stored at room temperature. Using a machine learning algorithm we developed BP-RS to quantify the risk of interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome with Hunner lesions, which is indicative of a bladder permeability defect etiology. To our knowledge BP-RS is the first validated urine biomarker assay for interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome and one of the

  17. Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics in Molecular Diagnostics: Discovery of Cancer Biomarkers Using Tissue Culture

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Debasish Paul

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Accurate diagnosis and proper monitoring of cancer patients remain a key obstacle for successful cancer treatment and prevention. Therein comes the need for biomarker discovery, which is crucial to the current oncological and other clinical practices having the potential to impact the diagnosis and prognosis. In fact, most of the biomarkers have been discovered utilizing the proteomics-based approaches. Although high-throughput mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches like SILAC, 2D-DIGE, and iTRAQ are filling up the pitfalls of the conventional techniques, still serum proteomics importunately poses hurdle in overcoming a wide range of protein concentrations, and also the availability of patient tissue samples is a limitation for the biomarker discovery. Thus, researchers have looked for alternatives, and profiling of candidate biomarkers through tissue culture of tumor cell lines comes up as a promising option. It is a rich source of tumor cell-derived proteins, thereby, representing a wide array of potential biomarkers. Interestingly, most of the clinical biomarkers in use today (CA 125, CA 15.3, CA 19.9, and PSA were discovered through tissue culture-based system and tissue extracts. This paper tries to emphasize the tissue culture-based discovery of candidate biomarkers through various mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches.

  18. Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics in Molecular Diagnostics: Discovery of Cancer Biomarkers Using Tissue Culture

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paul, Debasish; Kumar, Avinash; Gajbhiye, Akshada; Santra, Manas K.; Srikanth, Rapole

    2013-01-01

    Accurate diagnosis and proper monitoring of cancer patients remain a key obstacle for successful cancer treatment and prevention. Therein comes the need for biomarker discovery, which is crucial to the current oncological and other clinical practices having the potential to impact the diagnosis and prognosis. In fact, most of the biomarkers have been discovered utilizing the proteomics-based approaches. Although high-throughput mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches like SILAC, 2D-DIGE, and iTRAQ are filling up the pitfalls of the conventional techniques, still serum proteomics importunately poses hurdle in overcoming a wide range of protein concentrations, and also the availability of patient tissue samples is a limitation for the biomarker discovery. Thus, researchers have looked for alternatives, and profiling of candidate biomarkers through tissue culture of tumor cell lines comes up as a promising option. It is a rich source of tumor cell-derived proteins, thereby, representing a wide array of potential biomarkers. Interestingly, most of the clinical biomarkers in use today (CA 125, CA 15.3, CA 19.9, and PSA) were discovered through tissue culture-based system and tissue extracts. This paper tries to emphasize the tissue culture-based discovery of candidate biomarkers through various mass spectrometry-based proteomic approaches. PMID:23586059

  19. Biomarker Discovery in Gulf War Veterans: Development of a War Illness Diagnostic Panel

    Science.gov (United States)

    2016-12-01

    Award Number: W81XWH-12-1-0382 TITLE: Biomarker Discovery in Gulf War Veterans: Development of a War Illness Diagnostic Panel PRINCIPAL...SUBTITLE Biomarker Discovery in Gulf War Veterans: Development of a War Illness Diagnostic Panel 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W81XWH-12-1-0382 5b. GRANT...of the 1990-1991 Gulf War are affected by Gulf War illness (GWI), the chronic condition currently defined only by veterans’ self-reported symptoms

  20. Secreted proteins as a fundamental source for biomarker discovery

    Czech Academy of Sciences Publication Activity Database

    Šťastná, Miroslava; Van Eyk, J.E.

    2012-01-01

    Roč. 12, 4-5 (2012), s. 722-735 ISSN 1615-9853 Institutional research plan: CEZ:AV0Z40310501 Keywords : conditioned media * secreted proteins * proteomics * biomarker discovery Subject RIV: CB - Analytical Chemistry, Separation Impact factor: 4.132, year: 2012

  1. The discovery and development of proteomic safety biomarkers for the detection of drug-induced liver toxicity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Amacher, David E.

    2010-01-01

    Biomarkers are biometric measurements that provide critical quantitative information about the biological condition of the animal or individual being tested. In drug safety studies, established toxicity biomarkers are used along with other conventional study data to determine dose-limiting organ toxicity, and to define species sensitivity for new chemical entities intended for possible use as human medicines. A continuing goal of drug safety scientists in the pharmaceutical industry is to discover and develop better trans-species biomarkers that can be used to determine target organ toxicities for preclinical species in short-term studies at dose levels that are some multiple of the intended human dose and again later in full development for monitoring clinical trials at lower therapeutic doses. Of particular value are early, predictive, noninvasive biomarkers that have in vitro, in vivo, and clinical transferability. Such translational biomarkers bridge animal testing used in preclinical science and human studies that are part of subsequent clinical testing. Although suitable for in vivo preclinical regulatory studies, conventional hepatic safety biomarkers are basically confirmatory markers because they signal organ toxicity after some pathological damage has occurred, and are therefore not well-suited for short-term, predictive screening assays early in the discovery-to-development progression of new chemical entities (NCEs) available in limited quantities. Efforts between regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry are underway for the coordinated discovery, qualification, verification and validation of early predictive toxicity biomarkers. Early predictive safety biomarkers are those that are detectable and quantifiable prior to the onset of irreversible tissue injury and which are associated with a mechanism of action relevant to a specific type of potential hepatic injury. Potential drug toxicity biomarkers are typically endogenous macromolecules in

  2. The Proteomics Big Challenge for Biomarkers and New Drug-Targets Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Savino, Rocco; Paduano, Sergio; Preianò, Mariaimmacolata; Terracciano, Rosa

    2012-01-01

    In the modern process of drug discovery, clinical, functional and chemical proteomics can converge and integrate synergies. Functional proteomics explores and elucidates the components of pathways and their interactions which, when deregulated, lead to a disease condition. This knowledge allows the design of strategies to target multiple pathways with combinations of pathway-specific drugs, which might increase chances of success and reduce the occurrence of drug resistance. Chemical proteomics, by analyzing the drug interactome, strongly contributes to accelerate the process of new druggable targets discovery. In the research area of clinical proteomics, proteome and peptidome mass spectrometry-profiling of human bodily fluid (plasma, serum, urine and so on), as well as of tissue and of cells, represents a promising tool for novel biomarker and eventually new druggable targets discovery. In the present review we provide a survey of current strategies of functional, chemical and clinical proteomics. Major issues will be presented for proteomic technologies used for the discovery of biomarkers for early disease diagnosis and identification of new drug targets. PMID:23203042

  3. Towards Discovery and Targeted Peptide Biomarker Detection Using nanoESI-TIMS-TOF MS

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Garabedian, Alyssa; Benigni, Paolo; Ramirez, Cesar; Baker, Erin M.; Liu, Tao; Smith, Richard D.; Fernandez-Lima, Francisco

    2018-05-01

    Abstract. In the present work, the potential of trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled to TOF mass spectrometry (TIMS-TOF MS) for discovery and targeted monitoring of peptide biomarkers from human-in-mouse xenograft tumor tissue was evaluated. In particular, a TIMS-MS workflow was developed for the detection and quantification of peptide biomarkers using internal heavy analogs, taking advantage of the high mobility resolution (R = 150–250) prior to mass analysis. Five peptide biomarkers were separated, identified, and quantified using offline nanoESI-TIMSCID- TOF MS; the results were in good agreement with measurements using a traditional LC-ESI-MS/MS proteomics workflow. The TIMS-TOF MS analysis permitted peptide biomarker detection based on accurate mobility, mass measurements, and high sequence coverage for concentrations in the 10–200 nM range, while simultaneously achieving discovery measurements

  4. The clinical impact of recent advances in LC-MS for cancer biomarker discovery and verification

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wang, Hui; Shi, Tujin; Qian, Wei-Jun; Liu, Tao; Kagan, Jacob; Srivastava, Sudhir; Smith, Richard D.; Rodland, Karin D.; Camp, David G.

    2015-12-04

    Mass spectrometry-based proteomics has become an indispensable tool in biomedical research with broad applications ranging from fundamental biology, systems biology, and biomarker discovery. Recent advances in LC-MS have made it become a major technology in clinical applications, especially in cancer biomarker discovery and verification. To overcome the challenges associated with the analysis of clinical samples, such as extremely wide dynamic range of protein concentrations in biofluids and the need to perform high throughput and accurate quantification, significant efforts have been devoted to improve the overall performance of LC-MS bases clinical proteomics. In this review, we summarize the recent advances in LC-MS in the aspect of cancer biomarker discovery and quantification, and discuss its potentials, limitations, and future perspectives.

  5. Variable importance analysis based on rank aggregation with applications in metabolomics for biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yun, Yong-Huan; Deng, Bai-Chuan; Cao, Dong-Sheng; Wang, Wei-Ting; Liang, Yi-Zeng

    2016-03-10

    Biomarker discovery is one important goal in metabolomics, which is typically modeled as selecting the most discriminating metabolites for classification and often referred to as variable importance analysis or variable selection. Until now, a number of variable importance analysis methods to discover biomarkers in the metabolomics studies have been proposed. However, different methods are mostly likely to generate different variable ranking results due to their different principles. Each method generates a variable ranking list just as an expert presents an opinion. The problem of inconsistency between different variable ranking methods is often ignored. To address this problem, a simple and ideal solution is that every ranking should be taken into account. In this study, a strategy, called rank aggregation, was employed. It is an indispensable tool for merging individual ranking lists into a single "super"-list reflective of the overall preference or importance within the population. This "super"-list is regarded as the final ranking for biomarker discovery. Finally, it was used for biomarkers discovery and selecting the best variable subset with the highest predictive classification accuracy. Nine methods were used, including three univariate filtering and six multivariate methods. When applied to two metabolic datasets (Childhood overweight dataset and Tubulointerstitial lesions dataset), the results show that the performance of rank aggregation has improved greatly with higher prediction accuracy compared with using all variables. Moreover, it is also better than penalized method, least absolute shrinkage and selectionator operator (LASSO), with higher prediction accuracy or less number of selected variables which are more interpretable. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  6. Biomarker discovery in high grade sarcomas by mass spectrometry imaging

    OpenAIRE

    Lou, S.

    2017-01-01

    This thesis demonstrates a detailed biomarker discovery Mass Spectrometry Imaging workflow for histologically heterogeneous high grade sarcomas. Panels of protein and metabolite signatures were discovered either distinguishing different histological subtypes or stratifying high risk patients with poor survival.

  7. Association of SNCA with Parkinson: replication in the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center Biomarker Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Hongliu; Sarokhan, Alison K.; Roderick, Sarah S.; Bakshi, Rachit; Maher, Nancy E.; Ashourian, Paymon; Kan, Caroline G.; Chang, Sunny; Santarlasci, Andrea; Swords, Kyleen E.; Ravina, Bernard M.; Hayes, Michael T.; Sohur, U. Shivraj; Wills, Anne-Marie; Flaherty, Alice W.; Unni, Vivek K.; Hung, Albert Y.; Selkoe, Dennis J.; Schwarzschild, Michael A.; Schlossmacher, Michael G.; Sudarsky, Lewis R.; Growdon, John H.; Ivinson, Adrian J.; Hyman, Bradley T.; Scherzer, Clemens R.

    2011-01-01

    Background Mutations in the α-synuclein gene (SNCA) cause autosomal dominant forms of Parkinson’s disease, but the substantial risk conferred by this locus to the common sporadic disease has only recently emerged from genome-wide association studies. Methods Here we genotyped a prioritized non-coding variant in SNCA intron-4 in 344 patients with Parkinson’s and 275 controls from the longitudinal Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center Biomarker Study. Results The common minor allele of rs2736990 was associated with elevated disease susceptibility (odds ratio = 1.40, P value = 0.0032). Conclusions This result increases confidence in the notion that in many clinically well-characterized patients genetic variation in SNCA contributes to “sporadic” disease. PMID:21953863

  8. Towards Discovery and Targeted Peptide Biomarker Detection Using nanoESI-TIMS-TOF MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Garabedian, Alyssa; Benigni, Paolo; Ramirez, Cesar E.; Baker, Erin S.; Liu, Tao; Smith, Richard D.; Fernandez-Lima, Francisco

    2017-09-01

    In the present work, the potential of trapped ion mobility spectrometry coupled to TOF mass spectrometry (TIMS-TOF MS) for discovery and targeted monitoring of peptide biomarkers from human-in-mouse xenograft tumor tissue was evaluated. In particular, a TIMS-MS workflow was developed for the detection and quantification of peptide biomarkers using internal heavy analogs, taking advantage of the high mobility resolution (R = 150-250) prior to mass analysis. Five peptide biomarkers were separated, identified, and quantified using offline nanoESI-TIMS-CID-TOF MS; the results were in good agreement with measurements using a traditional LC-ESI-MS/MS proteomics workflow. The TIMS-TOF MS analysis permitted peptide biomarker detection based on accurate mobility, mass measurements, and high sequence coverage for concentrations in the 10-200 nM range, while simultaneously achieving discovery measurements of not initially targeted peptides as markers from the same proteins and, eventually, other proteins. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  9. Urinary Proteomics Pilot Study for Biomarker Discovery and Diagnosis in Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kasper Rossing

    Full Text Available Biomarker discovery and new insights into the pathophysiology of heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF may emerge from recent advances in high-throughput urinary proteomics. This could lead to improved diagnosis, risk stratification and management of HFrEF.Urine samples were analyzed by on-line capillary electrophoresis coupled to electrospray ionization micro time-of-flight mass spectrometry (CE-MS to generate individual urinary proteome profiles. In an initial biomarker discovery cohort, analysis of urinary proteome profiles from 33 HFrEF patients and 29 age- and sex-matched individuals without HFrEF resulted in identification of 103 peptides that were significantly differentially excreted in HFrEF. These 103 peptides were used to establish the support vector machine-based HFrEF classifier HFrEF103. In a subsequent validation cohort, HFrEF103 very accurately (area under the curve, AUC = 0.972 discriminated between HFrEF patients (N = 94, sensitivity = 93.6% and control individuals with and without impaired renal function and hypertension (N = 552, specificity = 92.9%. Interestingly, HFrEF103 showed low sensitivity (12.6% in individuals with diastolic left ventricular dysfunction (N = 176. The HFrEF-related peptide biomarkers mainly included fragments of fibrillar type I and III collagen but also, e.g., of fibrinogen beta and alpha-1-antitrypsin.CE-MS based urine proteome analysis served as a sensitive tool to determine a vast array of HFrEF-related urinary peptide biomarkers which might help improving our understanding and diagnosis of heart failure.

  10. Integration of lyoplate based flow cytometry and computational analysis for standardized immunological biomarker discovery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Federica Villanova

    Full Text Available Discovery of novel immune biomarkers for monitoring of disease prognosis and response to therapy in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases is an important unmet clinical need. Here, we establish a novel framework for immunological biomarker discovery, comparing a conventional (liquid flow cytometry platform (CFP and a unique lyoplate-based flow cytometry platform (LFP in combination with advanced computational data analysis. We demonstrate that LFP had higher sensitivity compared to CFP, with increased detection of cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-10 and activation markers (Foxp3 and CD25. Fluorescent intensity of cells stained with lyophilized antibodies was increased compared to cells stained with liquid antibodies. LFP, using a plate loader, allowed medium-throughput processing of samples with comparable intra- and inter-assay variability between platforms. Automated computational analysis identified novel immunophenotypes that were not detected with manual analysis. Our results establish a new flow cytometry platform for standardized and rapid immunological biomarker discovery with wide application to immune-mediated diseases.

  11. Integration of lyoplate based flow cytometry and computational analysis for standardized immunological biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villanova, Federica; Di Meglio, Paola; Inokuma, Margaret; Aghaeepour, Nima; Perucha, Esperanza; Mollon, Jennifer; Nomura, Laurel; Hernandez-Fuentes, Maria; Cope, Andrew; Prevost, A Toby; Heck, Susanne; Maino, Vernon; Lord, Graham; Brinkman, Ryan R; Nestle, Frank O

    2013-01-01

    Discovery of novel immune biomarkers for monitoring of disease prognosis and response to therapy in immune-mediated inflammatory diseases is an important unmet clinical need. Here, we establish a novel framework for immunological biomarker discovery, comparing a conventional (liquid) flow cytometry platform (CFP) and a unique lyoplate-based flow cytometry platform (LFP) in combination with advanced computational data analysis. We demonstrate that LFP had higher sensitivity compared to CFP, with increased detection of cytokines (IFN-γ and IL-10) and activation markers (Foxp3 and CD25). Fluorescent intensity of cells stained with lyophilized antibodies was increased compared to cells stained with liquid antibodies. LFP, using a plate loader, allowed medium-throughput processing of samples with comparable intra- and inter-assay variability between platforms. Automated computational analysis identified novel immunophenotypes that were not detected with manual analysis. Our results establish a new flow cytometry platform for standardized and rapid immunological biomarker discovery with wide application to immune-mediated diseases.

  12. Emerging concepts in biomarker discovery; The US-Japan workshop on immunological molecular markers in oncology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tahara, Hideaki; Sato, Marimo; Thurin, Magdalena; Wang, Ena; Butterfield, Lisa H; Disis, Mary L; Fox, Bernard A; Lee, Peter P; Khleif, Samir N; Wigginton, Jon M; Ambs, Stefan; Akutsu, Yasunori; Chaussabel, Damien; Doki, Yuichiro; Eremin, Oleg; Fridman, Wolf Hervé; Hirohashi, Yoshihiko; Imai, Kohzoh; Jacobson, James; Jinushi, Masahisa; Kanamoto, Akira; Kashani-Sabet, Mohammed; Kato, Kazunori; Kawakami, Yutaka; Kirkwood, John M; Kleen, Thomas O; Lehmann, Paul V; Liotta, Lance; Lotze, Michael T; Maio, Michele; Malyguine, Anatoli; Masucci, Giuseppe; Matsubara, Hisahiro; Mayrand-Chung, Shawmarie; Nakamura, Kiminori; Nishikawa, Hiroyoshi; Palucka, A Karolina; Petricoin, Emanuel F; Pos, Zoltan; Ribas, Antoni; Rivoltini, Licia; Sato, Noriyuki; Shiku, Hiroshi; Slingluff, Craig L; Streicher, Howard; Stroncek, David F; Takeuchi, Hiroya; Toyota, Minoru; Wada, Hisashi; Wu, Xifeng; Wulfkuhle, Julia; Yaguchi, Tomonori; Zeskind, Benjamin; Zhao, Yingdong; Zocca, Mai-Britt; Marincola, Francesco M

    2009-01-01

    might be added to the list of known entities applicable in immunotherapy trials. The need for a systematic approach to biomarker discovery that takes advantage of powerful high-throughput technologies was recognized; it was clear from the current state of the science that immunotherapy is still in a discovery phase and only a few of the current biomarkers warrant extensive validation. It was, finally, clear that, while current technologies have almost limitless potential, inadequate study design, limited standardization and cross-validation among laboratories and suboptimal comparability of data remain major road blocks. The institution of an interactive consortium for high throughput molecular monitoring of clinical trials with voluntary participation might provide cost-effective solutions. PMID:19534815

  13. Emerging concepts in biomarker discovery; The US-Japan workshop on immunological molecular markers in oncology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rivoltini Licia

    2009-06-01

    were recognized that might be added to the list of known entities applicable in immunotherapy trials. The need for a systematic approach to biomarker discovery that takes advantage of powerful high-throughput technologies was recognized; it was clear from the current state of the science that immunotherapy is still in a discovery phase and only a few of the current biomarkers warrant extensive validation. It was, finally, clear that, while current technologies have almost limitless potential, inadequate study design, limited standardization and cross-validation among laboratories and suboptimal comparability of data remain major road blocks. The institution of an interactive consortium for high throughput molecular monitoring of clinical trials with voluntary participation might provide cost-effective solutions.

  14. Systems Biology Modeling of the Radiation Sensitivity Network: A Biomarker Discovery Platform

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Eschrich, Steven; Zhang Hongling; Zhao Haiyan; Boulware, David; Lee, Ji-Hyun; Bloom, Gregory; Torres-Roca, Javier F.

    2009-01-01

    Purpose: The discovery of effective biomarkers is a fundamental goal of molecular medicine. Developing a systems-biology understanding of radiosensitivity can enhance our ability of identifying radiation-specific biomarkers. Methods and Materials: Radiosensitivity, as represented by the survival fraction at 2 Gy was modeled in 48 human cancer cell lines. We applied a linear regression algorithm that integrates gene expression with biological variables, including ras status (mut/wt), tissue of origin and p53 status (mut/wt). Results: The biomarker discovery platform is a network representation of the top 500 genes identified by linear regression analysis. This network was reduced to a 10-hub network that includes c-Jun, HDAC1, RELA (p65 subunit of NFKB), PKC-beta, SUMO-1, c-Abl, STAT1, AR, CDK1, and IRF1. Nine targets associated with radiosensitization drugs are linked to the network, demonstrating clinical relevance. Furthermore, the model identified four significant radiosensitivity clusters of terms and genes. Ras was a dominant variable in the analysis, as was the tissue of origin, and their interaction with gene expression but not p53. Overrepresented biological pathways differed between clusters but included DNA repair, cell cycle, apoptosis, and metabolism. The c-Jun network hub was validated using a knockdown approach in 8 human cell lines representing lung, colon, and breast cancers. Conclusion: We have developed a novel radiation-biomarker discovery platform using a systems biology modeling approach. We believe this platform will play a central role in the integration of biology into clinical radiation oncology practice.

  15. State of the Art in Tumor Antigen and Biomarker Discovery

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Even-Desrumeaux, Klervi; Baty, Daniel; Chames, Patrick

    2011-01-01

    Our knowledge of tumor immunology has resulted in multiple approaches for the treatment of cancer. However, a gap between research of new tumors markers and development of immunotherapy has been established and very few markers exist that can be used for treatment. The challenge is now to discover new targets for active and passive immunotherapy. This review aims at describing recent advances in biomarkers and tumor antigen discovery in terms of antigen nature and localization, and is highlighting the most recent approaches used for their discovery including “omics” technology

  16. Biomarkers as drug development tools: discovery, validation, qualification and use.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kraus, Virginia B

    2018-06-01

    The 21st Century Cures Act, approved in the USA in December 2016, has encouraged the establishment of the national Precision Medicine Initiative and the augmentation of efforts to address disease prevention, diagnosis and treatment on the basis of a molecular understanding of disease. The Act adopts into law the formal process, developed by the FDA, of qualification of drug development tools, including biomarkers and clinical outcome assessments, to increase the efficiency of clinical trials and encourage an era of molecular medicine. The FDA and European Medicines Agency (EMA) have developed similar processes for the qualification of biomarkers intended for use as companion diagnostics or for development and regulatory approval of a drug or therapeutic. Biomarkers that are used exclusively for the diagnosis, monitoring or stratification of patients in clinical trials are not subject to regulatory approval, although their qualification can facilitate the conduct of a trial. In this Review, the salient features of biomarker discovery, analytical validation, clinical qualification and utilization are described in order to provide an understanding of the process of biomarker development and, through this understanding, convey an appreciation of their potential advantages and limitations.

  17. Mass spectrometry based biomarker discovery, verification, and validation--quality assurance and control of protein biomarker assays.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parker, Carol E; Borchers, Christoph H

    2014-06-01

    In its early years, mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics focused on the cataloging of proteins found in different species or different tissues. By 2005, proteomics was being used for protein quantitation, typically based on "proteotypic" peptides which act as surrogates for the parent proteins. Biomarker discovery is usually done by non-targeted "shotgun" proteomics, using relative quantitation methods to determine protein expression changes that correlate with disease (output given as "up-or-down regulation" or "fold-increases"). MS-based techniques can also perform "absolute" quantitation which is required for clinical applications (output given as protein concentrations). Here we describe the differences between these methods, factors that affect the precision and accuracy of the results, and some examples of recent studies using MS-based proteomics to verify cancer-related biomarkers. Copyright © 2014 Federation of European Biochemical Societies. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Progress and Potential of Imaging Mass Spectrometry Applied to Biomarker Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Quanico, Jusal; Franck, Julien; Wisztorski, Maxence; Salzet, Michel; Fournier, Isabelle

    2017-01-01

    Mapping provides a direct means to assess the impact of protein biomarkers and puts into context their relevance in the type of cancer being examined. To this end, mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) was developed to provide the needed spatial information which is missing in traditional liquid-based mass spectrometric proteomics approaches. Aptly described as a "molecular histology" technique, MSI gives an additional dimension in characterizing tumor biopsies, allowing for mapping of hundreds of molecules in a single analysis. A decade of developments focused on improving and standardizing MSI so that the technique can be translated into the clinical setting. This review describes the progress made in addressing the technological development that allows to bridge local protein detection by MSI to its identification and to illustrate its potential in studying various aspects of cancer biomarker discovery.

  19. Improving feature ranking for biomarker discovery in proteomics mass spectrometry data using genetic programming

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Soha; Zhang, Mengjie; Peng, Lifeng

    2014-07-01

    Feature selection on mass spectrometry (MS) data is essential for improving classification performance and biomarker discovery. The number of MS samples is typically very small compared with the high dimensionality of the samples, which makes the problem of biomarker discovery very hard. In this paper, we propose the use of genetic programming for biomarker detection and classification of MS data. The proposed approach is composed of two phases: in the first phase, feature selection and ranking are performed. In the second phase, classification is performed. The results show that the proposed method can achieve better classification performance and biomarker detection rate than the information gain- (IG) based and the RELIEF feature selection methods. Meanwhile, four classifiers, Naive Bayes, J48 decision tree, random forest and support vector machines, are also used to further test the performance of the top ranked features. The results show that the four classifiers using the top ranked features from the proposed method achieve better performance than the IG and the RELIEF methods. Furthermore, GP also outperforms a genetic algorithm approach on most of the used data sets.

  20. Schizophrenia genomics and proteomics: are we any closer to biomarker discovery?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kramer Alon

    2009-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract The field of proteomics has made leaps and bounds in the last 10 years particularly in the fields of oncology and cardiovascular medicine. In comparison, neuroproteomics is still playing catch up mainly due to the relative complexity of neurological disorders. Schizophrenia is one such disorder, believed to be the results of multiple factors both genetic and environmental. Affecting over 2 million people in the US alone, it has become a major clinical and public health concern worldwide. This paper gives an update of schizophrenia biomarker research as reviewed by Lakhan in 2006 and gives us a rundown of the progress made during the last two years. Several studies demonstrate the potential of cerebrospinal fluid as a source of neuro-specific biomarkers. Genetic association studies are making headway in identifying candidate genes for schizophrenia. In addition, metabonomics, bioinformatics, and neuroimaging techniques are aiming to complete the picture by filling in knowledge gaps. International cooperation in the form of genomics and protein databases and brain banks is facilitating research efforts. While none of the recent developments described here in qualifies as biomarker discovery, many are likely to be stepping stones towards that goal.

  1. Random glycopeptide bead libraries for seromic biomarker discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kracun, Stjepan Kresimir; Cló, Emiliano; Clausen, Henrik

    2010-01-01

    have developed a random glycopeptide bead library screening platform for detection of autoantibodies and other binding proteins. Libraries were build on biocompatible PEGA beads including a safety-catch C-terminal amide linker (SCAL) that allowed mild cleavage conditions (I(2)/NaBH(4) and TFA...... to other tumor glycoforms by on-bead enzymatic glycosylation reactions with recombinant glycosyltransferases. Hence, we have developed a high-throughput flexible platform for rapid discovery of O-glycopeptide biomarkers and the method has applicability in other types of assays such as lectin...

  2. Plasma biomarker discovery in preeclampsia using a novel differential isolation technology for circulating extracellular vesicles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tan, Kok Hian; Tan, Soon Sim; Sze, Siu Kwan; Lee, Wai Kheong Ryan; Ng, Mor Jack; Lim, Sai Kiang

    2014-10-01

    To circumvent the complex protein milieu of plasma and discover robust predictive biomarkers for preeclampsia (PE), we investigate if phospholipid-binding ligands can reduce the milieu complexity by extracting plasma extracellular vesicles for biomarker discovery. Cholera toxin B chain (CTB) and annexin V (AV) which respectively binds GM1 ganglioside and phosphatidylserine were used to isolate extracellular vesicles from plasma of PE patients and healthy pregnant women. The proteins in the vesicles were identified using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, antibody array, and mass spectrometry. CTB and AV were found to bind 2 distinct groups of extracellular vesicles. Antibody array and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay revealed that PE patients had elevated levels of CD105, interleukin-6, placental growth factor, tissue inhibitor of metallopeptidase 1, and atrial natriuretic peptide in cholera toxin B- but not AV-vesicles, and elevated levels of plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, pro-calcitonin, S100b, tumor growth factor β, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1, brain natriuretic peptide, and placental growth factor in both cholera toxin B- and AV-vesicles. CD9 level was elevated in cholera toxin B-vesicles but reduced in AV vesicles of PE patients. Proteome analysis revealed that in cholera toxin B-vesicles, 87 and 222 proteins were present only in PE patients and healthy pregnant women respectively while in AV-vesicles, 104 and 157 proteins were present only in PE and healthy pregnant women, respectively. This study demonstrated for the first time that CTB and AV bind unique extracellular vesicles, and their protein cargo reflects the disease state of the patient. The successful use of these 2 ligands to isolate circulating plasma extracellular vesicles for biomarker discovery in PE represents a novel technology for biomarker discovery that can be applied to other specialties. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Role of proteomics in the discovery of autism biomarkers

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Ayadhi, L. A.; Halepoto, D. M. [King Saud Univ., Riyadh (Saudi Arabia). Dept. of Physiology

    2013-02-15

    The epidemiology of autism is continuously increasing all over the world with social, behavioural and economical burdens. Autism is considered as a multi-factorial disorder, influenced by genetic, neurological, environmental and immunological aspects. Autism is still believed to be incurable disorder with little information about the role of proteins patterns in the diagnosis of the disease. Knowing the applications of proteomic tools, it is possible to identify quantitative and qualitative protein patterns in a wide variety of tissues and body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva and cerebrospinal fluid in order to establish specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the various protocols available for proteomics by using mass spectrometry analysis, discuss reports in which these techniques have been previously applied in biomarker discovery for the diagnosis of autism, and consider the future development of this area of research. (author)

  4. Role of proteomics in the discovery of autism biomarkers

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Ayadhi, L.A.; Halepoto, D.M.

    2013-01-01

    The epidemiology of autism is continuously increasing all over the world with social, behavioural and economical burdens. Autism is considered as a multi-factorial disorder, influenced by genetic, neurological, environmental and immunological aspects. Autism is still believed to be incurable disorder with little information about the role of proteins patterns in the diagnosis of the disease. Knowing the applications of proteomic tools, it is possible to identify quantitative and qualitative protein patterns in a wide variety of tissues and body fluids such as blood, urine, saliva and cerebrospinal fluid in order to establish specific diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers. The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the various protocols available for proteomics by using mass spectrometry analysis, discuss reports in which these techniques have been previously applied in biomarker discovery for the diagnosis of autism, and consider the future development of this area of research. (author)

  5. Candidate biomarker discovery and selection for ‘Granny Smith' superficial scald risk management and diagnosis, poster board

    Science.gov (United States)

    Discovery of candidate biomarkers for superficial scald, a peel disorder that develops during storage of susceptible apple cultivars, is part of a larger project aimed at developing biomarker-based risk-management and diagnostic tools for multiple apple postharvest disorders (http://www.tfrec.wsu.ed...

  6. Informatics-guided procurement of patient samples for biomarker discovery projects in cancer research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suh, K Stephen; Remache, Yvonne K; Patel, Jalpa S; Chen, Steve H; Haystrand, Russell; Ford, Peggy; Shaikh, Anadil M; Wang, Jian; Goy, Andre H

    2009-02-01

    Modern cancer research for biomarker discovery program requires solving several tasks that are directly involved with patient sample procurement. One requirement is to construct a highly efficient workflow on the clinical side for the procurement to generate a consistent supply of high quality samples for research. This undertaking needs a network of interdepartmental collaborations and participations at various levels, including physical human interactions, information technology implementations and a bioinformatics tool that is highly effective and user-friendly to busy clinicians and researchers associated with the sample procurement. Collegial participation that is sequential but continual from one department to another demands dedicated bioinformatics software coordinating between the institutional clinic and the tissue repository facility. Participants in the process include admissions, consenting process, phlebotomy, surgery center and pathology. During this multiple step procedures, clinical data are collected for detailed analytical endpoints to supplement logistics of defining and validating the discovery of biomarkers.

  7. Biomarker Gene Signature Discovery Integrating Network Knowledge

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Holger Fröhlich

    2012-02-01

    Full Text Available Discovery of prognostic and diagnostic biomarker gene signatures for diseases, such as cancer, is seen as a major step towards a better personalized medicine. During the last decade various methods, mainly coming from the machine learning or statistical domain, have been proposed for that purpose. However, one important obstacle for making gene signatures a standard tool in clinical diagnosis is the typical low reproducibility of these signatures combined with the difficulty to achieve a clear biological interpretation. For that purpose in the last years there has been a growing interest in approaches that try to integrate information from molecular interaction networks. Here we review the current state of research in this field by giving an overview about so-far proposed approaches.

  8. Shotgun Proteomics and Biomarker Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    W. Hayes McDonald

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Coupling large-scale sequencing projects with the amino acid sequence information that can be gleaned from tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS has made it much easier to analyze complex mixtures of proteins. The limits of this “shotgun” approach, in which the protein mixture is proteolytically digested before separation, can be further expanded by separating the resulting mixture of peptides prior to MS/MS analysis. Both single dimensional high pressure liquid chromatography (LC and multidimensional LC (LC/LC can be directly interfaced with the mass spectrometer to allow for automated collection of tremendous quantities of data. While there is no single technique that addresses all proteomic challenges, the shotgun approaches, especially LC/LC-MS/MS-based techniques such as MudPIT (multidimensional protein identification technology, show advantages over gel-based techniques in speed, sensitivity, scope of analysis, and dynamic range. Advances in the ability to quantitate differences between samples and to detect for an array of post-translational modifications allow for the discovery of classes of protein biomarkers that were previously unassailable.

  9. Lung Cancer Serum Biomarker Discovery Using Label Free LC-MS/MS

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Xuemei; Hood, Brian L.; Zhao, Ting; Conrads, Thomas P.; Sun, Mai; Gopalakrishnan, Vanathi; Grover, Himanshu; Day, Roger S.; Weissfeld, Joel L.; Wilson, David O.; Siegfried, Jill M.; Bigbee, William L.

    2011-01-01

    Introduction Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related death with poor survival due to the late stage at which lung cancer is typically diagnosed. Given the clinical burden from lung cancer, and the relatively favorable survival associated with early stage lung cancer, biomarkers for early detection of lung cancer are of important potential clinical benefit. Methods We performed a global lung cancer serum biomarker discovery study using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) in a set of pooled non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) case sera and matched controls. Immunoaffinity subtraction was used to deplete the top most abundant serum proteins; the remaining serum proteins were subjected to trypsin digestion and analyzed in triplicate by LC-MS/MS. The tandem mass spectrum data were searched against the human proteome database and the resultant spectral counting data were used to estimate the relative abundance of proteins across the case/control serum pools. The spectral counting derived abundances of some candidate biomarker proteins were confirmed with multiple reaction monitoring MS assays. Results A list of 49 differentially abundant candidate proteins was compiled by applying a negative binomial regression model to the spectral counting data (pbiomarkers with statistically significant differential abundance across the lung cancer case/control pools which, when validated, could improve lung cancer early detection. PMID:21304412

  10. A semiparametric modeling framework for potential biomarker discovery and the development of metabonomic profiles

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Dey Dipak K

    2008-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The discovery of biomarkers is an important step towards the development of criteria for early diagnosis of disease status. Recently electrospray ionization (ESI and matrix assisted laser desorption (MALDI time-of-flight (TOF mass spectrometry have been used to identify biomarkers both in proteomics and metabonomics studies. Data sets generated from such studies are generally very large in size and thus require the use of sophisticated statistical techniques to glean useful information. Most recent attempts to process these types of data model each compound's intensity either discretely by positional (mass to charge ratio clustering or through each compounds' own intensity distribution. Traditionally data processing steps such as noise removal, background elimination and m/z alignment, are generally carried out separately resulting in unsatisfactory propagation of signals in the final model. Results In the present study a novel semi-parametric approach has been developed to distinguish urinary metabolic profiles in a group of traumatic patients from those of a control group consisting of normal individuals. Data sets obtained from the replicates of a single subject were used to develop a functional profile through Dirichlet mixture of beta distribution. This functional profile is flexible enough to accommodate variability of the instrument and the inherent variability of each individual, thus simultaneously addressing different sources of systematic error. To address instrument variability, all data sets were analyzed in replicate, an important issue ignored by most studies in the past. Different model comparisons were performed to select the best model for each subject. The m/z values in the window of the irregular pattern are then further recommended for possible biomarker discovery. Conclusion To the best of our knowledge this is the very first attempt to model the physical process behind the time-of flight mass

  11. Metabolomics in cancer biomarker discovery: current trends and future perspectives.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Armitage, Emily G; Barbas, Coral

    2014-01-01

    Cancer is one of the most devastating human diseases that causes a vast number of mortalities worldwide each year. Cancer research is one of the largest fields in the life sciences and despite many astounding breakthroughs and contributions over the past few decades, there is still a considerable amount to unveil on the function of cancer. It is well known that cancer metabolism differs from that of normal tissue and an important hypothesis published in the 1950s by Otto Warburg proposed that cancer cells rely on anaerobic metabolism as the source for energy, even under physiological oxygen levels. Following this, cancer central carbon metabolism has been researched extensively and beyond respiration, cancer has been found to involve a wide range of metabolic processes, and many more are still to be unveiled. Studying cancer through metabolomics could reveal new biomarkers for cancer that could be useful for its future prognosis, diagnosis and therapy. Metabolomics is becoming an increasingly popular tool in the life sciences since it is a relatively fast and accurate technique that can be applied with either a particular focus or in a global manner to reveal new knowledge about biological systems. There have been many examples of its application to reveal potential biomarkers in different cancers that have employed a range of different analytical platforms. In this review, approaches in metabolomics that have been employed in cancer biomarker discovery are discussed and some of the most noteworthy research in the field is highlighted. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. The BioFIND study: Characteristics of a clinically typical Parkinson's disease biomarker cohort

    Science.gov (United States)

    Goldman, Jennifer G.; Alcalay, Roy N.; Xie, Tao; Tuite, Paul; Henchcliffe, Claire; Hogarth, Penelope; Amara, Amy W.; Frank, Samuel; Rudolph, Alice; Casaceli, Cynthia; Andrews, Howard; Gwinn, Katrina; Sutherland, Margaret; Kopil, Catherine; Vincent, Lona; Frasier, Mark

    2016-01-01

    ABSTRACT Background Identifying PD‐specific biomarkers in biofluids will greatly aid in diagnosis, monitoring progression, and therapeutic interventions. PD biomarkers have been limited by poor discriminatory power, partly driven by heterogeneity of the disease, variability of collection protocols, and focus on de novo, unmedicated patients. Thus, a platform for biomarker discovery and validation in well‐characterized, clinically typical, moderate to advanced PD cohorts is critically needed. Methods BioFIND (Fox Investigation for New Discovery of Biomarkers in Parkinson's Disease) is a cross‐sectional, multicenter biomarker study that established a repository of clinical data, blood, DNA, RNA, CSF, saliva, and urine samples from 118 moderate to advanced PD and 88 healthy control subjects. Inclusion criteria were designed to maximize diagnostic specificity by selecting participants with clinically typical PD symptoms, and clinical data and biospecimen collection utilized standardized procedures to minimize variability across sites. Results We present the study methodology and data on the cohort's clinical characteristics. Motor scores and biospecimen samples including plasma are available for practically defined off and on states and thus enable testing the effects of PD medications on biomarkers. Other biospecimens are available from off state PD assessments and from controls. Conclusion Our cohort provides a valuable resource for biomarker discovery and validation in PD. Clinical data and biospecimens, available through The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, can serve as a platform for discovering biomarkers in clinically typical PD and comparisons across PD's broad and heterogeneous spectrum. © 2016 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society PMID:27113479

  13. Accounting for control mislabeling in case-control biomarker studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rantalainen, Mattias; Holmes, Chris C

    2011-12-02

    In biomarker discovery studies, uncertainty associated with case and control labels is often overlooked. By omitting to take into account label uncertainty, model parameters and the predictive risk can become biased, sometimes severely. The most common situation is when the control set contains an unknown number of undiagnosed, or future, cases. This has a marked impact in situations where the model needs to be well-calibrated, e.g., when the prediction performance of a biomarker panel is evaluated. Failing to account for class label uncertainty may lead to underestimation of classification performance and bias in parameter estimates. This can further impact on meta-analysis for combining evidence from multiple studies. Using a simulation study, we outline how conventional statistical models can be modified to address class label uncertainty leading to well-calibrated prediction performance estimates and reduced bias in meta-analysis. We focus on the problem of mislabeled control subjects in case-control studies, i.e., when some of the control subjects are undiagnosed cases, although the procedures we report are generic. The uncertainty in control status is a particular situation common in biomarker discovery studies in the context of genomic and molecular epidemiology, where control subjects are commonly sampled from the general population with an established expected disease incidence rate.

  14. SWATHtoMRM: Development of High-Coverage Targeted Metabolomics Method Using SWATH Technology for Biomarker Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zha, Haihong; Cai, Yuping; Yin, Yandong; Wang, Zhuozhong; Li, Kang; Zhu, Zheng-Jiang

    2018-03-20

    The complexity of metabolome presents a great analytical challenge for quantitative metabolite profiling, and restricts the application of metabolomics in biomarker discovery. Targeted metabolomics using multiple-reaction monitoring (MRM) technique has excellent capability for quantitative analysis, but suffers from the limited metabolite coverage. To address this challenge, we developed a new strategy, namely, SWATHtoMRM, which utilizes the broad coverage of SWATH-MS technology to develop high-coverage targeted metabolomics method. Specifically, SWATH-MS technique was first utilized to untargeted profile one pooled biological sample and to acquire the MS 2 spectra for all metabolites. Then, SWATHtoMRM was used to extract the large-scale MRM transitions for targeted analysis with coverage as high as 1000-2000 metabolites. Then, we demonstrated the advantages of SWATHtoMRM method in quantitative analysis such as coverage, reproducibility, sensitivity, and dynamic range. Finally, we applied our SWATHtoMRM approach to discover potential metabolite biomarkers for colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis. A high-coverage targeted metabolomics method with 1303 metabolites in one injection was developed to profile colorectal cancer tissues from CRC patients. A total of 20 potential metabolite biomarkers were discovered and validated for CRC diagnosis. In plasma samples from CRC patients, 17 out of 20 potential biomarkers were further validated to be associated with tumor resection, which may have a great potential in assessing the prognosis of CRC patients after tumor resection. Together, the SWATHtoMRM strategy provides a new way to develop high-coverage targeted metabolomics method, and facilitates the application of targeted metabolomics in disease biomarker discovery. The SWATHtoMRM program is freely available on the Internet ( http://www.zhulab.cn/software.php ).

  15. Analytical Pipeline for Discovery and Verification of Glycoproteins from Plasma-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as Breast Cancer Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, I-Hsuan; Aguilar, Hillary Andaluz; Paez Paez, J Sebastian; Wu, Xiaofeng; Pan, Li; Wendt, Michael K; Iliuk, Anton B; Zhang, Ying; Tao, W Andy

    2018-05-15

    Glycoproteins comprise more than half of current FDA-approved protein cancer markers, but the development of new glycoproteins as disease biomarkers has been stagnant. Here we present a pipeline to develop glycoproteins from extracellular vesicles (EVs) through integrating quantitative glycoproteomics with a novel reverse phase glycoprotein array and then apply it to identify novel biomarkers for breast cancer. EV glycoproteomics show promise in circumventing the problems plaguing current serum/plasma glycoproteomics and allowed us to identify hundreds of glycoproteins that have not been identified in blood. We identified 1,453 unique glycopeptides representing 556 glycoproteins in EVs, among which 20 were verified significantly higher in individual breast cancer patients. We further applied a novel glyco-specific reverse phase protein array to quantify a subset of the candidates. Together, this study demonstrates the great potential of this integrated pipeline for biomarker discovery.

  16. Multi-dimensional discovery of biomarker and phenotype complexes

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huang Kun

    2010-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Given the rapid growth of translational research and personalized healthcare paradigms, the ability to relate and reason upon networks of bio-molecular and phenotypic variables at various levels of granularity in order to diagnose, stage and plan treatments for disease states is highly desirable. Numerous techniques exist that can be used to develop networks of co-expressed or otherwise related genes and clinical features. Such techniques can also be used to create formalized knowledge collections based upon the information incumbent to ontologies and domain literature. However, reports of integrative approaches that bridge such networks to create systems-level models of disease or wellness are notably lacking in the contemporary literature. Results In response to the preceding gap in knowledge and practice, we report upon a prototypical series of experiments that utilize multi-modal approaches to network induction. These experiments are intended to elicit meaningful and significant biomarker-phenotype complexes spanning multiple levels of granularity. This work has been performed in the experimental context of a large-scale clinical and basic science data repository maintained by the National Cancer Institute (NCI funded Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Research Consortium. Conclusions Our results indicate that it is computationally tractable to link orthogonal networks of genes, clinical features, and conceptual knowledge to create multi-dimensional models of interrelated biomarkers and phenotypes. Further, our results indicate that such systems-level models contain interrelated bio-molecular and clinical markers capable of supporting hypothesis discovery and testing. Based on such findings, we propose a conceptual model intended to inform the cross-linkage of the results of such methods. This model has as its aim the identification of novel and knowledge-anchored biomarker-phenotype complexes.

  17. The Emerging Field of Quantitative Blood Metabolomics for Biomarker Discovery in Critical Illnesses

    Science.gov (United States)

    Serkova, Natalie J.; Standiford, Theodore J.

    2011-01-01

    Metabolomics, a science of systems biology, is the global assessment of endogenous metabolites within a biologic system and represents a “snapshot” reading of gene function, enzyme activity, and the physiological landscape. Metabolite detection, either individual or grouped as a metabolomic profile, is usually performed in cells, tissues, or biofluids by either nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy or mass spectrometry followed by sophisticated multivariate data analysis. Because loss of metabolic homeostasis is common in critical illness, the metabolome could have many applications, including biomarker and drug target identification. Metabolomics could also significantly advance our understanding of the complex pathophysiology of acute illnesses, such as sepsis and acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome. Despite this potential, the clinical community is largely unfamiliar with the field of metabolomics, including the methodologies involved, technical challenges, and, most importantly, clinical uses. Although there is evidence of successful preclinical applications, the clinical usefulness and application of metabolomics in critical illness is just beginning to emerge, the advancement of which hinges on linking metabolite data to known and validated clinically relevant indices. In addition, other important aspects, such as patient selection, sample collection, and processing, as well as the needed multivariate data analysis, have to be taken into consideration before this innovative approach to biomarker discovery can become a reliable tool in the intensive care unit. The purpose of this review is to begin to familiarize clinicians with the field of metabolomics and its application for biomarker discovery in critical illnesses such as sepsis. PMID:21680948

  18. A Standardized and Reproducible Urine Preparation Protocol for Cancer Biomarkers Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julia Beretov

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available A suitable and standardized protein purification technique is essential to maintain consistency and to allow data comparison between proteomic studies for urine biomarker discovery. Ultimately, efforts should be made to standardize urine preparation protocols. The aim of this study was to develop an optimal analytical protocol to achieve maximal protein yield and to ensure that this method was applicable to examine urine protein patterns that distinguish disease and disease-free states. In this pilot study, we compared seven different urine sample preparation methods to remove salts, and to precipitate and isolate urinary proteins. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE profiles showed that the sequential preparation of urinary proteins by combining acetone and trichloroacetic acid (TCA alongside high speed centrifugation (HSC provided the best separation, and retained the most urinary proteins. Therefore, this approach is the preferred method for all further urine protein analysis.

  19. Biomarker discovery and applications for foods and beverages: proteomics to nanoproteomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Agrawal, Ganesh Kumar; Timperio, Anna Maria; Zolla, Lello; Bansal, Vipul; Shukla, Ravi; Rakwal, Randeep

    2013-11-20

    Foods and beverages have been at the heart of our society for centuries, sustaining humankind - health, life, and the pleasures that go with it. The more we grow and develop as a civilization, the more we feel the need to know about the food we eat and beverages we drink. Moreover, with an ever increasing demand for food due to the growing human population food security remains a major concern. Food safety is another growing concern as the consumers prefer varied foods and beverages that are not only traded nationally but also globally. The 21st century science and technology is at a new high, especially in the field of biological sciences. The availability of genome sequences and associated high-throughput sensitive technologies means that foods are being analyzed at various levels. For example and in particular, high-throughput omics approaches are being applied to develop suitable biomarkers for foods and beverages and their applications in addressing quality, technology, authenticity, and safety issues. Proteomics are one of those technologies that are increasingly being utilized to profile expressed proteins in different foods and beverages. Acquired knowledge and protein information have now been translated to address safety of foods and beverages. Very recently, the power of proteomic technology has been integrated with another highly sensitive and miniaturized technology called nanotechnology, yielding a new term nanoproteomics. Nanoproteomics offer a real-time multiplexed analysis performed in a miniaturized assay, with low-sample consumption and high sensitivity. To name a few, nanomaterials - quantum dots, gold nanoparticles, carbon nanotubes, and nanowires - have demonstrated potential to overcome the challenges of sensitivity faced by proteomics for biomarker detection, discovery, and application. In this review, we will discuss the importance of biomarker discovery and applications for foods and beverages, the contribution of proteomic technology in

  20. Reproducible cancer biomarker discovery in SELDI-TOF MS using different pre-processing algorithms.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jinfeng Zou

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: There has been much interest in differentiating diseased and normal samples using biomarkers derived from mass spectrometry (MS studies. However, biomarker identification for specific diseases has been hindered by irreproducibility. Specifically, a peak profile extracted from a dataset for biomarker identification depends on a data pre-processing algorithm. Until now, no widely accepted agreement has been reached. RESULTS: In this paper, we investigated the consistency of biomarker identification using differentially expressed (DE peaks from peak profiles produced by three widely used average spectrum-dependent pre-processing algorithms based on SELDI-TOF MS data for prostate and breast cancers. Our results revealed two important factors that affect the consistency of DE peak identification using different algorithms. One factor is that some DE peaks selected from one peak profile were not detected as peaks in other profiles, and the second factor is that the statistical power of identifying DE peaks in large peak profiles with many peaks may be low due to the large scale of the tests and small number of samples. Furthermore, we demonstrated that the DE peak detection power in large profiles could be improved by the stratified false discovery rate (FDR control approach and that the reproducibility of DE peak detection could thereby be increased. CONCLUSIONS: Comparing and evaluating pre-processing algorithms in terms of reproducibility can elucidate the relationship among different algorithms and also help in selecting a pre-processing algorithm. The DE peaks selected from small peak profiles with few peaks for a dataset tend to be reproducibly detected in large peak profiles, which suggests that a suitable pre-processing algorithm should be able to produce peaks sufficient for identifying useful and reproducible biomarkers.

  1. Sample preparation and fractionation for proteome analysis and cancer biomarker discovery by mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, Farid E

    2009-03-01

    Sample preparation and fractionation technologies are one of the most crucial processes in proteomic analysis and biomarker discovery in solubilized samples. Chromatographic or electrophoretic proteomic technologies are also available for separation of cellular protein components. There are, however, considerable limitations in currently available proteomic technologies as none of them allows for the analysis of the entire proteome in a simple step because of the large number of peptides, and because of the wide concentration dynamic range of the proteome in clinical blood samples. The results of any undertaken experiment depend on the condition of the starting material. Therefore, proper experimental design and pertinent sample preparation is essential to obtain meaningful results, particularly in comparative clinical proteomics in which one is looking for minor differences between experimental (diseased) and control (nondiseased) samples. This review discusses problems associated with general and specialized strategies of sample preparation and fractionation, dealing with samples that are solution or suspension, in a frozen tissue state, or formalin-preserved tissue archival samples, and illustrates how sample processing might influence detection with mass spectrometric techniques. Strategies that dramatically improve the potential for cancer biomarker discovery in minimally invasive, blood-collected human samples are also presented.

  2. Molecular correlates of trait anxiety: expanding biomarker discovery from protein expression to turnover

    OpenAIRE

    Zhang, Yaoyang

    2010-01-01

    Depression and anxiety disorders affect a great number of people in the world. Although remarkable efforts have been devoted to understanding the clinical and biological basis of these disorders, progress has been relatively slow. Furthermore, no laboratory test currently is available for diagnosis of anxiety and depression. These disorders are mainly diagnosed empirically on the basis of a doctor’s personal observations and experiences. Hence, discovery of biomarkers for these psychiatric di...

  3. Using MALDI-IMS and MRM to stablish a pipeline for discovery and validation of tumor neovasculature biomarker candidates. — EDRN Public Portal

    Science.gov (United States)

    In an effort to circumvent the limitations associated with biomarker discovery workflows involving cell lines and cell cultures, histology-directed MALDI protein profiling and imaging mass spectrometry will be used for identification of vascular endothelial biomarkers suitable for early prostate cancer detection by CEUS targeted molecular imaging

  4. Nutrition and biomarkers in psychiatry : research on micronutrient deficiencies in schizophrenia, the role of the intestine in the hyperserotonemia of autism, and a method for non-hypothesis driven discovery of biomarkers in urine

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Kemperman, Ramses Franciscus Jacobus

    2007-01-01

    This thesis describes the study of markers of nutrition and intestinal motility in mental disorders with a focus on schizophrenia and autism, and the development, evaluation and application of a biomarker discovery method for urine. The aim of the thesis is to investigate the role of long-chain

  5. NMR and pattern recognition methods in metabolomics: From data acquisition to biomarker discovery: A review

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Smolinska, Agnieszka; Blanchet, Lionel; Buydens, Lutgarde M.C.; Wijmenga, Sybren S.

    2012-01-01

    Highlights: ► Procedures for acquisition of different biofluids by NMR. ► Recent developments in metabolic profiling of different biofluids by NMR are presented. ► The crucial steps involved in data preprocessing and multivariate chemometric analysis are reviewed. ► Emphasis is given on recent findings on Multiple Sclerosis via NMR and pattern recognition methods. - Abstract: Metabolomics is the discipline where endogenous and exogenous metabolites are assessed, identified and quantified in different biological samples. Metabolites are crucial components of biological system and highly informative about its functional state, due to their closeness to functional endpoints and to the organism's phenotypes. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, next to Mass Spectrometry (MS), is one of the main metabolomics analytical platforms. The technological developments in the field of NMR spectroscopy have enabled the identification and quantitative measurement of the many metabolites in a single sample of biofluids in a non-targeted and non-destructive manner. Combination of NMR spectra of biofluids and pattern recognition methods has driven forward the application of metabolomics in the field of biomarker discovery. The importance of metabolomics in diagnostics, e.g. in identifying biomarkers or defining pathological status, has been growing exponentially as evidenced by the number of published papers. In this review, we describe the developments in data acquisition and multivariate analysis of NMR-based metabolomics data, with particular emphasis on the metabolomics of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and biomarker discovery in Multiple Sclerosis (MScl).

  6. Application in pesticide analysis: Liquid chromatography - A review of the state of science for biomarker discovery and identification

    Science.gov (United States)

    Book Chapter 18, titled Application in pesticide analysis: Liquid chromatography - A review of the state of science for biomarker discovery and identification, will be published in the book titled High Performance Liquid Chromatography in Pesticide Residue Analysis (Part of the C...

  7. Recent mass spectrometry-based proteomics for biomarker discovery in lung cancer, COPD, and asthma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fujii, Kiyonaga; Nakamura, Haruhiko; Nishimura, Toshihide

    2017-04-01

    Lung cancer and related diseases have been one of the most common causes of deaths worldwide. Genomic-based biomarkers may hardly reflect the underlying dynamic molecular mechanism of functional protein interactions, which is the center of a disease. Recent developments in mass spectrometry (MS) have made it possible to analyze disease-relevant proteins expressed in clinical specimens by proteomic challenges. Areas covered: To understand the molecular mechanisms of lung cancer and its subtypes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma and others, great efforts have been taken to identify numerous relevant proteins by MS-based clinical proteomic approaches. Since lung cancer is a multifactorial disease that is biologically associated with asthma and COPD among various lung diseases, this study focused on proteomic studies on biomarker discovery using various clinical specimens for lung cancer, COPD, and asthma. Expert commentary: MS-based exploratory proteomics utilizing clinical specimens, which can incorporate both experimental and bioinformatic analysis of protein-protein interaction and also can adopt proteogenomic approaches, makes it possible to reveal molecular networks that are relevant to a disease subgroup and that could differentiate between drug responders and non-responders, good and poor prognoses, drug resistance, and so on.

  8. Mass spectrometry in biomarker applications: from untargeted discovery to targeted verification, and implications for platform convergence and clinical application

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smith, Richard D.

    2012-03-01

    It is really only in the last ten years that mass spectrometry (MS) has had a truly significant (but still small) impact on biomedical research. Much of this impact can be attributed to proteomics and its more basic applications. Early biomedical applications have included a number of efforts aimed at developing new biomarkers; however, the success of these endeavors to date have been quite modest - essentially confined to preclinical applications - and have often suffered from combinations of immature technology and hubris. Now that MS-based proteomics is reaching adolescence, it is appropriate to ask if and when biomarker-related applications will extend to the clinical realm, and what developments will be essential for this transition. Biomarker development can be described as a multistage process consisting of discovery, qualification, verification, research assay optimization, validation, and commercialization (1). From a MS perspective, it is possible to 'bin' measurements into 1 of 2 categories - those aimed at discovering potential protein biomarkers and those seeking to verify and validate biomarkers. Approaches in both categories generally involve digesting proteins (e.g., with trypsin) as a first step to yield peptides that can be effectively detected and identified with MS. Discovery-based approaches use broad 'unbiased' or 'undirected' measurements that attempt to cover as many proteins as possible in the hope of revealing promising biomarker candidates. A key challenge with this approach stems from the extremely large dynamic range (i.e., relative stoichiometry) of proteins of potential interest in biofluids such as plasma and the expectation that biomarker proteins of the greatest clinical value for many diseases may very well be present at low relative abundances (2). Protein concentrations in plasma extend from approximately 10{sup 10} pg/mL for albumin to approximately 10 pg/mL and below for interleukins and other

  9. Quantitative label-free proteomics for discovery of biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid: assessment of technical and inter-individual variation.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard J Perrin

    Full Text Available Biomarkers are required for pre-symptomatic diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF is a favored source because its proteome reflects the composition of the brain. Ideal biomarkers have low technical and inter-individual variability (subject variance among control subjects to minimize overlaps between clinical groups. This study evaluates a process of multi-affinity fractionation (MAF and quantitative label-free liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS for CSF biomarker discovery by (1 identifying reparable sources of technical variability, (2 assessing subject variance and residual technical variability for numerous CSF proteins, and (3 testing its ability to segregate samples on the basis of desired biomarker characteristics.Fourteen aliquots of pooled CSF and two aliquots from six cognitively normal individuals were randomized, enriched for low-abundance proteins by MAF, digested endoproteolytically, randomized again, and analyzed by nano-LC-MS. Nano-LC-MS data were time and m/z aligned across samples for relative peptide quantification. Among 11,433 aligned charge groups, 1360 relatively abundant ones were annotated by MS2, yielding 823 unique peptides. Analyses, including Pearson correlations of annotated LC-MS ion chromatograms, performed for all pairwise sample comparisons, identified several sources of technical variability: i incomplete MAF and keratins; ii globally- or segmentally-decreased ion current in isolated LC-MS analyses; and iii oxidized methionine-containing peptides. Exclusion of these sources yielded 609 peptides representing 81 proteins. Most of these proteins showed very low coefficients of variation (CV<5% whether they were quantified from the mean of all or only the 2 most-abundant peptides. Unsupervised clustering, using only 24 proteins selected for high subject variance, yielded perfect segregation of pooled and

  10. NMR and pattern recognition methods in metabolomics: From data acquisition to biomarker discovery: A review

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Smolinska, Agnieszka, E-mail: A.Smolinska@science.ru.nl [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Blanchet, Lionel [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Department of Biochemistry, Nijmegen Centre for Molecular Life Sciences, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen (Netherlands); Buydens, Lutgarde M.C.; Wijmenga, Sybren S. [Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University Nijmegen, Nijmegen (Netherlands)

    2012-10-31

    Highlights: Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Procedures for acquisition of different biofluids by NMR. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Recent developments in metabolic profiling of different biofluids by NMR are presented. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer The crucial steps involved in data preprocessing and multivariate chemometric analysis are reviewed. Black-Right-Pointing-Pointer Emphasis is given on recent findings on Multiple Sclerosis via NMR and pattern recognition methods. - Abstract: Metabolomics is the discipline where endogenous and exogenous metabolites are assessed, identified and quantified in different biological samples. Metabolites are crucial components of biological system and highly informative about its functional state, due to their closeness to functional endpoints and to the organism's phenotypes. Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, next to Mass Spectrometry (MS), is one of the main metabolomics analytical platforms. The technological developments in the field of NMR spectroscopy have enabled the identification and quantitative measurement of the many metabolites in a single sample of biofluids in a non-targeted and non-destructive manner. Combination of NMR spectra of biofluids and pattern recognition methods has driven forward the application of metabolomics in the field of biomarker discovery. The importance of metabolomics in diagnostics, e.g. in identifying biomarkers or defining pathological status, has been growing exponentially as evidenced by the number of published papers. In this review, we describe the developments in data acquisition and multivariate analysis of NMR-based metabolomics data, with particular emphasis on the metabolomics of Cerebrospinal Fluid (CSF) and biomarker discovery in Multiple Sclerosis (MScl).

  11. Comprehensive Analysis of MILE Gene Expression Data Set Advances Discovery of Leukaemia Type and Subtype Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Labaj, Wojciech; Papiez, Anna; Polanski, Andrzej; Polanska, Joanna

    2017-03-01

    Large collections of data in studies on cancer such as leukaemia provoke the necessity of applying tailored analysis algorithms to ensure supreme information extraction. In this work, a custom-fit pipeline is demonstrated for thorough investigation of the voluminous MILE gene expression data set. Three analyses are accomplished, each for gaining a deeper understanding of the processes underlying leukaemia types and subtypes. First, the main disease groups are tested for differential expression against the healthy control as in a standard case-control study. Here, the basic knowledge on molecular mechanisms is confirmed quantitatively and by literature references. Second, pairwise comparison testing is performed for juxtaposing the main leukaemia types among each other. In this case by means of the Dice coefficient similarity measure the general relations are pointed out. Moreover, lists of candidate main leukaemia group biomarkers are proposed. Finally, with this approach being successful, the third analysis provides insight into all of the studied subtypes, followed by the emergence of four leukaemia subtype biomarkers. In addition, the class enhanced DEG signature obtained on the basis of novel pipeline processing leads to significantly better classification power of multi-class data classifiers. The developed methodology consisting of batch effect adjustment, adaptive noise and feature filtration coupled with adequate statistical testing and biomarker definition proves to be an effective approach towards knowledge discovery in high-throughput molecular biology experiments.

  12. Disease Classification and Biomarker Discovery Using ECG Data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rong Huang

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available In the recent decade, disease classification and biomarker discovery have become increasingly important in modern biological and medical research. ECGs are comparatively low-cost and noninvasive in screening and diagnosing heart diseases. With the development of personal ECG monitors, large amounts of ECGs are recorded and stored; therefore, fast and efficient algorithms are called for to analyze the data and make diagnosis. In this paper, an efficient and easy-to-interpret procedure of cardiac disease classification is developed through novel feature extraction methods and comparison of classifiers. Motivated by the observation that the distributions of various measures on ECGs of the diseased group are often skewed, heavy-tailed, or multimodal, we characterize the distributions by sample quantiles which outperform sample means. Three classifiers are compared in application both to all features and to dimension-reduced features by PCA: stepwise discriminant analysis (SDA, SVM, and LASSO logistic regression. It is found that SDA applied to dimension-reduced features by PCA is the most stable and effective procedure, with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy being 89.68%, 84.62%, and 88.52%, respectively.

  13. Automated Sample Preparation Platform for Mass Spectrometry-Based Plasma Proteomics and Biomarker Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Vilém Guryča

    2014-03-01

    Full Text Available The identification of novel biomarkers from human plasma remains a critical need in order to develop and monitor drug therapies for nearly all disease areas. The discovery of novel plasma biomarkers is, however, significantly hampered by the complexity and dynamic range of proteins within plasma, as well as the inherent variability in composition from patient to patient. In addition, it is widely accepted that most soluble plasma biomarkers for diseases such as cancer will be represented by tissue leakage products, circulating in plasma at low levels. It is therefore necessary to find approaches with the prerequisite level of sensitivity in such a complex biological matrix. Strategies for fractionating the plasma proteome have been suggested, but improvements in sensitivity are often negated by the resultant process variability. Here we describe an approach using multidimensional chromatography and on-line protein derivatization, which allows for higher sensitivity, whilst minimizing the process variability. In order to evaluate this automated process fully, we demonstrate three levels of processing and compare sensitivity, throughput and reproducibility. We demonstrate that high sensitivity analysis of the human plasma proteome is possible down to the low ng/mL or even high pg/mL level with a high degree of technical reproducibility.

  14. Novel ageing-biomarker discovery using data-intensive technologies

    OpenAIRE

    Griffiths, H.R.; Augustyniak, E.M.; Bennett, S.J.; Debacq-Chainiaux, F.; Dunston, C.R.; Kristensen, P.; Melchjorsen, C.J.; Navarrete, Santos A.; Simm, A.; Toussaint, O.

    2015-01-01

    Ageing is accompanied by many visible characteristics. Other biological and physiological markers are also well-described e.g. loss of circulating sex hormones and increased inflammatory cytokines. Biomarkers for healthy ageing studies are presently predicated on existing knowledge of ageing traits. The increasing availability of data-intensive methods enables deep-analysis of biological samples for novel biomarkers. We have adopted two discrete approaches in MARK-AGE Work Package 7 for bioma...

  15. From the endometrium physiology to a comprehensive strategy for the discovery of ovarian cancer biomarkers

    OpenAIRE

    Janos L. Tanyi; Nathalie Scholler

    2011-01-01

    The development of comprehensive strategies for biomarker discovery of gynecological cancers is needed. The unique physiology of the female genital track revolves around ovulatory cycles ending by the proteolysis of the endometrium triggered by progesterone decline during the last part of the luteal phase. Building on the known link between incessant ovulation and ovarian cancer, we hypothesize that life-long menstruations could damage neighboring organs such as fallopian tubes, ovaries and p...

  16. atBioNet– an integrated network analysis tool for genomics and biomarker discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ding Yijun

    2012-07-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Large amounts of mammalian protein-protein interaction (PPI data have been generated and are available for public use. From a systems biology perspective, Proteins/genes interactions encode the key mechanisms distinguishing disease and health, and such mechanisms can be uncovered through network analysis. An effective network analysis tool should integrate different content-specific PPI databases into a comprehensive network format with a user-friendly platform to identify key functional modules/pathways and the underlying mechanisms of disease and toxicity. Results atBioNet integrates seven publicly available PPI databases into a network-specific knowledge base. Knowledge expansion is achieved by expanding a user supplied proteins/genes list with interactions from its integrated PPI network. The statistically significant functional modules are determined by applying a fast network-clustering algorithm (SCAN: a Structural Clustering Algorithm for Networks. The functional modules can be visualized either separately or together in the context of the whole network. Integration of pathway information enables enrichment analysis and assessment of the biological function of modules. Three case studies are presented using publicly available disease gene signatures as a basis to discover new biomarkers for acute leukemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, and breast cancer. The results demonstrated that atBioNet can not only identify functional modules and pathways related to the studied diseases, but this information can also be used to hypothesize novel biomarkers for future analysis. Conclusion atBioNet is a free web-based network analysis tool that provides a systematic insight into proteins/genes interactions through examining significant functional modules. The identified functional modules are useful for determining underlying mechanisms of disease and biomarker discovery. It can be accessed at: http

  17. atBioNet--an integrated network analysis tool for genomics and biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ding, Yijun; Chen, Minjun; Liu, Zhichao; Ding, Don; Ye, Yanbin; Zhang, Min; Kelly, Reagan; Guo, Li; Su, Zhenqiang; Harris, Stephen C; Qian, Feng; Ge, Weigong; Fang, Hong; Xu, Xiaowei; Tong, Weida

    2012-07-20

    Large amounts of mammalian protein-protein interaction (PPI) data have been generated and are available for public use. From a systems biology perspective, Proteins/genes interactions encode the key mechanisms distinguishing disease and health, and such mechanisms can be uncovered through network analysis. An effective network analysis tool should integrate different content-specific PPI databases into a comprehensive network format with a user-friendly platform to identify key functional modules/pathways and the underlying mechanisms of disease and toxicity. atBioNet integrates seven publicly available PPI databases into a network-specific knowledge base. Knowledge expansion is achieved by expanding a user supplied proteins/genes list with interactions from its integrated PPI network. The statistically significant functional modules are determined by applying a fast network-clustering algorithm (SCAN: a Structural Clustering Algorithm for Networks). The functional modules can be visualized either separately or together in the context of the whole network. Integration of pathway information enables enrichment analysis and assessment of the biological function of modules. Three case studies are presented using publicly available disease gene signatures as a basis to discover new biomarkers for acute leukemia, systemic lupus erythematosus, and breast cancer. The results demonstrated that atBioNet can not only identify functional modules and pathways related to the studied diseases, but this information can also be used to hypothesize novel biomarkers for future analysis. atBioNet is a free web-based network analysis tool that provides a systematic insight into proteins/genes interactions through examining significant functional modules. The identified functional modules are useful for determining underlying mechanisms of disease and biomarker discovery. It can be accessed at: http://www.fda.gov/ScienceResearch/BioinformaticsTools/ucm285284.htm.

  18. Discovery of Metabolic Biomarkers for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy within a Natural History Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simina M Boca

    Full Text Available Serum metabolite profiling in Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD may enable discovery of valuable molecular markers for disease progression and treatment response. Serum samples from 51 DMD patients from a natural history study and 22 age-matched healthy volunteers were profiled using liquid chromatography coupled to mass spectrometry (LC-MS for discovery of novel circulating serum metabolites associated with DMD. Fourteen metabolites were found significantly altered (1% false discovery rate in their levels between DMD patients and healthy controls while adjusting for age and study site and allowing for an interaction between disease status and age. Increased metabolites included arginine, creatine and unknown compounds at m/z of 357 and 312 while decreased metabolites included creatinine, androgen derivatives and other unknown yet to be identified compounds. Furthermore, the creatine to creatinine ratio is significantly associated with disease progression in DMD patients. This ratio sharply increased with age in DMD patients while it decreased with age in healthy controls. Overall, this study yielded promising metabolic signatures that could prove useful to monitor DMD disease progression and response to therapies in the future.

  19. Biomarkers: Delivering on the expectation of molecularly driven, quantitative health.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wilson, Jennifer L; Altman, Russ B

    2018-02-01

    Biomarkers are the pillars of precision medicine and are delivering on expectations of molecular, quantitative health. These features have made clinical decisions more precise and personalized, but require a high bar for validation. Biomarkers have improved health outcomes in a few areas such as cancer, pharmacogenetics, and safety. Burgeoning big data research infrastructure, the internet of things, and increased patient participation will accelerate discovery in the many areas that have not yet realized the full potential of biomarkers for precision health. Here we review themes of biomarker discovery, current implementations of biomarkers for precision health, and future opportunities and challenges for biomarker discovery. Impact statement Precision medicine evolved because of the understanding that human disease is molecularly driven and is highly variable across patients. This understanding has made biomarkers, a diverse class of biological measurements, more relevant for disease diagnosis, monitoring, and selection of treatment strategy. Biomarkers' impact on precision medicine can be seen in cancer, pharmacogenomics, and safety. The successes in these cases suggest many more applications for biomarkers and a greater impact for precision medicine across the spectrum of human disease. The authors assess the status of biomarker-guided medical practice by analyzing themes for biomarker discovery, reviewing the impact of these markers in the clinic, and highlight future and ongoing challenges for biomarker discovery. This work is timely and relevant, as the molecular, quantitative approach of precision medicine is spreading to many disease indications.

  20. Discovery of serum biomarkers predicting development of a subsequent depressive episode in social anxiety disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottschalk, M G; Cooper, J D; Chan, M K; Bot, M; Penninx, B W J H; Bahn, S

    2015-08-01

    Although social anxiety disorder (SAD) is strongly associated with the subsequent development of a depressive disorder (major depressive disorder or dysthymia), no underlying biological risk factors are known. We aimed to identify biomarkers which predict depressive episodes in SAD patients over a 2-year follow-up period. One hundred sixty-five multiplexed immunoassay analytes were investigated in blood serum of 143 SAD patients without co-morbid depressive disorders, recruited within the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). Predictive performance of identified biomarkers, clinical variables and self-report inventories was assessed using receiver operating characteristics curves (ROC) and represented by the area under the ROC curve (AUC). Stepwise logistic regression resulted in the selection of four serum analytes (AXL receptor tyrosine kinase, vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, vitronectin, collagen IV) and four additional variables (Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, Beck Anxiety Inventory somatic subscale, depressive disorder lifetime diagnosis, BMI) as optimal set of patient parameters. When combined, an AUC of 0.86 was achieved for the identification of SAD individuals who later developed a depressive disorder. Throughout our analyses, biomarkers yielded superior discriminative performance compared to clinical variables and self-report inventories alone. We report the discovery of a serum marker panel with good predictive performance to identify SAD individuals prone to develop subsequent depressive episodes in a naturalistic cohort design. Furthermore, we emphasise the importance to combine biological markers, clinical variables and self-report inventories for disease course predictions in psychiatry. Following replication in independent cohorts, validated biomarkers could help to identify SAD patients at risk of developing a depressive disorder, thus facilitating early intervention. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  1. Mass spectrometric based approaches in urine metabolomics and biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khamis, Mona M; Adamko, Darryl J; El-Aneed, Anas

    2017-03-01

    Urine metabolomics has recently emerged as a prominent field for the discovery of non-invasive biomarkers that can detect subtle metabolic discrepancies in response to a specific disease or therapeutic intervention. Urine, compared to other biofluids, is characterized by its ease of collection, richness in metabolites and its ability to reflect imbalances of all biochemical pathways within the body. Following urine collection for metabolomic analysis, samples must be immediately frozen to quench any biogenic and/or non-biogenic chemical reactions. According to the aim of the experiment; sample preparation can vary from simple procedures such as filtration to more specific extraction protocols such as liquid-liquid extraction. Due to the lack of comprehensive studies on urine metabolome stability, higher storage temperatures (i.e. 4°C) and repetitive freeze-thaw cycles should be avoided. To date, among all analytical techniques, mass spectrometry (MS) provides the best sensitivity, selectivity and identification capabilities to analyze the majority of the metabolite composition in the urine. Combined with the qualitative and quantitative capabilities of MS, and due to the continuous improvements in its related technologies (i.e. ultra high-performance liquid chromatography [UPLC] and hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography [HILIC]), liquid chromatography (LC)-MS is unequivocally the most utilized and the most informative analytical tool employed in urine metabolomics. Furthermore, differential isotope tagging techniques has provided a solution to ion suppression from urine matrix thus allowing for quantitative analysis. In addition to LC-MS, other MS-based technologies have been utilized in urine metabolomics. These include direct injection (infusion)-MS, capillary electrophoresis-MS and gas chromatography-MS. In this article, the current progresses of different MS-based techniques in exploring the urine metabolome as well as the recent findings in providing

  2. Candidate Biomarkers in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of MRI Studies

    Institute of Scientific and Technical Information of China (English)

    Dongyun Li; Hans-Otto Karnath; Xiu Xu

    2017-01-01

    Searching for effective biomarkers is one of the most challenging tasks in the research field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive and powerful tool for investigating changes in the structure,function,maturation,connectivity,and metabolism of the brain of children with ASD.Here,we review the more recent MRI studies in young children with ASD,aiming to provide candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of childhood ASD.The review covers structural imaging methods,diffusion tensor imaging,resting-state functional MRI,and magnetic reso nance spectroscopy.Future advances in neuroimaging techniques,as well as cross-disciplinary studies and largescale collaborations will be needed for an integrated approach linking neuroimaging,genetics,and phenotypic data to allow the discovery of new,effective biomarkers.

  3. Probing the O-glycoproteome of Gastric Cancer Cell Lines for Biomarker Discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vieira Campos, Diana Alexandra; Freitas, Daniela; Gomes, Joana

    2015-01-01

    biomarker assays. However, the current knowledge of secreted and circulating O-glycoproteins is limited. Here, we used the COSMC KO "SimpleCell" (SC) strategy to characterize the O-glycoproteome of two gastric cancer SC lines (AGS, MKN45) as well as a gastric cell line (KATO III) which naturally expresses...... at least partially truncated O-glycans. Overall we identified 499 O-glycoproteins and 1,236 O-glycosites in gastric cancer SCs, and a total 47 O-glycoproteins and 73 O-glycosites in the KATO III cell line. We next modified the glycoproteomic strategy to apply it to pools of sera from gastric cancer...... with the STn glycoform were further validated as being expressed in gastric cancer tissue. A proximity ligation assay was used to demonstrate that CD44 was expressed with the STn glycoform in gastric cancer tissues. The study provides a discovery strategy for aberrantly glycosylated O-glycoproteins and a set...

  4. Strategies to design clinical studies to identify predictive biomarkers in cancer research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perez-Gracia, Jose Luis; Sanmamed, Miguel F; Bosch, Ana; Patiño-Garcia, Ana; Schalper, Kurt A; Segura, Victor; Bellmunt, Joaquim; Tabernero, Josep; Sweeney, Christopher J; Choueiri, Toni K; Martín, Miguel; Fusco, Juan Pablo; Rodriguez-Ruiz, Maria Esperanza; Calvo, Alfonso; Prior, Celia; Paz-Ares, Luis; Pio, Ruben; Gonzalez-Billalabeitia, Enrique; Gonzalez Hernandez, Alvaro; Páez, David; Piulats, Jose María; Gurpide, Alfonso; Andueza, Mapi; de Velasco, Guillermo; Pazo, Roberto; Grande, Enrique; Nicolas, Pilar; Abad-Santos, Francisco; Garcia-Donas, Jesus; Castellano, Daniel; Pajares, María J; Suarez, Cristina; Colomer, Ramon; Montuenga, Luis M; Melero, Ignacio

    2017-02-01

    The discovery of reliable biomarkers to predict efficacy and toxicity of anticancer drugs remains one of the key challenges in cancer research. Despite its relevance, no efficient study designs to identify promising candidate biomarkers have been established. This has led to the proliferation of a myriad of exploratory studies using dissimilar strategies, most of which fail to identify any promising targets and are seldom validated. The lack of a proper methodology also determines that many anti-cancer drugs are developed below their potential, due to failure to identify predictive biomarkers. While some drugs will be systematically administered to many patients who will not benefit from them, leading to unnecessary toxicities and costs, others will never reach registration due to our inability to identify the specific patient population in which they are active. Despite these drawbacks, a limited number of outstanding predictive biomarkers have been successfully identified and validated, and have changed the standard practice of oncology. In this manuscript, a multidisciplinary panel reviews how those key biomarkers were identified and, based on those experiences, proposes a methodological framework-the DESIGN guidelines-to standardize the clinical design of biomarker identification studies and to develop future research in this pivotal field. Copyright © 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

  5. Potential Peripheral Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Seema Patel

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Advances in the discovery of a peripheral biomarker for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's would provide a way to better detect the onset of this debilitating disease in a manner that is both noninvasive and universally available. This paper examines the current approaches that are being used to discover potential biomarker candidates available in the periphery. The search for a peripheral biomarker that could be utilized diagnostically has resulted in an extensive amount of studies that employ several biological approaches, including the assessment of tissues, genomics, proteomics, epigenetics, and metabolomics. Although a definitive biomarker has yet to be confirmed, advances in the understanding of the mechanisms of the disease and major susceptibility factors have been uncovered and reveal promising possibilities for the future discovery of a useful biomarker.

  6. Metabolic profiling of an Echinostoma caproni infection in the mouse for biomarker discovery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jasmina Saric

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Metabolic profiling holds promise with regard to deepening our understanding of infection biology and disease states. The objectives of our study were to assess the global metabolic responses to an Echinostoma caproni infection in the mouse, and to compare the biomarkers extracted from different biofluids (plasma, stool, and urine in terms of characterizing acute and chronic stages of this intestinal fluke infection. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twelve female NMRI mice were infected with 30 E. caproni metacercariae each. Plasma, stool, and urine samples were collected at 7 time points up to day 33 post-infection. Samples were also obtained from non-infected control mice at the same time points and measured using (1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR spectroscopy. Spectral data were subjected to multivariate statistical analyses. In plasma and urine, an altered metabolic profile was already evident 1 day post-infection, characterized by reduced levels of plasma choline, acetate, formate, and lactate, coupled with increased levels of plasma glucose, and relatively lower concentrations of urinary creatine. The main changes in the urine metabolic profile started at day 8 post-infection, characterized by increased relative concentrations of trimethylamine and phenylacetylglycine and lower levels of 2-ketoisocaproate and showed differentiation over the course of the infection. CONCLUSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The current investigation is part of a broader NMR-based metabonomics profiling strategy and confirms the utility of this approach for biomarker discovery. In the case of E. caproni, a diagnosis based on all three biofluids would deliver the most comprehensive fingerprint of an infection. For practical purposes, however, future diagnosis might aim at a single biofluid, in which case urine would be chosen for further investigation, based on quantity of biomarkers, ease of sampling, and the degree of differentiation from the non

  7. MRM screening/biomarker discovery with linear ion trap MS: a library of human cancer-specific peptides

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Yang, Xu; Lazar, Iulia M

    2009-01-01

    The discovery of novel protein biomarkers is essential in the clinical setting to enable early disease diagnosis and increase survivability rates. To facilitate differential expression analysis and biomarker discovery, a variety of tandem mass spectrometry (MS/MS)-based protein profiling techniques have been developed. For achieving sensitive detection and accurate quantitation, targeted MS screening approaches, such as multiple reaction monitoring (MRM), have been implemented. MCF-7 breast cancer protein cellular extracts were analyzed by 2D-strong cation exchange (SCX)/reversed phase liquid chromatography (RPLC) separations interfaced to linear ion trap MS detection. MS data were interpreted with the Sequest-based Bioworks software (Thermo Electron). In-house developed Perl-scripts were used to calculate the spectral counts and the representative fragment ions for each peptide. In this work, we report on the generation of a library of 9,677 peptides (p < 0.001), representing ~1,572 proteins from human breast cancer cells, that can be used for MRM/MS-based biomarker screening studies. For each protein, the library provides the number and sequence of detectable peptides, the charge state, the spectral count, the molecular weight, the parameters that characterize the quality of the tandem mass spectrum (p-value, DeltaM, Xcorr, DeltaCn, Sp, no. of matching a, b, y ions in the spectrum), the retention time, and the top 10 most intense product ions that correspond to a given peptide. Only proteins identified by at least two spectral counts are listed. The experimental distribution of protein frequencies, as a function of molecular weight, closely matched the theoretical distribution of proteins in the human proteome, as provided in the SwissProt database. The amino acid sequence coverage of the identified proteins ranged from 0.04% to 98.3%. The highest-abundance proteins in the cellular extract had a molecular weight (MW)<50,000. Preliminary experiments have

  8. Discovery of Novel Biomarkers for Alzheimer’s Disease from Blood

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jintao Long

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease would be very valuable because blood is a more accessible biofluid and is suitable for repeated sampling. However, currently there are no robust and reliable blood-based biomarkers for practical diagnosis. In this study we used a knowledge-based protein feature pool and two novel support vector machine embedded feature selection methods to find panels consisting of two and three biomarkers. We validated these biomarker sets using another serum cohort and an RNA profile cohort from the brain. Our panels included the proteins ECH1, NHLRC2, HOXB7, FN1, ERBB2, and SLC6A13 and demonstrated promising sensitivity (>87%, specificity (>91%, and accuracy (>89%.

  9. Metabolomics as a tool for discovery of biomarkers of autism spectrum disorder in the blood plasma of children.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Paul R West

    Full Text Available The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD at the earliest age possible is important for initiating optimally effective intervention. In the United States the average age of diagnosis is 4 years. Identifying metabolic biomarker signatures of ASD from blood samples offers an opportunity for development of diagnostic tests for detection of ASD at an early age.To discover metabolic features present in plasma samples that can discriminate children with ASD from typically developing (TD children. The ultimate goal is to identify and develop blood-based ASD biomarkers that can be validated in larger clinical trials and deployed to guide individualized therapy and treatment.Blood plasma was obtained from children aged 4 to 6, 52 with ASD and 30 age-matched TD children. Samples were analyzed using 5 mass spectrometry-based methods designed to orthogonally measure a broad range of metabolites. Univariate, multivariate and machine learning methods were used to develop models to rank the importance of features that could distinguish ASD from TD.A set of 179 statistically significant features resulting from univariate analysis were used for multivariate modeling. Subsets of these features properly classified the ASD and TD samples in the 61-sample training set with average accuracies of 84% and 86%, and with a maximum accuracy of 81% in an independent 21-sample validation set.This analysis of blood plasma metabolites resulted in the discovery of biomarkers that may be valuable in the diagnosis of young children with ASD. The results will form the basis for additional discovery and validation research for 1 determining biomarkers to develop diagnostic tests to detect ASD earlier and improve patient outcomes, 2 gaining new insight into the biochemical mechanisms of various subtypes of ASD 3 identifying biomolecular targets for new modes of therapy, and 4 providing the basis for individualized treatment recommendations.

  10. Metabolomics as a Tool for Discovery of Biomarkers of Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Blood Plasma of Children

    Science.gov (United States)

    West, Paul R.; Amaral, David G.; Bais, Preeti; Smith, Alan M.; Egnash, Laura A.; Ross, Mark E.; Palmer, Jessica A.; Fontaine, Burr R.; Conard, Kevin R.; Corbett, Blythe A.; Cezar, Gabriela G.; Donley, Elizabeth L. R.; Burrier, Robert E.

    2014-01-01

    Background The diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the earliest age possible is important for initiating optimally effective intervention. In the United States the average age of diagnosis is 4 years. Identifying metabolic biomarker signatures of ASD from blood samples offers an opportunity for development of diagnostic tests for detection of ASD at an early age. Objectives To discover metabolic features present in plasma samples that can discriminate children with ASD from typically developing (TD) children. The ultimate goal is to identify and develop blood-based ASD biomarkers that can be validated in larger clinical trials and deployed to guide individualized therapy and treatment. Methods Blood plasma was obtained from children aged 4 to 6, 52 with ASD and 30 age-matched TD children. Samples were analyzed using 5 mass spectrometry-based methods designed to orthogonally measure a broad range of metabolites. Univariate, multivariate and machine learning methods were used to develop models to rank the importance of features that could distinguish ASD from TD. Results A set of 179 statistically significant features resulting from univariate analysis were used for multivariate modeling. Subsets of these features properly classified the ASD and TD samples in the 61-sample training set with average accuracies of 84% and 86%, and with a maximum accuracy of 81% in an independent 21-sample validation set. Conclusions This analysis of blood plasma metabolites resulted in the discovery of biomarkers that may be valuable in the diagnosis of young children with ASD. The results will form the basis for additional discovery and validation research for 1) determining biomarkers to develop diagnostic tests to detect ASD earlier and improve patient outcomes, 2) gaining new insight into the biochemical mechanisms of various subtypes of ASD 3) identifying biomolecular targets for new modes of therapy, and 4) providing the basis for individualized treatment

  11. Analysis of Reverse Phase Protein Array Data: From Experimental Design towards Targeted Biomarker Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Astrid Wachter

    2015-11-01

    Full Text Available Mastering the systematic analysis of tumor tissues on a large scale has long been a technical challenge for proteomics. In 2001, reverse phase protein arrays (RPPA were added to the repertoire of existing immunoassays, which, for the first time, allowed a profiling of minute amounts of tumor lysates even after microdissection. A characteristic feature of RPPA is its outstanding sample capacity permitting the analysis of thousands of samples in parallel as a routine task. Until today, the RPPA approach has matured to a robust and highly sensitive high-throughput platform, which is ideally suited for biomarker discovery. Concomitant with technical advancements, new bioinformatic tools were developed for data normalization and data analysis as outlined in detail in this review. Furthermore, biomarker signatures obtained by different RPPA screens were compared with another or with that obtained by other proteomic formats, if possible. Options for overcoming the downside of RPPA, which is the need to steadily validate new antibody batches, will be discussed. Finally, a debate on using RPPA to advance personalized medicine will conclude this article.

  12. Biomarkers Discovery for Colorectal Cancer: A Review on Tumor Endothelial Markers as Perspective Candidates

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Łukasz Pietrzyk

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Colorectal cancer (CRC is the third most common cancer in the world. The early detection of CRC, during the promotion/progression stages, is an enormous challenge for a successful outcome and remains a fundamental problem in clinical approach. Despite the continuous advancement in diagnostic and therapeutic methods, there is a need for discovery of sensitive and specific, noninvasive biomarkers. Tumor endothelial markers (TEMs are associated with tumor-specific angiogenesis and are potentially useful to discriminate between tumor and normal endothelium. The most promising TEMs for oncogenic signaling in CRC appeared to be the TEM1, TEM5, TEM7, and TEM8. Overexpression of TEMs especially TEM1, TEM7, and TEM8 in colorectal tumor tissue compared to healthy tissue suggests their role in tumor blood vessels formation. Thus TEMs appear to be perspective candidates for early detection, monitoring, and treatment of CRC patients. This review provides an update on recent data on tumor endothelial markers and their possible use as biomarkers for screening, diagnosis, and therapy of colorectal cancer patients.

  13. Biomarkers Discovery for Colorectal Cancer: A Review on Tumor Endothelial Markers as Perspective Candidates.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pietrzyk, Łukasz

    2016-01-01

    Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cancer in the world. The early detection of CRC, during the promotion/progression stages, is an enormous challenge for a successful outcome and remains a fundamental problem in clinical approach. Despite the continuous advancement in diagnostic and therapeutic methods, there is a need for discovery of sensitive and specific, noninvasive biomarkers. Tumor endothelial markers (TEMs) are associated with tumor-specific angiogenesis and are potentially useful to discriminate between tumor and normal endothelium. The most promising TEMs for oncogenic signaling in CRC appeared to be the TEM1, TEM5, TEM7, and TEM8. Overexpression of TEMs especially TEM1, TEM7, and TEM8 in colorectal tumor tissue compared to healthy tissue suggests their role in tumor blood vessels formation. Thus TEMs appear to be perspective candidates for early detection, monitoring, and treatment of CRC patients. This review provides an update on recent data on tumor endothelial markers and their possible use as biomarkers for screening, diagnosis, and therapy of colorectal cancer patients.

  14. Radiation Biomarker Research Using Mass Spectrometry

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Bach, Stephan B; Hubert, Walter

    2007-01-01

    .... This review is intended to give an overview of mass spectrometry and its application to biological systems and biomarker discovery and how that might relate to relevant radiation dosimetry studies...

  15. Custom database development and biomarker discovery methods for MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry-based identification of high-consequence bacterial pathogens.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tracz, Dobryan M; Tyler, Andrea D; Cunningham, Ian; Antonation, Kym S; Corbett, Cindi R

    2017-03-01

    A high-quality custom database of MALDI-TOF mass spectral profiles was developed with the goal of improving clinical diagnostic identification of high-consequence bacterial pathogens. A biomarker discovery method is presented for identifying and evaluating MALDI-TOF MS spectra to potentially differentiate biothreat bacteria from less-pathogenic near-neighbour species. Crown Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  16. Use of the local false discovery rate for identification of metabolic biomarkers in rat urine following Genkwa Flos-induced hepatotoxicity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zuojing Li

    Full Text Available Metabolomics is concerned with characterizing the large number of metabolites present in a biological system using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR and HPLC/MS (high-performance liquid chromatography with mass spectrometry. Multivariate analysis is one of the most important tools for metabolic biomarker identification in metabolomic studies. However, analyzing the large-scale data sets acquired during metabolic fingerprinting is a major challenge. As a posterior probability that the features of interest are not affected, the local false discovery rate (LFDR is a good interpretable measure. However, it is rarely used to when interrogating metabolic data to identify biomarkers. In this study, we employed the LFDR method to analyze HPLC/MS data acquired from a metabolomic study of metabolic changes in rat urine during hepatotoxicity induced by Genkwa flos (GF treatment. The LFDR approach was successfully used to identify important rat urine metabolites altered by GF-stimulated hepatotoxicity. Compared with principle component analysis (PCA, LFDR is an interpretable measure and discovers more important metabolites in an HPLC/MS-based metabolomic study.

  17. Integrative analysis to select cancer candidate biomarkers to targeted validation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heberle, Henry; Domingues, Romênia R.; Granato, Daniela C.; Yokoo, Sami; Canevarolo, Rafael R.; Winck, Flavia V.; Ribeiro, Ana Carolina P.; Brandão, Thaís Bianca; Filgueiras, Paulo R.; Cruz, Karen S. P.; Barbuto, José Alexandre; Poppi, Ronei J.; Minghim, Rosane; Telles, Guilherme P.; Fonseca, Felipe Paiva; Fox, Jay W.; Santos-Silva, Alan R.; Coletta, Ricardo D.; Sherman, Nicholas E.; Paes Leme, Adriana F.

    2015-01-01

    Targeted proteomics has flourished as the method of choice for prospecting for and validating potential candidate biomarkers in many diseases. However, challenges still remain due to the lack of standardized routines that can prioritize a limited number of proteins to be further validated in human samples. To help researchers identify candidate biomarkers that best characterize their samples under study, a well-designed integrative analysis pipeline, comprising MS-based discovery, feature selection methods, clustering techniques, bioinformatic analyses and targeted approaches was performed using discovery-based proteomic data from the secretomes of three classes of human cell lines (carcinoma, melanoma and non-cancerous). Three feature selection algorithms, namely, Beta-binomial, Nearest Shrunken Centroids (NSC), and Support Vector Machine-Recursive Features Elimination (SVM-RFE), indicated a panel of 137 candidate biomarkers for carcinoma and 271 for melanoma, which were differentially abundant between the tumor classes. We further tested the strength of the pipeline in selecting candidate biomarkers by immunoblotting, human tissue microarrays, label-free targeted MS and functional experiments. In conclusion, the proposed integrative analysis was able to pre-qualify and prioritize candidate biomarkers from discovery-based proteomics to targeted MS. PMID:26540631

  18. Mass spectrometry for biomarker development

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Wu, Chaochao; Liu, Tao; Baker, Erin Shammel; Rodland, Karin D.; Smith, Richard D.

    2015-06-19

    Biomarkers potentially play a crucial role in early disease diagnosis, prognosis and targeted therapy. In the past decade, mass spectrometry based proteomics has become increasingly important in biomarker development due to large advances in technology and associated methods. This chapter mainly focuses on the application of broad (e.g. shotgun) proteomics in biomarker discovery and the utility of targeted proteomics in biomarker verification and validation. A range of mass spectrometry methodologies are discussed emphasizing their efficacy in the different stages in biomarker development, with a particular emphasis on blood biomarker development.

  19. A Comprehensive Workflow of Mass Spectrometry-Based Untargeted Metabolomics in Cancer Metabolic Biomarker Discovery Using Human Plasma and Urine

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jianwen She

    2013-09-01

    Full Text Available Current available biomarkers lack sensitivity and/or specificity for early detection of cancer. To address this challenge, a robust and complete workflow for metabolic profiling and data mining is described in details. Three independent and complementary analytical techniques for metabolic profiling are applied: hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC–LC, reversed-phase liquid chromatography (RP–LC, and gas chromatography (GC. All three techniques are coupled to a mass spectrometer (MS in the full scan acquisition mode, and both unsupervised and supervised methods are used for data mining. The univariate and multivariate feature selection are used to determine subsets of potentially discriminative predictors. These predictors are further identified by obtaining accurate masses and isotopic ratios using selected ion monitoring (SIM and data-dependent MS/MS and/or accurate mass MSn ion tree scans utilizing high resolution MS. A list combining all of the identified potential biomarkers generated from different platforms and algorithms is used for pathway analysis. Such a workflow combining comprehensive metabolic profiling and advanced data mining techniques may provide a powerful approach for metabolic pathway analysis and biomarker discovery in cancer research. Two case studies with previous published data are adapted and included in the context to elucidate the application of the workflow.

  20. Top-down proteomics with mass spectrometry imaging: a pilot study towards discovery of biomarkers for neurodevelopmental disorders.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hui Ye

    Full Text Available In the developing mammalian brain, inhibition of NMDA receptor can induce widespread neuroapoptosis, inhibit neurogenesis and cause impairment of learning and memory. Although some mechanistic insights into adverse neurological actions of these NMDA receptor antagonists exist, our understanding of the full spectrum of developmental events affected by early exposure to these chemical agents in the brain is still limited. Here we attempt to gain insights into the impact of pharmacologically induced excitatory/inhibitory imbalance in infancy on the brain proteome using mass spectrometric imaging (MSI. Our goal was to study changes in protein expression in postnatal day 10 (P10 rat brains following neonatal exposure to the NMDA receptor antagonist dizocilpine (MK801. Analysis of rat brains exposed to vehicle or MK801 and comparison of their MALDI MS images revealed differential relative abundances of several proteins. We then identified these markers such as ubiquitin, purkinje cell protein 4 (PEP-19, cytochrome c oxidase subunits and calmodulin, by a combination of reversed-phase (RP HPLC fractionation and top-down tandem MS platform. More in-depth large scale study along with validation experiments will be carried out in the future. Overall, our findings indicate that a brief neonatal exposure to a compound that alters excitatory/inhibitory balance in the brain has a long term effect on protein expression patterns during subsequent development, highlighting the utility of MALDI-MSI as a discovery tool for potential biomarkers.

  1. Discovery of safety biomarkers for atorvastatin in rat urine using mass spectrometry based metabolomics combined with global and targeted approach

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Kumar, Bhowmik Salil; Lee, Young-Joo; Yi, Hong Jae; Chung, Bong Chul; Jung, Byung Hwa

    2010-01-01

    In order to develop a safety biomarker for atorvastatin, this drug was orally administrated to hyperlipidemic rats, and a metabolomic study was performed. Atorvastatin was given in doses of either 70 mg kg -1 day -1 or 250 mg kg -1 day -1 for a period of 7 days (n = 4 for each group). To evaluate any abnormal effects of the drug, physiological and plasma biochemical parameters were measured and histopathological tests were carried out. Safety biomarkers were derived by comparing these parameters and using both global and targeted metabolic profiling. Global metabolic profiling was performed using liquid chromatography/time of flight/mass spectrometry (LC/TOF/MS) with multivariate data analysis. Several safety biomarker candidates that included various steroids and amino acids were discovered as a result of global metabolic profiling, and they were also confirmed by targeted metabolic profiling using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CE/MS). Serum biochemical and histopathological tests were used to detect abnormal drug reactions in the liver after repeating oral administration of atorvastatin. The metabolic differences between control and the drug-treated groups were compared using PLS-DA score plots. These results were compared with the physiological and plasma biochemical parameters and the results of a histopathological test. Estrone, cortisone, proline, cystine, 3-ureidopropionic acid and histidine were proposed as potential safety biomarkers related with the liver toxicity of atorvastatin. These results indicate that the combined application of global and targeted metabolic profiling could be a useful tool for the discovery of drug safety biomarkers.

  2. Discovery of safety biomarkers for atorvastatin in rat urine using mass spectrometry based metabolomics combined with global and targeted approach

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kumar, Bhowmik Salil [Bioanalysis and Biotransformation Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650 (Korea, Republic of); University of Science and Technology, (305-333) 113 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of); Lee, Young-Joo; Yi, Hong Jae [College of Pharmacy, Kyung Hee University, Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130-791 (Korea, Republic of); Chung, Bong Chul [Bioanalysis and Biotransformation Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650 (Korea, Republic of); Jung, Byung Hwa, E-mail: jbhluck@kist.re.kr [Bioanalysis and Biotransformation Research Center, Korea Institute of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 131, Cheongryang, Seoul 130-650 (Korea, Republic of); University of Science and Technology, (305-333) 113 Gwahangno, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon (Korea, Republic of)

    2010-02-19

    In order to develop a safety biomarker for atorvastatin, this drug was orally administrated to hyperlipidemic rats, and a metabolomic study was performed. Atorvastatin was given in doses of either 70 mg kg{sup -1} day{sup -1} or 250 mg kg{sup -1} day{sup -1} for a period of 7 days (n = 4 for each group). To evaluate any abnormal effects of the drug, physiological and plasma biochemical parameters were measured and histopathological tests were carried out. Safety biomarkers were derived by comparing these parameters and using both global and targeted metabolic profiling. Global metabolic profiling was performed using liquid chromatography/time of flight/mass spectrometry (LC/TOF/MS) with multivariate data analysis. Several safety biomarker candidates that included various steroids and amino acids were discovered as a result of global metabolic profiling, and they were also confirmed by targeted metabolic profiling using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) and capillary electrophoresis/mass spectrometry (CE/MS). Serum biochemical and histopathological tests were used to detect abnormal drug reactions in the liver after repeating oral administration of atorvastatin. The metabolic differences between control and the drug-treated groups were compared using PLS-DA score plots. These results were compared with the physiological and plasma biochemical parameters and the results of a histopathological test. Estrone, cortisone, proline, cystine, 3-ureidopropionic acid and histidine were proposed as potential safety biomarkers related with the liver toxicity of atorvastatin. These results indicate that the combined application of global and targeted metabolic profiling could be a useful tool for the discovery of drug safety biomarkers.

  3. From the endometrium physiology to a comprehensive strategy for the discovery of ovarian cancer biomarkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janos L. Tanyi

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available The development of comprehensive strategies for biomarker discovery of gynecological cancers is needed. The unique physiology of the female genital track revolves around ovulatory cycles ending by the proteolysis of the endometrium triggered by progesterone decline during the last part of the luteal phase. Building on the known link between incessant ovulation and ovarian cancer, we hypothesize that life-long menstruations could damage neighboring organs such as fallopian tubes, ovaries and peritoneum via endometrial secretions, and thus endometrium neighboring structures may have developed highly efficient protective strategies that could, in turn, be hijacked by cancer cells for survival and invasion. After literature review, we could classify the molecules involved in ovulation and menstruation pathways in three main categories: proteases, proteases inhibitors and cell-surface protectors. Strikingly, all validated biomarkers for ovarian cancers belong to at least one of these categories. We thus propose the development of comprehensive methods for identification of early diagnostic markers for gynecological cancers using systematical mapping and characterization of surface or soluble molecules belonging to physiological pathways linked to menstruation and differently expressed during luteal cycles.

  4. Development of a universal metabolome-standard method for long-term LC-MS metabolome profiling and its application for bladder cancer urine-metabolite-biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Peng, Jun; Chen, Yi-Ting; Chen, Chien-Lun; Li, Liang

    2014-07-01

    Large-scale metabolomics study requires a quantitative method to generate metabolome data over an extended period with high technical reproducibility. We report a universal metabolome-standard (UMS) method, in conjunction with chemical isotope labeling liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS), to provide long-term analytical reproducibility and facilitate metabolome comparison among different data sets. In this method, UMS of a specific type of sample labeled by an isotope reagent is prepared a priori. The UMS is spiked into any individual samples labeled by another form of the isotope reagent in a metabolomics study. The resultant mixture is analyzed by LC-MS to provide relative quantification of the individual sample metabolome to UMS. UMS is independent of a study undertaking as well as the time of analysis and useful for profiling the same type of samples in multiple studies. In this work, the UMS method was developed and applied for a urine metabolomics study of bladder cancer. UMS of human urine was prepared by (13)C2-dansyl labeling of a pooled sample from 20 healthy individuals. This method was first used to profile the discovery samples to generate a list of putative biomarkers potentially useful for bladder cancer detection and then used to analyze the verification samples about one year later. Within the discovery sample set, three-month technical reproducibility was examined using a quality control sample and found a mean CV of 13.9% and median CV of 9.4% for all the quantified metabolites. Statistical analysis of the urine metabolome data showed a clear separation between the bladder cancer group and the control group from the discovery samples, which was confirmed by the verification samples. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) test showed that the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.956 in the discovery data set and 0.935 in the verification data set. These results demonstrated the utility of the UMS method for long-term metabolomics and

  5. Metabolomics as a tool in the identification of dietary biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gibbons, Helena; Brennan, Lorraine

    2017-02-01

    Current dietary assessment methods including FFQ, 24-h recalls and weighed food diaries are associated with many measurement errors. In an attempt to overcome some of these errors, dietary biomarkers have emerged as a complementary approach to these traditional methods. Metabolomics has developed as a key technology for the identification of new dietary biomarkers and to date, metabolomic-based approaches have led to the identification of a number of putative biomarkers. The three approaches generally employed when using metabolomics in dietary biomarker discovery are: (i) acute interventions where participants consume specific amounts of a test food, (ii) cohort studies where metabolic profiles are compared between consumers and non-consumers of a specific food and (iii) the analysis of dietary patterns and metabolic profiles to identify nutritypes and biomarkers. The present review critiques the current literature in terms of the approaches used for dietary biomarker discovery and gives a detailed overview of the currently proposed biomarkers, highlighting steps needed for their full validation. Furthermore, the present review also evaluates areas such as current databases and software tools, which are needed to advance the interpretation of results and therefore enhance the utility of dietary biomarkers in nutrition research.

  6. Biomarkers of tolerance: searching for the hidden phenotype.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Perucha, Esperanza; Rebollo-Mesa, Irene; Sagoo, Pervinder; Hernandez-Fuentes, Maria P

    2011-08-01

    Induction of transplantation tolerance remains the ideal long-term clinical and logistic solution to the current challenges facing the management of renal allograft recipients. In this review, we describe the recent studies and advances made in identifying biomarkers of renal transplant tolerance, from study inceptions, to the lessons learned and their implications for current and future studies with the same goal. With the age of biomarker discovery entering a new dimension of high-throughput technologies, here we also review the current approaches, developments, and pitfalls faced in the subsequent statistical analysis required to identify valid biomarker candidates.

  7. Multiple inflammatory biomarker detection in a prospective cohort study: a cross-validation between well-established single-biomarker techniques and an electrochemiluminescense-based multi-array platform.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Bas C T van Bussel

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: In terms of time, effort and quality, multiplex technology is an attractive alternative for well-established single-biomarker measurements in clinical studies. However, limited data comparing these methods are available. METHODS: We measured, in a large ongoing cohort study (n = 574, by means of both a 4-plex multi-array biomarker assay developed by MesoScaleDiscovery (MSD and single-biomarker techniques (ELISA or immunoturbidimetric assay, the following biomarkers of low-grade inflammation: C-reactive protein (CRP, serum amyloid A (SAA, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (sICAM-1 and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1. These measures were realigned by weighted Deming regression and compared across a wide spectrum of subjects' cardiovascular risk factors by ANOVA. RESULTS: Despite that both methods ranked individuals' levels of biomarkers very similarly (Pearson's r all≥0.755 absolute concentrations of all biomarkers differed significantly between methods. Equations retrieved by the Deming regression enabled proper realignment of the data to overcome these differences, such that intra-class correlation coefficients were then 0.996 (CRP, 0.711 (SAA, 0.895 (sICAM-1 and 0.858 (sVCAM-1. Additionally, individual biomarkers differed across categories of glucose metabolism, weight, metabolic syndrome and smoking status to a similar extent by either method. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple low-grade inflammatory biomarker data obtained by the 4-plex multi-array platform of MSD or by well-established single-biomarker methods are comparable after proper realignment of differences in absolute concentrations, and are equally associated with cardiovascular risk factors, regardless of such differences. Given its greater efficiency, the MSD platform is a potential tool for the quantification of multiple biomarkers of low-grade inflammation in large ongoing and future clinical studies.

  8. Averaged differential expression for the discovery of biomarkers in the blood of patients with prostate cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    V Uma Bai

    Full Text Available The identification of a blood-based diagnostic marker is a goal in many areas of medicine, including the early diagnosis of prostate cancer. We describe the use of averaged differential display as an efficient mechanism for biomarker discovery in whole blood RNA. The process of averaging reduces the problem of clinical heterogeneity while simultaneously minimizing sample handling.RNA was isolated from the blood of prostate cancer patients and healthy controls. Samples were pooled and subjected to the averaged differential display process. Transcripts present at different levels between patients and controls were purified and sequenced for identification. Transcript levels in the blood of prostate cancer patients and controls were verified by quantitative RT-PCR. Means were compared using a t-test and a receiver-operating curve was generated. The Ring finger protein 19A (RNF19A transcript was identified as having higher levels in prostate cancer patients compared to healthy men through the averaged differential display process. Quantitative RT-PCR analysis confirmed a more than 2-fold higher level of RNF19A mRNA levels in the blood of patients with prostate cancer than in healthy controls (p = 0.0066. The accuracy of distinguishing cancer patients from healthy men using RNF19A mRNA levels in blood as determined by the area under the receiving operator curve was 0.727.Averaged differential display offers a simplified approach for the comprehensive screening of body fluids, such as blood, to identify biomarkers in patients with prostate cancer. Furthermore, this proof-of-concept study warrants further analysis of RNF19A as a clinically relevant biomarker for prostate cancer detection.

  9. In Silico discovery of transcription factors as potential diagnostic biomarkers of ovarian cancer

    KAUST Repository

    Kaur, Mandeep; MacPherson, Cameron R; Schmeier, Sebastian; Narasimhan, Kothandaraman; Choolani, Mahesh; Bajic, Vladimir B.

    2011-01-01

    Background: Our study focuses on identifying potential biomarkers for diagnosis and early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) through the study of transcription regulation of genes affected by estrogen hormone.Results: The results are based on a set of 323 experimentally validated OC-associated genes compiled from several databases, and their subset controlled by estrogen. For these two gene sets we computationally determined transcription factors (TFs) that putatively regulate transcription initiation. We ranked these TFs based on the number of genes they are likely to control. In this way, we selected 17 top-ranked TFs as potential key regulators and thus possible biomarkers for a set of 323 OC-associated genes. For 77 estrogen controlled genes from this set we identified three unique TFs as potential biomarkers.Conclusions: We introduced a new methodology to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for OC. This report is the first bioinformatics study that explores multiple transcriptional regulators of OC-associated genes as potential diagnostic biomarkers in connection with estrogen responsiveness. We show that 64% of TF biomarkers identified in our study are validated based on real-time data from microarray expression studies. As an illustration, our method could identify CP2 that in combination with CA125 has been reported to be sensitive in diagnosing ovarian tumors. 2011 Kaur et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  10. In Silico discovery of transcription factors as potential diagnostic biomarkers of ovarian cancer

    KAUST Repository

    Kaur, Mandeep

    2011-09-19

    Background: Our study focuses on identifying potential biomarkers for diagnosis and early detection of ovarian cancer (OC) through the study of transcription regulation of genes affected by estrogen hormone.Results: The results are based on a set of 323 experimentally validated OC-associated genes compiled from several databases, and their subset controlled by estrogen. For these two gene sets we computationally determined transcription factors (TFs) that putatively regulate transcription initiation. We ranked these TFs based on the number of genes they are likely to control. In this way, we selected 17 top-ranked TFs as potential key regulators and thus possible biomarkers for a set of 323 OC-associated genes. For 77 estrogen controlled genes from this set we identified three unique TFs as potential biomarkers.Conclusions: We introduced a new methodology to identify potential diagnostic biomarkers for OC. This report is the first bioinformatics study that explores multiple transcriptional regulators of OC-associated genes as potential diagnostic biomarkers in connection with estrogen responsiveness. We show that 64% of TF biomarkers identified in our study are validated based on real-time data from microarray expression studies. As an illustration, our method could identify CP2 that in combination with CA125 has been reported to be sensitive in diagnosing ovarian tumors. 2011 Kaur et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd.

  11. Implementation of proteomic biomarkers: making it work

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mischak, Harald; Ioannidis, John PA; Argiles, Angel; Attwood, Teresa K; Bongcam-Rudloff, Erik; Broenstrup, Mark; Charonis, Aristidis; Chrousos, George P; Delles, Christian; Dominiczak, Anna; Dylag, Tomasz; Ehrich, Jochen; Egido, Jesus; Findeisen, Peter; Jankowski, Joachim; Johnson, Robert W; Julien, Bruce A; Lankisch, Tim; Leung, Hing Y; Maahs, David; Magni, Fulvio; Manns, Michael P; Manolis, Efthymios; Mayer, Gert; Navis, Gerjan; Novak, Jan; Ortiz, Alberto; Persson, Frederik; Peter, Karlheinz; Riese, Hans H; Rossing, Peter; Sattar, Naveed; Spasovski, Goce; Thongboonkerd, Visith; Vanholder, Raymond; Schanstra, Joost P; Vlahou, Antonia

    2012-01-01

    While large numbers of proteomic biomarkers have been described, they are generally not implemented in medical practice. We have investigated the reasons for this shortcoming, focusing on hurdles downstream of biomarker verification, and describe major obstacles and possible solutions to ease valid biomarker implementation. Some of the problems lie in suboptimal biomarker discovery and validation, especially lack of validated platforms with well-described performance characteristics to support biomarker qualification. These issues have been acknowledged and are being addressed, raising the hope that valid biomarkers may start accumulating in the foreseeable future. However, successful biomarker discovery and qualification alone does not suffice for successful implementation. Additional challenges include, among others, limited access to appropriate specimens and insufficient funding, the need to validate new biomarker utility in interventional trials, and large communication gaps between the parties involved in implementation. To address this problem, we propose an implementation roadmap. The implementation effort needs to involve a wide variety of stakeholders (clinicians, statisticians, health economists, and representatives of patient groups, health insurance, pharmaceutical companies, biobanks, and regulatory agencies). Knowledgeable panels with adequate representation of all these stakeholders may facilitate biomarker evaluation and guide implementation for the specific context of use. This approach may avoid unwarranted delays or failure to implement potentially useful biomarkers, and may expedite meaningful contributions of the biomarker community to healthcare. PMID:22519700

  12. Mass spectrometry-based proteomic quest for diabetes biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shao, Shiying; Guo, Tiannan; Aebersold, Ruedi

    2015-06-01

    Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a metabolic disorder characterized by chronic hyperglycemia, which affects hundreds of millions of individuals worldwide. Early diagnosis and complication prevention of DM are helpful for disease treatment. However, currently available DM diagnostic markers fail to achieve the goals. Identification of new diabetic biomarkers assisted by mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics may offer solution for the clinical challenges. Here, we review the current status of biomarker discovery in DM, and describe the pressure cycling technology (PCT)-Sequential Window Acquisition of all Theoretical fragment-ion (SWATH) workflow for sample-processing, biomarker discovery and validation, which may accelerate the current quest for DM biomarkers. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Medical Proteomics. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  13. Systematic biomarker discovery and coordinative validation for different primary nephrotic syndromes using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Jung-Eun; Lee, Yu Ho; Kim, Se-Yun; Kim, Yang Gyun; Moon, Ju-Young; Jeong, Kyung-Hwan; Lee, Tae Won; Ihm, Chun-Gyoo; Kim, Sooah; Kim, Kyoung Heon; Kim, Dong Ki; Kim, Yon Su; Kim, Chan-Duck; Park, Cheol Whee; Lee, Do Yup; Lee, Sang-Ho

    2016-07-01

    The goal of this study is to identify systematic biomarker panel for primary nephrotic syndromes from urine samples by applying a non-target metabolite profiling, and to validate their utility in independent sampling and analysis by multiplex statistical approaches. Nephrotic syndrome (NS) is a nonspecific kidney disorder, which is mostly represented by minimal change disease (MCD), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and membranous glomerulonephritis (MGN). Since urine metabolites may mirror disease-specific functional perturbations in kidney injury, we examined urine samples for distinctive metabolic changes to identify biomarkers for clinical applications. We developed unbiased multi-component covarianced models from a discovery set with 48 samples (12 healthy controls, 12 MCD, 12 FSGS, and 12 MGN). To extensively validate their diagnostic potential, new batch from 54 patients with primary NS were independently examined a year after. In the independent validation set, the model including citric acid, pyruvic acid, fructose, ethanolamine, and cysteine effectively discriminated each NS using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis except MCD-MGN comparison; nonetheless an additional metabolite multi-composite greatly improved the discrimination power between MCD and MGN. Finally, we proposed the re-constructed metabolic network distinctively dysregulated by the different NSs that may deepen comprehensive understanding of the disease mechanistic, and help the enhanced identification of NS and therapeutic plans for future. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Urinary metabonomics study on toxicity biomarker discovery in rats treated with Xanthii Fructus.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lu, Fang; Cao, Min; Wu, Bin; Li, Xu-zhao; Liu, Hong-yu; Chen, Da-zhong; Liu, Shu-min

    2013-08-26

    Xanthii Fructus (XF) is commonly called "Cang-Erzi" in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and widely used for the treatment of sinusitis, headache, rheumatism, and skin itching. However, the clinical utilization of XF is relatively restricted owing to its toxicity. To discover the characteristic potential biomarkers in rats treated with XF by urinary metabonomics. Ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled with quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry (UPLC-QTOF-MS) was applied in the study. The total ion chromatograms obtained from control and different dosage groups were distinguishable by a multivariate statistical analysis method. The greatest difference in metabolic profile was observed between high dosage group and control group, and the metabolic characters in rats treated with XF were perturbed in a dose-dependent manner. The metabolic changes in response for XF treatment were observed in urinary samples, which were revealed by orthogonal projection to latent structures discriminate analysis (OPLS-DA), and 10 metabolites could be served as the potential toxicity biomarkers. In addition, the mechanism associated with the damages of lipid per-oxidation and the metabolic disturbances of fatty acid oxidation were investigated. These results indicate that metabonomics analysis in urinary samples may be useful for predicting the toxicity induced by XF. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  15. Biomarkers in Alzheimer’s Disease Analysis by Mass Spectrometry-Based Proteomics

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yahui Liu

    2014-05-01

    Full Text Available Alzheimer’s disease (AD is a common chronic and destructive disease. The early diagnosis of AD is difficult, thus the need for clinically applicable biomarkers development is growing rapidly. There are many methods to biomarker discovery and identification. In this review, we aim to summarize Mass spectrometry (MS-based proteomics studies on AD and discuss thoroughly the methods to identify candidate biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF and blood. This review will also discuss the potential research areas on biomarkers.

  16. Implementation of proteomic biomarkers: making it work.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mischak, Harald; Ioannidis, John P A; Argiles, Angel; Attwood, Teresa K; Bongcam-Rudloff, Erik; Broenstrup, Mark; Charonis, Aristidis; Chrousos, George P; Delles, Christian; Dominiczak, Anna; Dylag, Tomasz; Ehrich, Jochen; Egido, Jesus; Findeisen, Peter; Jankowski, Joachim; Johnson, Robert W; Julien, Bruce A; Lankisch, Tim; Leung, Hing Y; Maahs, David; Magni, Fulvio; Manns, Michael P; Manolis, Efthymios; Mayer, Gert; Navis, Gerjan; Novak, Jan; Ortiz, Alberto; Persson, Frederik; Peter, Karlheinz; Riese, Hans H; Rossing, Peter; Sattar, Naveed; Spasovski, Goce; Thongboonkerd, Visith; Vanholder, Raymond; Schanstra, Joost P; Vlahou, Antonia

    2012-09-01

    While large numbers of proteomic biomarkers have been described, they are generally not implemented in medical practice. We have investigated the reasons for this shortcoming, focusing on hurdles downstream of biomarker verification, and describe major obstacles and possible solutions to ease valid biomarker implementation. Some of the problems lie in suboptimal biomarker discovery and validation, especially lack of validated platforms with well-described performance characteristics to support biomarker qualification. These issues have been acknowledged and are being addressed, raising the hope that valid biomarkers may start accumulating in the foreseeable future. However, successful biomarker discovery and qualification alone does not suffice for successful implementation. Additional challenges include, among others, limited access to appropriate specimens and insufficient funding, the need to validate new biomarker utility in interventional trials, and large communication gaps between the parties involved in implementation. To address this problem, we propose an implementation roadmap. The implementation effort needs to involve a wide variety of stakeholders (clinicians, statisticians, health economists, and representatives of patient groups, health insurance, pharmaceutical companies, biobanks, and regulatory agencies). Knowledgeable panels with adequate representation of all these stakeholders may facilitate biomarker evaluation and guide implementation for the specific context of use. This approach may avoid unwarranted delays or failure to implement potentially useful biomarkers, and may expedite meaningful contributions of the biomarker community to healthcare. © 2012 The Authors. European Journal of Clinical Investigation © 2012 Stichting European Society for Clinical Investigation Journal Foundation.

  17. Biomarker Qualification: Toward a Multiple Stakeholder Framework for Biomarker Development, Regulatory Acceptance, and Utilization.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Amur, S; LaVange, L; Zineh, I; Buckman-Garner, S; Woodcock, J

    2015-07-01

    The discovery, development, and use of biomarkers for a variety of drug development purposes are areas of tremendous interest and need. Biomarkers can become accepted for use through submission of biomarker data during the drug approval process. Another emerging pathway for acceptance of biomarkers is via the biomarker qualification program developed by the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER, US Food and Drug Administration). Evidentiary standards are needed to develop and evaluate various types of biomarkers for their intended use and multiple stakeholders, including academia, industry, government, and consortia must work together to help develop this evidence. The article describes various types of biomarkers that can be useful in drug development and evidentiary considerations that are important for qualification. A path forward for coordinating efforts to identify and explore needed biomarkers is proposed for consideration. © 2015 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  18. Urine Exosomes: An Emerging Trove of Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Street, J M; Koritzinsky, E H; Glispie, D M; Star, R A; Yuen, P S T

    Exosomes are released by most cells and can be isolated from all biofluids including urine. Exosomes are small vesicles formed as part of the endosomal pathway that contain cellular material surrounded by a lipid bilayer that can be traced to the plasma membrane. Exosomes are potentially a more targeted source of material for biomarker discovery than unfractionated urine, and provide diagnostic and pathophysiological information without an invasive tissue biopsy. Cytoplasmic contents including protein, mRNA, miRNA, and lipids have all been studied within the exosomal fraction. Many prospective urinary exosomal biomarkers have been successfully identified for a variety of kidney or genitourinary tract conditions; detection of systemic conditions may also be possible. Isolation and analysis of exosomes can be achieved by several approaches, although many require specialized equipment or involve lengthy protocols. The need for timely analysis in the clinical setting has driven considerable innovation with several promising options recently emerging. Consensus on exosome isolation, characterization, and normalization procedures would resolve critical clinical translational bottlenecks for existing candidate exosomal biomarkers and provide a template for additional discovery studies. 2017 Published by Elsevier Inc.

  19. Overview of Biomarkers and Surrogate Endpoints in Drug Development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    John A. Wagner

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available There are numerous factors that recommend the use of biomarkers in drug development including the ability to provide a rational basis for selection of lead compounds, as an aid in determining or refining mechanism of action or pathophysiology, and the ability to work towards qualification and use of a biomarker as a surrogate endpoint. Examples of biomarkers come from many different means of clinical and laboratory measurement. Total cholesterol is an example of a clinically useful biomarker that was successfully qualified for use as a surrogate endpoint. Biomarkers require validation in most circumstances. Validation of biomarker assays is a necessary component to delivery of high-quality research data necessary for effective use of biomarkers. Qualification is necessary for use of a biomarker as a surrogate endpoint. Putative biomarkers are typically identified because of a relationship to known or hypothetical steps in a pathophysiologic cascade. Biomarker discovery can also be effected by expression profiling experiment using a variety of array technologies and related methods. For example, expression profiling experiments enabled the discovery of adipocyte related complement protein of 30 kD (Acrp30 or adiponectin as a biomarker for in vivo activation of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR γ activity.

  20. Cellular Models for Environmental Toxicant Biomarker Discovery

    National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

    Halverson, Kelly M; Lewsis, John A; Jackson, David A; Dennis, William; Brennan, Linda; Krakaner, Teresa

    2006-01-01

    ...) is the development of biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility. As exposure monitoring using environmental sampling equipment can be impractical and doesn't account for differences in individual responses, new methodologies must be sought...

  1. Biomarker discovery in neurological diseases: a metabolomic approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Afaf El-Ansary

    2009-12-01

    Full Text Available Afaf El-Ansary, Nouf Al-Afaleg, Yousra Al-YafaeeBiochemistry Department, Science College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi ArabiaAbstract: Biomarkers are pharmacological and physiological measurements or specific biochemicals in the body that have a particular molecular feature that makes them useful for measuring the progress of disease or the effects of treatment. Due to the complexity of neurological disorders, it is very difficult to have perfect markers. Brain diseases require plenty of markers to reflect the metabolic impairment of different brain cells. The recent introduction of the metabolomic approach helps the study of neurological diseases based on profiling a multitude of biochemical components related to brain metabolism. This review is a trial to elucidate the possibility to use this approach to identify plasma metabolic markers related to neurological disorders. Previous trials using different metabolomic analyses including nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, gas chromatography combined with mass spectrometry, liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis will be traced.Keywords: metabolic biomarkers, neurological disorders. metabolome, nuclear magnetic resonance, mass spectrometry, chromatography

  2. Searching for new biomarkers in ovarian cancer patients: Rationale and design of a retrospective study under the Mermaid III project

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Julie L. Hentze

    2017-12-01

    A thorough investigation of biomarkers in ovarian cancer, including large numbers of different markers, has never been done before. Besides from improving diagnosis and treatment, other outcomes could be markers for screening, knowledge of the molecular aspects of cancer and the discovery of new drugs. Moreover, biomarkers are a prerequisite for the development of precision medicine. This study will attack the ovarian cancer problem from several angles, thereby increasing the chance of successfully contributing to saving lives.

  3. Comprehensive serum profiling for the discovery of epithelial ovarian cancer biomarkers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ping Yip

    Full Text Available FDA-cleared ovarian cancer biomarkers are limited to CA-125 and HE4 for monitoring and recurrence and OVA1, a multivariate panel consisting of CA-125 and four additional biomarkers, for referring patients to a specialist. Due to relatively poor performance of these tests, more accurate and broadly applicable biomarkers are needed. We evaluated the dysregulation of 259 candidate cancer markers in serum samples from 499 patients. Sera were collected prospectively at 11 monitored sites under a single well-defined protocol. All stages of ovarian cancer and common benign gynecological conditions were represented. To ensure consistency and comparability of biomarker comparisons, all measurements were performed on a single platform, at a single site, using a panel of rigorously calibrated, qualified, high-throughput, multiplexed immunoassays and all analyses were conducted using the same software. Each marker was evaluated independently for its ability to differentiate ovarian cancer from benign conditions. A total of 175 markers were dysregulated in the cancer samples. HE4 (AUC=0.933 and CA-125 (AUC=0.907 were the most informative biomarkers, followed by IL-2 receptor α, α1-antitrypsin, C-reactive protein, YKL-40, cellular fibronectin, CA-72-4 and prostasin (AUC>0.800. To improve the discrimination between cancer and benign conditions, a simple multivariate combination of markers was explored using logistic regression. When combined into a single panel, the nine most informative individual biomarkers yielded an AUC value of 0.950, significantly higher than obtained when combining the markers in the OVA1 panel (AUC 0.912. Additionally, at a threshold sensitivity of 90%, the combination of the top 9 markers gave 88.9% specificity compared to 63.4% specificity for the OVA1 markers. Although a blinded validation study has not yet been performed, these results indicate that alternative biomarker combinations might lead to significant improvements in the

  4. Identification of biomarkers for lung cancer in never smokers — EDRN Public Portal

    Science.gov (United States)

    The overall goal of this project is to identify, verify and apply biomarkers for the early diagnosis or risk assessment of lung cancer in never smokers. The first year will be regarded as a year of discovery. After successful demonstration of the feasibility of the approach for novel marker discovery, funding will be applied for to perform confirmation and preclinical studies on the biomarkers and validation studies (specific aims 2 and 3, to be performed in years two and three). Year two can be regarded as the year of confirmation and year three as the year of validation.

  5. Biomarker discovery in low-grade breast cancer using isobaric stable isotope tags and two-dimensional liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (iTRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS) based quantitative proteomic analysis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bouchal, Pavel; Roumeliotis, Theodoros; Hrstka, Roman; Nenutil, Rudolf; Vojtesek, Borivoj; Garbis, Spiros D

    2009-01-01

    The present pilot study constitutes a proof-of-principle in the use of a quantitative LC-MS/MS based proteomic method for the comparative analysis of representative low-grade breast primary tumor tissues with and without metastases and metastasis in lymph node relative to the nonmetastatic tumor type. The study method incorporated iTRAQ stable isotope labeling, two-dimensional liquid chromatography, nanoelectrospray ionization and high resolution tandem mass spectrometry using the hybrid QqTOF platform (iTRAQ-2DLC-MS/MS). The principal aims of this study were (1) to define the protein spectrum obtainable using this approach, and (2) to highlight potential candidates for verification and validation studies focused on biomarkers involved in metastatic processes in breast cancer. The study resulted in the reproducible identification of 605 nonredundant proteins (p biomarker discovery program.

  6. Molecular Elucidation of Disease Biomarkers at the Interface of Chemistry and Biology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Liqin; Wan, Shuo; Jiang, Ying; Wang, Yanyue; Fu, Ting; Liu, Qiaoling; Cao, Zhijuan; Qiu, Liping; Tan, Weihong

    2017-02-22

    Disease-related biomarkers are objectively measurable molecular signatures of physiological status that can serve as disease indicators or drug targets in clinical diagnosis and therapy, thus acting as a tool in support of personalized medicine. For example, the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) biomarker is now widely used to screen patients for prostate cancer. However, few such biomarkers are currently available, and the process of biomarker identification and validation is prolonged and complicated by inefficient methods of discovery and few reliable analytical platforms. Therefore, in this Perspective, we look at the advanced chemistry of aptamer molecules and their significant role as molecular probes in biomarker studies. As a special class of functional nucleic acids evolved from an iterative technology termed Systematic Evolution of Ligands by Exponential Enrichment (SELEX), these single-stranded oligonucleotides can recognize their respective targets with selectivity and affinity comparable to those of protein antibodies. Because of their fast turnaround time and exceptional chemical properties, aptamer probes can serve as novel molecular tools for biomarker investigations, particularly in assisting identification of new disease-related biomarkers. More importantly, aptamers are able to recognize biomarkers from complex biological environments such as blood serum and cell surfaces, which can provide direct evidence for further clinical applications. This Perspective highlights several major advancements of aptamer-based biomarker discovery strategies and their potential contribution to the practice of precision medicine.

  7. Revisiting biomarker discovery by plasma proteomics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Geyer, Philipp E; Holdt, Lesca M; Teupser, Daniel

    2017-01-01

    slow rate. As described in this review, mass spectrometry (MS)-based proteomics has become a powerful technology in biological research and it is now poised to allow the characterization of the plasma proteome in great depth. Previous "triangular strategies" aimed at discovering single biomarker...

  8. Predictive Power Estimation Algorithm (PPEA--a new algorithm to reduce overfitting for genomic biomarker discovery.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jiangang Liu

    Full Text Available Toxicogenomics promises to aid in predicting adverse effects, understanding the mechanisms of drug action or toxicity, and uncovering unexpected or secondary pharmacology. However, modeling adverse effects using high dimensional and high noise genomic data is prone to over-fitting. Models constructed from such data sets often consist of a large number of genes with no obvious functional relevance to the biological effect the model intends to predict that can make it challenging to interpret the modeling results. To address these issues, we developed a novel algorithm, Predictive Power Estimation Algorithm (PPEA, which estimates the predictive power of each individual transcript through an iterative two-way bootstrapping procedure. By repeatedly enforcing that the sample number is larger than the transcript number, in each iteration of modeling and testing, PPEA reduces the potential risk of overfitting. We show with three different cases studies that: (1 PPEA can quickly derive a reliable rank order of predictive power of individual transcripts in a relatively small number of iterations, (2 the top ranked transcripts tend to be functionally related to the phenotype they are intended to predict, (3 using only the most predictive top ranked transcripts greatly facilitates development of multiplex assay such as qRT-PCR as a biomarker, and (4 more importantly, we were able to demonstrate that a small number of genes identified from the top-ranked transcripts are highly predictive of phenotype as their expression changes distinguished adverse from nonadverse effects of compounds in completely independent tests. Thus, we believe that the PPEA model effectively addresses the over-fitting problem and can be used to facilitate genomic biomarker discovery for predictive toxicology and drug responses.

  9. Convergence of biomarkers, bioinformatics and nanotechnology for individualized cancer treatment

    Science.gov (United States)

    Phan, John H.; Moffitt, Richard A.; Stokes, Todd H.; Liu, Jian; Young, Andrew N.; Nie, Shuming; Wang, May D.

    2013-01-01

    Recent advances in biomarker discovery, biocomputing, and nanotechnology have raised new opportunities for the emerging field of personalized medicine in which disease detection, diagnosis, and therapy are tailored to each individual’s molecular profile, and also for predictive medicine that uses genetic/molecular information to predict disease development, progression, and clinical outcome. Here we discuss advanced biocomputing tools for cancer biomarker discovery and multiplexed nanoparticle probes for cancer biomarker profiling, together with prospects and challenges in correlating biomolecular signatures with clinical outcome. This bio-nano-info convergence holds great promise for molecular diagnosis and individualized therapy of cancer and other human diseases. PMID:19409634

  10. Quantitative proteomic analysis of microdissected oral epithelium for cancer biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xiao, Hua; Langerman, Alexander; Zhang, Yan; Khalid, Omar; Hu, Shen; Cao, Cheng-Xi; Lingen, Mark W; Wong, David T W

    2015-11-01

    Specific biomarkers are urgently needed for the detection and progression of oral cancer. The objective of this study was to discover cancer biomarkers from oral epithelium through utilizing high throughput quantitative proteomics approaches. Morphologically malignant, epithelial dysplasia, and adjacent normal epithelial tissues were laser capture microdissected (LCM) from 19 patients and used for proteomics analysis. Total proteins from each group were extracted, digested and then labelled with corresponding isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ). Labelled peptides from each sample were combined and analyzed by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) for protein identification and quantification. In total, 500 proteins were identified and 425 of them were quantified. When compared with adjacent normal oral epithelium, 17 and 15 proteins were consistently up-regulated or down-regulated in malignant and epithelial dysplasia, respectively. Half of these candidate biomarkers were discovered for oral cancer for the first time. Cornulin was initially confirmed in tissue protein extracts and was further validated in tissue microarray. Its presence in the saliva of oral cancer patients was also explored. Myoglobin and S100A8 were pre-validated by tissue microarray. These data demonstrated that the proteomic biomarkers discovered through this strategy are potential targets for oral cancer detection and salivary diagnostics. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Urine biomarkers in the early stages of diseases: current status and perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jing, Jian; Gao, Youhe

    2018-02-01

    As a noninvasive and easily available biological fluid, the urine is becoming an important source for disease biomarker study. Change is essential for the usefulness of a biomarker. Without homeostasis mechanisms, urine can accommodate more changes, especially in the early stages of diseases. In this review, we summarize current status and discuss perspectives on the discovery of urine biomarkers in the early stages of diseases. We emphasize the advantages of urine biomarkers compared to plasma biomarkers for the diagnosis of diseases at early stages, propose a urine biomarker research roadmap, and highlight a novel membrane storage technique that enables large-scale urine sample collection and storage efficiently and economically. It is anticipated that urine biomarker studies will greatly promote early diagnosis, prevention, treatment, and prognosis of a variety of diseases, and provide strong support for translational and precision medicine.

  12. Systems-based biological concordance and predictive reproducibility of gene set discovery methods in cardiovascular disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Azuaje, Francisco; Zheng, Huiru; Camargo, Anyela; Wang, Haiying

    2011-08-01

    The discovery of novel disease biomarkers is a crucial challenge for translational bioinformatics. Demonstration of both their classification power and reproducibility across independent datasets are essential requirements to assess their potential clinical relevance. Small datasets and multiplicity of putative biomarker sets may explain lack of predictive reproducibility. Studies based on pathway-driven discovery approaches have suggested that, despite such discrepancies, the resulting putative biomarkers tend to be implicated in common biological processes. Investigations of this problem have been mainly focused on datasets derived from cancer research. We investigated the predictive and functional concordance of five methods for discovering putative biomarkers in four independently-generated datasets from the cardiovascular disease domain. A diversity of biosignatures was identified by the different methods. However, we found strong biological process concordance between them, especially in the case of methods based on gene set analysis. With a few exceptions, we observed lack of classification reproducibility using independent datasets. Partial overlaps between our putative sets of biomarkers and the primary studies exist. Despite the observed limitations, pathway-driven or gene set analysis can predict potentially novel biomarkers and can jointly point to biomedically-relevant underlying molecular mechanisms. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  13. Metabolomic and Genome-wide Association Studies Reveal Potential Endogenous Biomarkers for OATP1B1.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yee, S W; Giacomini, M M; Hsueh, C-H; Weitz, D; Liang, X; Goswami, S; Kinchen, J M; Coelho, A; Zur, A A; Mertsch, K; Brian, W; Kroetz, D L; Giacomini, K M

    2016-11-01

    Transporter-mediated drug-drug interactions (DDIs) are a major cause of drug toxicities. Using published genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the human metabolome, we identified 20 metabolites associated with genetic variants in organic anion transporter, OATP1B1 (P acids and fatty acid dicarboxylates were among the metabolites discovered using both GWAS and CSA administration. In vitro studies confirmed tetradecanedioate (TDA) and hexadecanedioate (HDA) were novel substrates of OATP1B1 as well as OAT1 and OAT3. This study highlights the use of multiple datasets for the discovery of endogenous metabolites that represent potential in vivo biomarkers for transporter-mediated DDIs. Future studies are needed to determine whether these metabolites can serve as qualified biomarkers for organic anion transporters. Quantitative relationships between metabolite levels and modulation of transporters should be established. © 2016 American Society for Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics.

  14. Guidelines for Biomarker of Food Intake Reviews (BFIRev: how to conduct an extensive literature search for biomarker of food intake discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Giulia Praticò

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Identification of new biomarkers of food and nutrient intake has developed fast over the past two decades and could potentially provide important new tools for compliance monitoring and dietary intake assessment in nutrition and health science. In recent years, metabolomics has played an important role in identifying a large number of putative biomarkers of food intake (BFIs. However, the large body of scientific literature on potential BFIs outside the metabolomics area should also be taken into account. In particular, we believe that extensive literature reviews should be conducted and that the quality of all suggested biomarkers should be systematically evaluated. In order to cover the literature on BFIs in the most appropriate and consistent manner, there is a need for appropriate guidelines on this topic. These guidelines should build upon guidelines in related areas of science while targeting the special needs of biomarker methodology. This document provides a guideline for conducting an extensive literature search on BFIs, which will provide the basis to systematically validate BFIs. This procedure will help to prioritize future work on the identification of new potential biomarkers and on validating these as well as other biomarker candidates, thereby providing better tools for future studies in nutrition and health.

  15. Guidelines for Biomarker of Food Intake Reviews (BFIRev): how to conduct an extensive literature search for biomarker of food intake discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Praticò, Giulia; Gao, Qian; Scalbert, Augustin; Vergères, Guy; Kolehmainen, Marjukka; Manach, Claudine; Brennan, Lorraine; Pedapati, Sri Harsha; Afman, Lydia A; Wishart, David S; Vázquez-Fresno, Rosa; Lacueva, Cristina Andres; Garcia-Aloy, Mar; Verhagen, Hans; Feskens, Edith J M; Dragsted, Lars O

    2018-01-01

    Identification of new biomarkers of food and nutrient intake has developed fast over the past two decades and could potentially provide important new tools for compliance monitoring and dietary intake assessment in nutrition and health science. In recent years, metabolomics has played an important role in identifying a large number of putative biomarkers of food intake (BFIs). However, the large body of scientific literature on potential BFIs outside the metabolomics area should also be taken into account. In particular, we believe that extensive literature reviews should be conducted and that the quality of all suggested biomarkers should be systematically evaluated. In order to cover the literature on BFIs in the most appropriate and consistent manner, there is a need for appropriate guidelines on this topic. These guidelines should build upon guidelines in related areas of science while targeting the special needs of biomarker methodology. This document provides a guideline for conducting an extensive literature search on BFIs, which will provide the basis to systematically validate BFIs. This procedure will help to prioritize future work on the identification of new potential biomarkers and on validating these as well as other biomarker candidates, thereby providing better tools for future studies in nutrition and health.

  16. Glycoblotting method allows for rapid and efficient glycome profiling of human Alzheimer's disease brain, serum and cerebrospinal fluid towards potential biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gizaw, Solomon T; Ohashi, Tetsu; Tanaka, Masakazu; Hinou, Hiroshi; Nishimura, Shin-Ichiro

    2016-08-01

    Understanding of the significance of posttranslational glycosylation in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is of growing importance for the investigation of the pathogenesis of AD as well as discovery research of the disease-specific serum biomarkers. We designed a standard protocol for the glycoblotting combined with MALDI-TOFMS to perform rapid and quantitative profiling of the glycan parts of glycoproteins (N-glycans) and glycosphingolipids (GSLs) using human AD's post-mortem samples such as brain tissues (dissected cerebral cortices such as frontal, parietal, occipital, and temporal domains), serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). The structural profiles of the major N-glycans released from glycoproteins and the total expression levels of the glycans were found to be mostly similar between the brain tissues of the AD patients and those of the normal control group. In contrast, the expression levels of the serum and CSF protein N-glycans such as bisect-type and multiply branched glycoforms were increased significantly in AD patient group. In addition, the levels of some gangliosides such as GM1, GM2 and GM3 appeared to alter in the AD patient brain and serum samples when compared with the normal control groups. Alteration of the expression levels of major N- and GSL-glycans in human brain tissues, serum and CSF of AD patients can be monitored quantitatively by means of the glycoblotting-based standard protocols. The changes in the expression levels of the glycans derived from the human post-mortem samples uncovered by the standardized glycoblotting method provides potential serum biomarkers in central nervous system disorders and can contribute to the insight into the molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases and future drug discovery. Most importantly, the present preliminary trials using human post-mortem samples of AD patients suggest that large-scale serum glycomics cohort by means of various-types of human AD patients as well as the normal

  17. ALS Biomarkers for Therapy Development: State of the Field & Future Directions

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benatar, Michael; Boylan, Kevin; Jeromin, Andreas; Rutkove, Seward B.; Berry, James; Atassi, Nazem; Bruijn, Lucie

    2015-01-01

    Biomarkers have become the focus of intense research in the field of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with the hope that they might aid therapy development efforts. Notwithstanding the discovery of many candidate biomarkers, none have yet emerged as validated tools for drug development. In this review we present a nuanced view of biomarkers based on the perspective of the FDA; highlight the distinction between discovery and validation; describe existing and emerging resources; review leading biological fluid-based, electrophysiological and neuroimaging candidates relevant to therapy development efforts; discuss lessons learned from biomarker initiatives in related neurodegenerative diseases; and outline specific steps that we, as a field, might take in order to hasten the development and validation of biomarkers that will prove useful in enhancing efforts to develop effective treatments for ALS patients. Most important among these perhaps is the proposal to establish a federated ALS Biomarker Consortium (ABC) in which all interested and willing stakeholders may participate with equal opportunity to contribute to the broader mission of biomarker development and validation. PMID:26574709

  18. Discovery and identification of potential biomarkers of pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cui Ziyou

    2009-03-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL is a common form of cancer in children. Currently, bone marrow biopsy is used for diagnosis. Noninvasive biomarkers for the early diagnosis of pediatric ALL are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to discover potential protein biomarkers for pediatric ALL. Methods Ninety-four pediatric ALL patients and 84 controls were randomly divided into a "training" set (45 ALL patients, 34 healthy controls and a test set (49 ALL patients, 30 healthy controls and 30 pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML patients. Serum proteomic profiles were measured using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (SELDI-TOF-MS. A classification model was established by Biomarker Pattern Software (BPS. Candidate protein biomarkers were purified by HPLC, identified by LC-MS/MS and validated using ProteinChip immunoassays. Results A total of 7 protein peaks (9290 m/z, 7769 m/z, 15110 m/z, 7564 m/z, 4469 m/z, 8937 m/z, 8137 m/z were found with differential expression levels in the sera of pediatric ALL patients and controls using SELDI-TOF-MS and then analyzed by BPS to construct a classification model in the "training" set. The sensitivity and specificity of the model were found to be 91.8%, and 90.0%, respectively, in the test set. Two candidate protein peaks (7769 and 9290 m/z were found to be down-regulated in ALL patients, where these were identified as platelet factor 4 (PF4 and pro-platelet basic protein precursor (PBP. Two other candidate protein peaks (8137 and 8937 m/z were found up-regulated in the sera of ALL patients, and these were identified as fragments of the complement component 3a (C3a. Conclusion Platelet factor (PF4, connective tissue activating peptide III (CTAP-III and two fragments of C3a may be potential protein biomarkers of pediatric ALL and used to distinguish pediatric ALL patients from healthy controls and pediatric AML patients. Further studies with

  19. Discovery and identification of potential biomarkers of pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shi, Linan; Zhang, Jun; Wu, Peng; Feng, Kai; Li, Jing; Xie, Zhensheng; Xue, Peng; Cai, Tanxi; Cui, Ziyou; Chen, Xiulan; Hou, Junjie; Zhang, Jianzhong; Yang, Fuquan

    2009-01-01

    Background Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a common form of cancer in children. Currently, bone marrow biopsy is used for diagnosis. Noninvasive biomarkers for the early diagnosis of pediatric ALL are urgently needed. The aim of this study was to discover potential protein biomarkers for pediatric ALL. Methods Ninety-four pediatric ALL patients and 84 controls were randomly divided into a "training" set (45 ALL patients, 34 healthy controls) and a test set (49 ALL patients, 30 healthy controls and 30 pediatric acute myeloid leukemia (AML) patients). Serum proteomic profiles were measured using surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization-time-of-flight mass spectroscopy (SELDI-TOF-MS). A classification model was established by Biomarker Pattern Software (BPS). Candidate protein biomarkers were purified by HPLC, identified by LC-MS/MS and validated using ProteinChip immunoassays. Results A total of 7 protein peaks (9290 m/z, 7769 m/z, 15110 m/z, 7564 m/z, 4469 m/z, 8937 m/z, 8137 m/z) were found with differential expression levels in the sera of pediatric ALL patients and controls using SELDI-TOF-MS and then analyzed by BPS to construct a classification model in the "training" set. The sensitivity and specificity of the model were found to be 91.8%, and 90.0%, respectively, in the test set. Two candidate protein peaks (7769 and 9290 m/z) were found to be down-regulated in ALL patients, where these were identified as platelet factor 4 (PF4) and pro-platelet basic protein precursor (PBP). Two other candidate protein peaks (8137 and 8937 m/z) were found up-regulated in the sera of ALL patients, and these were identified as fragments of the complement component 3a (C3a). Conclusion Platelet factor (PF4), connective tissue activating peptide III (CTAP-III) and two fragments of C3a may be potential protein biomarkers of pediatric ALL and used to distinguish pediatric ALL patients from healthy controls and pediatric AML patients. Further studies with additional

  20. Discovery of prognostic biomarker candidates of lacunar infarction by quantitative proteomics of microvesicles enriched plasma.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Arnab Datta

    Full Text Available Lacunar infarction (LACI is a subtype of acute ischemic stroke affecting around 25% of all ischemic stroke cases. Despite having an excellent recovery during acute phase, certain LACI patients have poor mid- to long-term prognosis due to the recurrence of vascular events or a decline in cognitive functions. Hence, blood-based biomarkers could be complementary prognostic and research tools.Plasma was collected from forty five patients following a non-disabling LACI along with seventeen matched control subjects. The LACI patients were monitored prospectively for up to five years for the occurrence of adverse outcomes and grouped accordingly (i.e., LACI-no adverse outcome, LACI-recurrent vascular event, and LACI-cognitive decline without any recurrence of vascular events. Microvesicles-enriched fractions isolated from the pooled plasma of four groups were profiled by an iTRAQ-guided discovery approach to quantify the differential proteome. The data have been deposited to the ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD000748. Bioinformatics analysis and data mining revealed up-regulation of brain-specific proteins including myelin basic protein, proteins of coagulation cascade (e.g., fibrinogen alpha chain, fibrinogen beta chain and focal adhesion (e.g., integrin alpha-IIb, talin-1, and filamin-A while albumin was down-regulated in both groups of patients with adverse outcome.This data set may offer important insight into the mechanisms of poor prognosis and provide candidate prognostic biomarkers for validation on larger cohort of individual LACI patients.

  1. microRNA Biomarker Discovery and High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Are Possible Using Long-term Archived Serum Samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rounge, Trine B; Lauritzen, Marianne; Langseth, Hilde; Enerly, Espen; Lyle, Robert; Gislefoss, Randi E

    2015-09-01

    The impacts of long-term storage and varying preanalytical factors on the quality and quantity of DNA and miRNA from archived serum have not been fully assessed. Preanalytical and analytical variations and degradation may introduce bias in representation of DNA and miRNA and may result in loss or corruption of quantitative data. We have evaluated DNA and miRNA quantity, quality, and variability in samples stored up to 40 years using one of the oldest prospective serum collections in the world, the Janus Serumbank, a biorepository dedicated to cancer research. miRNAs are present and stable in archived serum samples frozen at -25°C for at least 40 years. Long-time storage did not reduce miRNA yields; however, varying preanalytical conditions had a significant effect and should be taken into consideration during project design. Of note, 500 μL serum yielded sufficient miRNA for qPCR and small RNA sequencing and on average 650 unique miRNAs were detected in samples from presumably healthy donors. Of note, 500 μL serum yielded sufficient DNA for whole-genome sequencing and subsequent SNP calling, giving a uniform representation of the genomes. DNA and miRNA are stable during long-term storage, making large prospectively collected serum repositories an invaluable source for miRNA and DNA biomarker discovery. Large-scale biomarker studies with long follow-up time are possible utilizing biorepositories with archived serum and state-of-the-art technology. ©2015 American Association for Cancer Research.

  2. Mining PubMed for Biomarker-Disease Associations to Guide Discovery

    OpenAIRE

    Jessen, Walter; Landschulz, Katherine; Turi, Thomas; Reams, Rachel

    2012-01-01

    Biomedical knowledge is growing exponentially; however, meta-knowledge around the data is often lacking. PubMed is a database comprising more than 21 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE and additional life science journals dating back to the 1950s. To explore the use and frequency of biomarkers across human disease, we mined PubMed for biomarker-disease associations. We then ranked the top 100 linked diseases by relevance and mapped them to medical subject headings (MeSH)...

  3. What is a biomarker? Research investments and lack of clinical integration necessitate a review of biomarker terminology and validation schema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ptolemy, Adam S; Rifai, Nader

    2010-01-01

    A continual trend of annual growth can be seen within research devoted to the discovery and validation of disease biomarkers within both the natural and clinical sciences. This expansion of intellectual endeavours was quantified through database searches of (a) research grant awards provided by the various branches of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and (b) academic publications. A search of awards presented between 1986 and 2009 revealed a total of 28,856 grants awarded by the NIH containing the term "biomarker". The total funds for these awards in 2008 and 2009 alone were over $2.5 billion. During the same respective time frames, searches of "biomarker" and either "discovery", "genomics", "proteomics" or "metabolomics" yielded a total of 4,928 NIH grants whose combined funding exceeded $1.2 billion. The derived trend in NIH awards paralleled the annual expansion in "biomarker" literature. A PubMed search for the term, between 1990 and 2009, revealed a total of 441,510 published articles, with 38,457 published in 2008. These enormous investments and academic outputs however have not translated into the expected integration of new biomarkers for patient care. For example no proteomics derived biomarkers are currently being utilized in routine clinical management. This translational chasm necessitates a review of the previously proposed biomarker definitions and evaluation schema. A subsequent discussion of both the analytical and pre-analytical considerations for such research is also presented within. This required knowledge should aid scientists in their pursuit and validation of new biological markers of disease.

  4. Tumor antigens as proteogenomic biomarkers in invasive ductal carcinomas

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Olsen, Lars Rønn; Campos, Benito; Winther, Ole

    2014-01-01

    directly linked to the hallmarks of cancer. The results found by proteogenomic analysis of the 32 tumor antigens studied here, capture largely the same pathway irregularities as those elucidated from large-scale screening of genomics analyses, where several thousands of genes are often found......Background: The majority of genetic biomarkers for human cancers are defined by statistical screening of high-throughput genomics data. While a large number of genetic biomarkers have been proposed for diagnostic and prognostic applications, only a small number have been applied in the clinic....... Similarly, the use of proteomics methods for the discovery of cancer biomarkers is increasing. The emerging field of proteogenomics seeks to enrich the value of genomics and proteomics approaches by studying the intersection of genomics and proteomics data. This task is challenging due to the complex nature...

  5. Cancer therapy trials employing level-of-evidence-1 disease forecast cancer biomarkers uPA and its inhibitor PAI-1

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Schmitt, Manfred; Harbeck, Nadia; Brünner, Nils

    2011-01-01

    Clinical research on cancer biomarkers is essential in understanding recent discoveries in cancer biology and heterogeneity of the cancer disease. However, there are only a few examples of clinically useful studies that have identified cancer biomarkers with clinical benefit. Urokinase-type plasm...

  6. Bioinformatics in translational drug discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wooller, Sarah K; Benstead-Hume, Graeme; Chen, Xiangrong; Ali, Yusuf; Pearl, Frances M G

    2017-08-31

    Bioinformatics approaches are becoming ever more essential in translational drug discovery both in academia and within the pharmaceutical industry. Computational exploitation of the increasing volumes of data generated during all phases of drug discovery is enabling key challenges of the process to be addressed. Here, we highlight some of the areas in which bioinformatics resources and methods are being developed to support the drug discovery pipeline. These include the creation of large data warehouses, bioinformatics algorithms to analyse 'big data' that identify novel drug targets and/or biomarkers, programs to assess the tractability of targets, and prediction of repositioning opportunities that use licensed drugs to treat additional indications. © 2017 The Author(s).

  7. The "BIOmarkers associated with Sarcopenia and PHysical frailty in EldeRly pErsons" (BIOSPHERE) study: Rationale, design and methods.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Calvani, Riccardo; Picca, Anna; Marini, Federico; Biancolillo, Alessandra; Cesari, Matteo; Pesce, Vito; Lezza, Angela Maria Serena; Bossola, Maurizio; Leeuwenburgh, Christiaan; Bernabei, Roberto; Landi, Francesco; Marzetti, Emanuele

    2018-05-10

    Sarcopenia, the progressive and generalised loss of muscle mass and strength/function, is a major health issue in older adults given its high prevalence and burdensome clinical implications. Over the years, this condition has been endorsed as a marker for discriminating biological from chronological age. However, the absence of a unified operational definition has hampered its full appreciation by healthcare providers, researchers and policy-makers. In addition to this unsolved debate, the complexity of musculoskeletal ageing represents a major challenge to the identification of clinically meaningful biomarkers. Here, we illustrate the advantages of biomarker discovery procedures in muscle ageing based on multivariate methodologies as an alternative approach to traditional single-marker strategies. The rationale, design and methods of the "BIOmarkers associated with Sarcopenia and PHysical frailty in EldeRly pErsons" (BIOSPHERE) study are described as an application of a multi-marker strategy for the development of biomarkers for the newly operationalised Physical Frailty & Sarcopenia condition. Copyright © 2018 European Federation of Internal Medicine. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  8. Hepcidin- A Burgeoning Biomarker

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hemkant Manikrao Deshmukh

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available The discovery of hepcidin has triggered a virtual ignition of studies on iron metabolism and related disorders. The peptide hormone hepcidin is a key homeostatic regulator of iron metabolism. The synthesis of hepcidin is induced by systemic iron levels and by inflammatory stimuli. Several human diseases are associated with variations in hepcidin concentrations. The evaluation of hepcidin in biological fluids is therefore a promising device in the diagnosis and management of medical situations in which iron metabolism is affected. Thus, it made us to recapitulate role of hepcidin as biomarker.

  9. Plasma proteomics to identify biomarkers - Application to cardiovascular diseases

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Beck, Hans Christian; Overgaard, Martin; Melholt Rasmussen, Lars

    2015-01-01

    There is an unmet need for new cardiovascular biomarkers. Despite this only few biomarkers for the diagnosis or screening of cardiovascular diseases have been implemented in the clinic. Thousands of proteins can be analysed in plasma by mass spectrometry-based proteomics technologies. Therefore......, this technology may therefore identify new biomarkers that previously have not been associated with cardiovascular diseases. In this review, we summarize the key challenges and considerations, including strategies, recent discoveries and clinical applications in cardiovascular proteomics that may lead...

  10. Use of biomarkers in ALS drug development and clinical trials.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bakkar, Nadine; Boehringer, Ashley; Bowser, Robert

    2015-05-14

    The past decade has seen a dramatic increase in the discovery of candidate biomarkers for ALS. These biomarkers typically can either differentiate ALS from control subjects or predict disease course (slow versus fast progression). At the same time, late-stage clinical trials for ALS have failed to generate improved drug treatments for ALS patients. Incorporation of biomarkers into the ALS drug development pipeline and the use of biologic and/or imaging biomarkers in early- and late-stage ALS clinical trials have been absent and only recently pursued in early-phase clinical trials. Further clinical research studies are needed to validate biomarkers for disease progression and develop biomarkers that can help determine that a drug has reached its target within the central nervous system. In this review we summarize recent progress in biomarkers across ALS model systems and patient population, and highlight continued research directions for biomarkers that stratify the patient population to enrich for patients that may best respond to a drug candidate, monitor disease progression and track drug responses in clinical trials. It is crucial that we further develop and validate ALS biomarkers and incorporate these biomarkers into the ALS drug development process. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled ALS complex pathogenesis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  11. Mass Spectrometry-Based Serum Proteomics for Biomarker Discovery and Validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bhosale, Santosh D; Moulder, Robert; Kouvonen, Petri; Lahesmaa, Riitta; Goodlett, David R

    2017-01-01

    Blood protein measurements are used frequently in the clinic in the assessment of patient health. Nevertheless, there remains the need for new biomarkers with better diagnostic specificities. With the advent of improved technology for bioanalysis and the growth of biobanks including collections from specific disease risk cohorts, the plasma proteome has remained a target of proteomics research toward the characterization of disease-related biomarkers. The following protocol presents a workflow for serum/plasma proteomics including details of sample preparation both with and without immunoaffinity depletion of the most abundant plasma proteins and methodology for selected reaction monitoring mass spectrometry validation.

  12. Classification of genes and putative biomarker identification using distribution metrics on expression profiles.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Hung-Chung Huang

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Identification of genes with switch-like properties will facilitate discovery of regulatory mechanisms that underlie these properties, and will provide knowledge for the appropriate application of Boolean networks in gene regulatory models. As switch-like behavior is likely associated with tissue-specific expression, these gene products are expected to be plausible candidates as tissue-specific biomarkers. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In a systematic classification of genes and search for biomarkers, gene expression profiles (GEPs of more than 16,000 genes from 2,145 mouse array samples were analyzed. Four distribution metrics (mean, standard deviation, kurtosis and skewness were used to classify GEPs into four categories: predominantly-off, predominantly-on, graded (rheostatic, and switch-like genes. The arrays under study were also grouped and examined by tissue type. For example, arrays were categorized as 'brain group' and 'non-brain group'; the Kolmogorov-Smirnov distance and Pearson correlation coefficient were then used to compare GEPs between brain and non-brain for each gene. We were thus able to identify tissue-specific biomarker candidate genes. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The methodology employed here may be used to facilitate disease-specific biomarker discovery.

  13. Allergic asthma biomarkers using systems approaches

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gaurab eSircar

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Asthma is characterized by lung inflammation caused by complex interaction between the immune system and environmental factors such as allergens and inorganic pollutants. Recent research in this field is focused on discovering new biomarkers associated with asthma pathogenesis. This review illustrates updated research associating biomarkers of allergic asthma and their potential use in systems biology of the disease. We focus on biomolecules with altered expression, which may serve as inflammatory, diagnostic and therapeutic biomarkers of asthma discovered in human or experimental asthma model using genomic, proteomic and epigenomic approaches for gene and protein expression profiling. These include high-throughput technologies such as state of the art microarray and proteomics Mass Spectrometry (MS platforms. Emerging concepts of molecular interactions and pathways may provide new insights in searching potential clinical biomarkers. We summarized certain pathways with significant linkage to asthma pathophysiology by analyzing the compiled biomarkers. Systems approaches with this data can identify the regulating networks, which will eventually identify the key biomarkers to be used for diagnostics and drug discovery.

  14. Discovery of Biochemical Biomarkers for Aggression: A Role for Metabolomics in Psychiatry

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Hagenbeek, F.A.; Kluft, C.; Hankemeier, T.; Bartels, M.; Draisma, H.H.M.; Middeldorp, C.M.; Berger, R.; Noto, A.; Lussu, M.; Pool, R.; Fanos, V.; Boomsma, D.I.

    2016-01-01

    Human aggression encompasses a wide range of behaviors and is related to many psychiatric disorders. We introduce the different classification systems of aggression and related disorders as a basis for discussing biochemical biomarkers and then present an overview of studies in humans (published

  15. Biomarkers in psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Villanova, Federica; Di Meglio, Paola; Nestle, Frank O

    2013-04-01

    Psoriasis is a common immune-mediated disease of the skin, which associates in 20-30% of patients with psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The immunopathogenesis of both conditions is not fully understood as it is the result of a complex interaction between genetic, environmental and immunological factors. At present there is no cure for psoriasis and there are no specific markers that can accurately predict disease progression and therapeutic response. Therefore, biomarkers for disease prognosis and response to treatment are urgently needed to help clinicians with objective indications to improve patient management and outcomes. Although many efforts have been made to identify psoriasis/PsA biomarkers none of them has yet been translated into routine clinical practice. In this review we summarise the different classes of possible biomarkers explored in psoriasis and PsA so far and discuss novel strategies for biomarker discovery.

  16. Cancer biomarker discovery: the entropic hallmark.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Berretta, Regina; Moscato, Pablo

    2010-08-18

    It is a commonly accepted belief that cancer cells modify their transcriptional state during the progression of the disease. We propose that the progression of cancer cells towards malignant phenotypes can be efficiently tracked using high-throughput technologies that follow the gradual changes observed in the gene expression profiles by employing Shannon's mathematical theory of communication. Methods based on Information Theory can then quantify the divergence of cancer cells' transcriptional profiles from those of normally appearing cells of the originating tissues. The relevance of the proposed methods can be evaluated using microarray datasets available in the public domain but the method is in principle applicable to other high-throughput methods. Using melanoma and prostate cancer datasets we illustrate how it is possible to employ Shannon Entropy and the Jensen-Shannon divergence to trace the transcriptional changes progression of the disease. We establish how the variations of these two measures correlate with established biomarkers of cancer progression. The Information Theory measures allow us to identify novel biomarkers for both progressive and relatively more sudden transcriptional changes leading to malignant phenotypes. At the same time, the methodology was able to validate a large number of genes and processes that seem to be implicated in the progression of melanoma and prostate cancer. We thus present a quantitative guiding rule, a new unifying hallmark of cancer: the cancer cell's transcriptome changes lead to measurable observed transitions of Normalized Shannon Entropy values (as measured by high-throughput technologies). At the same time, tumor cells increment their divergence from the normal tissue profile increasing their disorder via creation of states that we might not directly measure. This unifying hallmark allows, via the the Jensen-Shannon divergence, to identify the arrow of time of the processes from the gene expression profiles

  17. Gaucher disease: a model disorder for biomarker discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Boot, Rolf G; van Breemen, Mariëlle J; Wegdam, Wouter

    2009-01-01

    Gaucher disease is an inherited lysosomal storage disorder, characterized by massive accumulation of glucosylceramide-laden macrophages in the spleen, liver and bone marrow as a consequence of deficient activity of glucocerebrosidase. Gaucher disease has been the playground to develop new therape...... in clinical management of Gaucher patients are discussed. Moreover, the use of several modern proteomic technologies for the identification of Gaucher biomarkers is reviewed....

  18. DNA Methylation Biomarkers: Cancer and Beyond

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Thomas Mikeska

    2014-09-01

    Full Text Available Biomarkers are naturally-occurring characteristics by which a particular pathological process or disease can be identified or monitored. They can reflect past environmental exposures, predict disease onset or course, or determine a patient’s response to therapy. Epigenetic changes are such characteristics, with most epigenetic biomarkers discovered to date based on the epigenetic mark of DNA methylation. Many tissue types are suitable for the discovery of DNA methylation biomarkers including cell-based samples such as blood and tumor material and cell-free DNA samples such as plasma. DNA methylation biomarkers with diagnostic, prognostic and predictive power are already in clinical trials or in a clinical setting for cancer. Outside cancer, strong evidence that complex disease originates in early life is opening up exciting new avenues for the detection of DNA methylation biomarkers for adverse early life environment and for estimation of future disease risk. However, there are a number of limitations to overcome before such biomarkers reach the clinic. Nevertheless, DNA methylation biomarkers have great potential to contribute to personalized medicine throughout life. We review the current state of play for DNA methylation biomarkers, discuss the barriers that must be crossed on the way to implementation in a clinical setting, and predict their future use for human disease.

  19. Sparse Mbplsr for Metabolomics Data and Biomarker Discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karaman, İbrahim

    2014-01-01

    the link between high throughput metabolomics data generated on different analytical platforms, discover important metabolites deriving from the digestion processes in the gut, and automate metabolic pathway discovery from mass spectrometry. PLS (partial least squares) based chemometric methods were...

  20. Exhaled Breath Condensate for Proteomic Biomarker Discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sean W. Harshman

    2014-07-01

    Full Text Available Exhaled breath condensate (EBC has been established as a potential source of respiratory biomarkers. Compared to the numerous small molecules identified, the protein content of EBC has remained relatively unstudied due to the methodological and technical difficulties surrounding EBC analysis. In this review, we discuss the proteins identified in EBC, by mass spectrometry, focusing on the significance of those proteins identified. We will also review the limitations surrounding mass spectral EBC protein analysis emphasizing recommendations to enhance EBC protein identifications by mass spectrometry. Finally, we will provide insight into the future directions of the EBC proteomics field.

  1. Metabolic profiling of yeast culture using gas chromatography coupled with orthogonal acceleration accurate mass time-of-flight mass spectrometry: application to biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kondo, Elsuida; Marriott, Philip J; Parker, Rhiannon M; Kouremenos, Konstantinos A; Morrison, Paul; Adams, Mike

    2014-01-07

    Yeast and yeast cultures are frequently used as additives in diets of dairy cows. Beneficial effects from the inclusion of yeast culture in diets for dairy mammals have been reported, and the aim of this study was to develop a comprehensive analytical method for the accurate mass identification of the 'global' metabolites in order to differentiate a variety of yeasts at varying growth stages (Diamond V XP, Yea-Sacc and Levucell). Microwave-assisted derivatization for metabolic profiling is demonstrated through the analysis of differing yeast samples developed for cattle feed, which include a wide range of metabolites of interest covering a large range of compound classes. Accurate identification of the components was undertaken using GC-oa-ToFMS (gas chromatography-orthogonal acceleration-time-of-flight mass spectrometry), followed by principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) for data reduction and biomarker discovery. Semi-quantification (fold changes in relative peak areas) was reported for metabolites identified as possible discriminative biomarkers (p-value 2), including D-ribose (four fold decrease), myo-inositol (five fold increase), L-phenylalanine (three fold increase), glucopyranoside (two fold increase), fructose (three fold increase) and threitol (three fold increase) respectively. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. Biomarkers: refining diagnosis and expediting drug development - reality, aspiration and the role of open innovation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Salter, H; Holland, R

    2014-09-01

    In the last decade, there have been intensive efforts to invent, qualify and use novel biomarkers as a means to improve success rates in drug discovery and development. The biomarkers field is maturing and this article considers whether these research efforts have brought about the expected benefits. The characteristics of a clinically useful biomarker are described and the impact this area of research has had is evaluated by reviewing a few, key examples of emerging biomarkers. There is evidence that the impact has been genuine and is increasing in both the drug and the diagnostic discovery and development processes. Beneficial impact on patient health outcomes seems relatively limited thus far, with the greatest impact in oncology (again, both in terms of novel drugs and in terms of more refined diagnoses and therefore more individualized treatment). However, the momentum of research would indicate that patient benefits are likely to increase substantially and to broaden across multiple therapeutic areas. Even though this research was originally driven by a desire to improve the drug discovery and development process, and was therefore funded with this aim in mind, it seems likely that the largest impact may actually come from more refined diagnosis. Refined diagnosis will facilitate both better allocation of healthcare resources and the use of treatment regimens which are optimized for the individual patient. This article also briefly reviews emerging technological approaches and how they relate to the challenges inherent in biomarker discovery and validation, and discusses the role of public/private partnerships in innovative biomarker research. © 2014 The Association for the Publication of the Journal of Internal Medicine.

  3. Biomarkers in cancer screening: a public health perspective.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Srivastava, Sudhir; Gopal-Srivastava, Rashmi

    2002-08-01

    definitive technology, such as CT scan. The National Cancer Institute's Early Detection Research Network (EDRN) has begun an innovative, investigator-initiated project to improve methods for detecting the biomarkers of cancer cells. The EDRN is a consortium of more than 32 institutions to link discovery of biomarkers to the next steps in the process of developing early detection tests. These discoveries will lead to early clinical validation of tests with improved accuracy and reliability.

  4. PROFILEing idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: rethinking biomarker discovery

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Toby M. Maher

    2013-06-01

    Full Text Available Despite major advances in the understanding of the pathogenesis of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF, diagnosis and management of the condition continue to pose significant challenges. Clinical management of IPF remains unsatisfactory due to limited availability of effective drug therapies, a lack of accurate indicators of disease progression, and an absence of simple short-term measures of therapeutic response. The identification of more accurate predictors of prognosis and survival in IPF would facilitate counseling of patients and their families, aid communication among clinicians, and would guide optimal timing of referral for transplantation. Improvements in molecular techniques have led to the identification of new disease pathways and a more targeted approach to the development of novel anti-fibrotic agents. However, despite an increased interest in biomarkers of IPF disease progression there are a lack of measures that can be used in early phase clinical trials. Careful longitudinal phenotyping of individuals with IPF together with the application of novel omics-based technology should provide important insights into disease pathogenesis and should address some of the major issues holding back drug development in IPF. The PROFILE (Prospective Observation of Fibrosis in the Lung Clinical Endpoints study is a currently enrolling, prospective cohort study designed to tackle these issues.

  5. Discovery of putative salivary biomarkers for Sjögren's syndrome using high resolution mass spectrometry and bioinformatics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zoukhri, Driss; Rawe, Ian; Singh, Mabi; Brown, Ashley; Kublin, Claire L; Dawson, Kevin; Haddon, William F; White, Earl L; Hanley, Kathleen M; Tusé, Daniel; Malyj, Wasyl; Papas, Athena

    2012-03-01

    The purpose of the current study was to determine if saliva contains biomarkers that can be used as diagnostic tools for Sjögren's syndrome (SjS). Twenty seven SjS patients and 27 age-matched healthy controls were recruited for these studies. Unstimulated glandular saliva was collected from the Wharton's duct using a suction device. Two µl of salvia were processed for mass spectrometry analyses on a prOTOF 2000 matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization orthogonal time of flight (MALDI O-TOF) mass spectrometer. Raw data were analyzed using bioinformatic tools to identify biomarkers. MALDI O-TOF MS analyses of saliva samples were highly reproducible and the mass spectra generated were very rich in peptides and peptide fragments in the 750-7,500 Da range. Data analysis using bioinformatic tools resulted in several classification models being built and several biomarkers identified. One model based on 7 putative biomarkers yielded a sensitivity of 97.5%, specificity of 97.8% and an accuracy of 97.6%. One biomarker was present only in SjS samples and was identified as a proteolytic peptide originating from human basic salivary proline-rich protein 3 precursor. We conclude that salivary biomarkers detected by high-resolution mass spectrometry coupled with powerful bioinformatic tools offer the potential to serve as diagnostic/prognostic tools for SjS.

  6. Proteomic profiling of exosomes leads to the identification of novel biomarkers for prostate cancer

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    D. Duijvesz (Diederick); K.E. Burnum-Johnson (Kristin); M.A. Gritsenko (Marina); A.M. Hoogland (Marije); M.S. Vredenbregt-van den Berg (Mirella); R. Willemsen (Rob); T.M. Luider (Theo); L. Paša-Tolić (Ljiljana); G.W. Jenster (Guido)

    2013-01-01

    textabstractBackground: Current markers for prostate cancer, such as PSA lack specificity. Therefore, novel biomarkers are needed. Unfortunately, the complexity of body fluids often hampers biomarker discovery. An attractive alternative approach is the isolation of small vesicles, i.e. exosomes,

  7. Common Subcluster Mining in Microarray Data for Molecular Biomarker Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sadhu, Arnab; Bhattacharyya, Balaram

    2017-10-11

    Molecular biomarkers can be potential facilitators for detection of cancer at early stage which is otherwise difficult through conventional biomarkers. Gene expression data from microarray experiments on both normal and diseased cell samples provide enormous scope to explore genetic relations of disease using computational techniques. Varied patterns of expressions of thousands of genes at different cell conditions along with inherent experimental error make the task of isolating disease related genes challenging. In this paper, we present a data mining method, common subcluster mining (CSM), to discover highly perturbed genes under diseased condition from differential expression patterns. The method builds heap through superposing near centroid clusters from gene expression data of normal samples and extracts its core part. It, thus, isolates genes exhibiting the most stable state across normal samples and constitute a reference set for each centroid. It performs the same operation on datasets from corresponding diseased samples and isolates the genes showing drastic changes in their expression patterns. The method thus finds the disease-sensitive genesets when applied to datasets of lung cancer, prostrate cancer, pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, leukemia and pulmonary arterial hypertension. In majority of the cases, few new genes are found over and above some previously reported ones. Genes with distinct deviations in diseased samples are prospective candidates for molecular biomarkers of the respective disease.

  8. Unraveling the molecular repertoire of tears as a source of biomarkers: beyond ocular diseases.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pieragostino, Damiana; D'Alessandro, Michele; di Ioia, Maria; Di Ilio, Carmine; Sacchetta, Paolo; Del Boccio, Piero

    2015-02-01

    Proteomics and metabolomics investigations of body fluids present several challenges for biomarker discovery of several diseases. The search for biomarkers is actually conducted in different body fluids, even if the ideal biomarker can be found in an easily accessible biological fluid, because, if validated, the biomarker could be sought in the healthy population. In this regard, tears could be considered an optimum material obtained by noninvasive procedures. In the past years, the scientific community has become more interested in the study of tears for the research of new biomarkers not only for ocular diseases. In this review, we provide a discussion on the current state of biomarkers research in tears and their relevance for clinical practice, and report the main results of clinical proteomics studies on systemic and eye diseases. We summarize the main methods for tear samples analyses and report recent advances in "omics" platforms for tears investigations. Moreover, we want to take stock of the emerging field of metabolomics and lipidomics as a new and integrated approach to study protein-metabolites interplay for biomarkers research, where tears represent a still unexplored and attractive field. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  9. Cell surface profiling using high-throughput flow cytometry: a platform for biomarker discovery and analysis of cellular heterogeneity.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Craig A Gedye

    Full Text Available Cell surface proteins have a wide range of biological functions, and are often used as lineage-specific markers. Antibodies that recognize cell surface antigens are widely used as research tools, diagnostic markers, and even therapeutic agents. The ability to obtain broad cell surface protein profiles would thus be of great value in a wide range of fields. There are however currently few available methods for high-throughput analysis of large numbers of cell surface proteins. We describe here a high-throughput flow cytometry (HT-FC platform for rapid analysis of 363 cell surface antigens. Here we demonstrate that HT-FC provides reproducible results, and use the platform to identify cell surface antigens that are influenced by common cell preparation methods. We show that multiple populations within complex samples such as primary tumors can be simultaneously analyzed by co-staining of cells with lineage-specific antibodies, allowing unprecedented depth of analysis of heterogeneous cell populations. Furthermore, standard informatics methods can be used to visualize, cluster and downsample HT-FC data to reveal novel signatures and biomarkers. We show that the cell surface profile provides sufficient molecular information to classify samples from different cancers and tissue types into biologically relevant clusters using unsupervised hierarchical clustering. Finally, we describe the identification of a candidate lineage marker and its subsequent validation. In summary, HT-FC combines the advantages of a high-throughput screen with a detection method that is sensitive, quantitative, highly reproducible, and allows in-depth analysis of heterogeneous samples. The use of commercially available antibodies means that high quality reagents are immediately available for follow-up studies. HT-FC has a wide range of applications, including biomarker discovery, molecular classification of cancers, or identification of novel lineage specific or stem cell

  10. Cell surface profiling using high-throughput flow cytometry: a platform for biomarker discovery and analysis of cellular heterogeneity.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gedye, Craig A; Hussain, Ali; Paterson, Joshua; Smrke, Alannah; Saini, Harleen; Sirskyj, Danylo; Pereira, Keira; Lobo, Nazleen; Stewart, Jocelyn; Go, Christopher; Ho, Jenny; Medrano, Mauricio; Hyatt, Elzbieta; Yuan, Julie; Lauriault, Stevan; Meyer, Mona; Kondratyev, Maria; van den Beucken, Twan; Jewett, Michael; Dirks, Peter; Guidos, Cynthia J; Danska, Jayne; Wang, Jean; Wouters, Bradly; Neel, Benjamin; Rottapel, Robert; Ailles, Laurie E

    2014-01-01

    Cell surface proteins have a wide range of biological functions, and are often used as lineage-specific markers. Antibodies that recognize cell surface antigens are widely used as research tools, diagnostic markers, and even therapeutic agents. The ability to obtain broad cell surface protein profiles would thus be of great value in a wide range of fields. There are however currently few available methods for high-throughput analysis of large numbers of cell surface proteins. We describe here a high-throughput flow cytometry (HT-FC) platform for rapid analysis of 363 cell surface antigens. Here we demonstrate that HT-FC provides reproducible results, and use the platform to identify cell surface antigens that are influenced by common cell preparation methods. We show that multiple populations within complex samples such as primary tumors can be simultaneously analyzed by co-staining of cells with lineage-specific antibodies, allowing unprecedented depth of analysis of heterogeneous cell populations. Furthermore, standard informatics methods can be used to visualize, cluster and downsample HT-FC data to reveal novel signatures and biomarkers. We show that the cell surface profile provides sufficient molecular information to classify samples from different cancers and tissue types into biologically relevant clusters using unsupervised hierarchical clustering. Finally, we describe the identification of a candidate lineage marker and its subsequent validation. In summary, HT-FC combines the advantages of a high-throughput screen with a detection method that is sensitive, quantitative, highly reproducible, and allows in-depth analysis of heterogeneous samples. The use of commercially available antibodies means that high quality reagents are immediately available for follow-up studies. HT-FC has a wide range of applications, including biomarker discovery, molecular classification of cancers, or identification of novel lineage specific or stem cell markers.

  11. Potentials of single-cell biology in identification and validation of disease biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Niu, Furong; Wang, Diane C; Lu, Jiapei; Wu, Wei; Wang, Xiangdong

    2016-09-01

    Single-cell biology is considered a new approach to identify and validate disease-specific biomarkers. However, the concern raised by clinicians is how to apply single-cell measurements for clinical practice, translate the message of single-cell systems biology into clinical phenotype or explain alterations of single-cell gene sequencing and function in patient response to therapies. This study is to address the importance and necessity of single-cell gene sequencing in the identification and development of disease-specific biomarkers, the definition and significance of single-cell biology and single-cell systems biology in the understanding of single-cell full picture, the development and establishment of whole-cell models in the validation of targeted biological function and the figure and meaning of single-molecule imaging in single cell to trace intra-single-cell molecule expression, signal, interaction and location. We headline the important role of single-cell biology in the discovery and development of disease-specific biomarkers with a special emphasis on understanding single-cell biological functions, e.g. mechanical phenotypes, single-cell biology, heterogeneity and organization of genome function. We have reason to believe that such multi-dimensional, multi-layer, multi-crossing and stereoscopic single-cell biology definitely benefits the discovery and development of disease-specific biomarkers. © 2016 The Authors. Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd and Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine.

  12. Candidate proteins, metabolites and transcripts in the Biomarkers for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (BforSMA clinical study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Richard S Finkel

    Full Text Available Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA is a neurodegenerative motor neuron disorder resulting from a homozygous mutation of the survival of motor neuron 1 (SMN1 gene. The gene product, SMN protein, functions in RNA biosynthesis in all tissues. In humans, a nearly identical gene, SMN2, rescues an otherwise lethal phenotype by producing a small amount of full-length SMN protein. SMN2 copy number inversely correlates with disease severity. Identifying other novel biomarkers could inform clinical trial design and identify novel therapeutic targets.To identify novel candidate biomarkers associated with disease severity in SMA using unbiased proteomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic approaches.A cross-sectional single evaluation was performed in 108 children with genetically confirmed SMA, aged 2-12 years, manifesting a broad range of disease severity and selected to distinguish factors associated with SMA type and present functional ability independent of age. Blood and urine specimens from these and 22 age-matched healthy controls were interrogated using proteomic, metabolomic and transcriptomic discovery platforms. Analyte associations were evaluated against a primary measure of disease severity, the Modified Hammersmith Functional Motor Scale (MHFMS and to a number of secondary clinical measures.A total of 200 candidate biomarkers correlate with MHFMS scores: 97 plasma proteins, 59 plasma metabolites (9 amino acids, 10 free fatty acids, 12 lipids and 28 GC/MS metabolites and 44 urine metabolites. No transcripts correlated with MHFMS.In this cross-sectional study, "BforSMA" (Biomarkers for SMA, candidate protein and metabolite markers were identified. No transcript biomarker candidates were identified. Additional mining of this rich dataset may yield important insights into relevant SMA-related pathophysiology and biological network associations. Additional prospective studies are needed to confirm these findings, demonstrate sensitivity to change with

  13. Mining biomarker information in biomedical literature

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Younesi Erfan

    2012-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background For selection and evaluation of potential biomarkers, inclusion of already published information is of utmost importance. In spite of significant advancements in text- and data-mining techniques, the vast knowledge space of biomarkers in biomedical text has remained unexplored. Existing named entity recognition approaches are not sufficiently selective for the retrieval of biomarker information from the literature. The purpose of this study was to identify textual features that enhance the effectiveness of biomarker information retrieval for different indication areas and diverse end user perspectives. Methods A biomarker terminology was created and further organized into six concept classes. Performance of this terminology was optimized towards balanced selectivity and specificity. The information retrieval performance using the biomarker terminology was evaluated based on various combinations of the terminology's six classes. Further validation of these results was performed on two independent corpora representing two different neurodegenerative diseases. Results The current state of the biomarker terminology contains 119 entity classes supported by 1890 different synonyms. The result of information retrieval shows improved retrieval rate of informative abstracts, which is achieved by including clinical management terms and evidence of gene/protein alterations (e.g. gene/protein expression status or certain polymorphisms in combination with disease and gene name recognition. When additional filtering through other classes (e.g. diagnostic or prognostic methods is applied, the typical high number of unspecific search results is significantly reduced. The evaluation results suggest that this approach enables the automated identification of biomarker information in the literature. A demo version of the search engine SCAIView, including the biomarker retrieval, is made available to the public through http

  14. Identification and Quantitation of Biomarkers for Radiation-Induced Injury via Mass Spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Jace W.; Scott, Alison J.; Tudor, Gregory; Xu, Pu-Ting; Jackson, Isabel L.; Vujaskovic, Zeljko; Booth, Catherine; MacVittie, Thomas J.; Ernst, Robert K.; Kane, Maureen A.

    2013-01-01

    Biomarker identification and validation for radiation exposure is a rapidly expanding field encompassing the need for well-defined animal models and advanced analytical techniques. The resources within the consortium, Medical Countermeasures Against Radiological Threats (MCART), provide a unique opportunity for accessing well-defined animal models that simulate the key sequelae of the acute radiation syndrome and the delayed effects of acute radiation exposure. Likewise, the use of mass spectrometry-based analytical techniques for biomarker discovery and validation enables a robust analytical platform that is amenable to a variety of sample matrices and considered the benchmark for bio-molecular identification and quantitation. Herein, we demonstrate the use of two targeted mass spectrometry approaches to link established MCART animal models to identified metabolite biomarkers. Circulating citrulline concentration was correlated to gross histological gastrointestinal tissue damage and retinoic acid production in lung tissue was established to be reduced at early and late time points post high dose irradiation. Going forward, the use of mass spectrometry-based metabolomics coupled to well-defined animal models provides the unique opportunity for comprehensive biomarker discovery. PMID:24276554

  15. Protein biomarkers on tissue as imaged via MALDI mass spectrometry: A systematic approach to study the limits of detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    van de Ven, Stephanie M W Y; Bemis, Kyle D; Lau, Kenneth; Adusumilli, Ravali; Kota, Uma; Stolowitz, Mark; Vitek, Olga; Mallick, Parag; Gambhir, Sanjiv S

    2016-06-01

    MALDI mass spectrometry imaging (MSI) is emerging as a tool for protein and peptide imaging across tissue sections. Despite extensive study, there does not yet exist a baseline study evaluating the potential capabilities for this technique to detect diverse proteins in tissue sections. In this study, we developed a systematic approach for characterizing MALDI-MSI workflows in terms of limits of detection, coefficients of variation, spatial resolution, and the identification of endogenous tissue proteins. Our goal was to quantify these figures of merit for a number of different proteins and peptides, in order to gain more insight in the feasibility of protein biomarker discovery efforts using this technique. Control proteins and peptides were deposited in serial dilutions on thinly sectioned mouse xenograft tissue. Using our experimental setup, coefficients of variation were biomarkers and a new benchmarking strategy that can be used for comparing diverse MALDI-MSI workflows. © 2016 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  16. Circulating exosomes and exosomal microRNAs as biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nedaeinia, R; Manian, M; Jazayeri, M H; Ranjbar, M; Salehi, R; Sharifi, M; Mohaghegh, F; Goli, M; Jahednia, S H; Avan, A; Ghayour-Mobarhan, M

    2017-02-01

    The most important biological function of exosomes is their possible use as biomarkers in clinical diagnosis. Compared with biomarkers identified in conventional specimens such as serum or urine, exosomal biomarkers provide the highest amount of sensitivity and specificity, which can be attributed to their excellent stability. Exosomes, which harbor different types of proteins, nucleic acids and lipids, are present in almost all bodily fluids. The molecular constituents of exosomes, especially exosomal proteins and microRNAs (miRNAs), are promising as biomarkers in clinical diagnosis. This discovery that exosomes also contain messenger RNAs and miRNAs shows that they could be carriers of genetic information. Although the majority of RNAs found in exosomes are degraded RNA fragments with a length of exosomal miRNAs have been found to be associated with certain diseases. Several studies have pointed out miRNA contents of circulating exosomes that are similar to those of originating cancer cells. In this review, the recent advances in circulating exosomal miRNAs as biomarkers in gastrointestinal cancers are discussed. These studies indicated that miRNAs can be detected in exosomes isolated from body fluids such as saliva, which suggests potential advantages of using exosomal miRNAs as noninvasive novel biomarkers.

  17. Human cervicovaginal fluid biomarkers to predict term and preterm labor

    Science.gov (United States)

    Heng, Yujing J.; Liong, Stella; Permezel, Michael; Rice, Gregory E.; Di Quinzio, Megan K. W.; Georgiou, Harry M.

    2015-01-01

    Preterm birth (PTB; birth before 37 completed weeks of gestation) remains the major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. The current generation of biomarkers predictive of PTB have limited utility. In pregnancy, the human cervicovaginal fluid (CVF) proteome is a reflection of the local biochemical milieu and is influenced by the physical changes occurring in the vagina, cervix and adjacent overlying fetal membranes. Term and preterm labor (PTL) share common pathways of cervical ripening, myometrial activation and fetal membranes rupture leading to birth. We therefore hypothesize that CVF biomarkers predictive of labor may be similar in both the term and preterm labor setting. In this review, we summarize some of the existing published literature as well as our team's breadth of work utilizing the CVF for the discovery and validation of putative CVF biomarkers predictive of human labor. Our team established an efficient method for collecting serial CVF samples for optimal 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis resolution and analysis. We first embarked on CVF biomarker discovery for the prediction of spontaneous onset of term labor using 2D-electrophoresis and solution array multiple analyte profiling. 2D-electrophoretic analyses were subsequently performed on CVF samples associated with PTB. Several proteins have been successfully validated and demonstrate that these biomarkers are associated with term and PTL and may be predictive of both term and PTL. In addition, the measurement of these putative biomarkers was found to be robust to the influences of vaginal microflora and/or semen. The future development of a multiple biomarker bed-side test would help improve the prediction of PTB and the clinical management of patients. PMID:26029118

  18. Analytical strategies for discovery and replication of genetic effects in pharmacogenomic studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kohler JR

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Jared R Kohler, Tobias Guennel, Scott L MarshallBioStat Solutions, Inc., Frederick, MD, USAAbstract: In the past decade, the pharmaceutical industry and biomedical research sector have devoted considerable resources to pharmacogenomics (PGx with the hope that understanding genetic variation in patients would deliver on the promise of personalized medicine. With the advent of new technologies and the improved collection of DNA samples, the roadblock to advancements in PGx discovery is no longer the lack of high-density genetic information captured on patient populations, but rather the development, adaptation, and tailoring of analytical strategies to effectively harness this wealth of information. The current analytical paradigm in PGx considers the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP as the genomic feature of interest and performs single SNP association tests to discover PGx effects – ie, genetic effects impacting drug response. While it can be straightforward to process single SNP results and to consider how this information may be extended for use in downstream patient stratification, the rate of replication for single SNP associations has been low and the desired success of producing clinically and commercially viable biomarkers has not been realized. This may be due to the fact that single SNP association testing is suboptimal given the complexities of PGx discovery in the clinical trial setting, including: 1 relatively small sample sizes; 2 diverse clinical cohorts within and across trials due to genetic ancestry (potentially impacting the ability to replicate findings; and 3 the potential polygenic nature of a drug response. Subsequently, a shift in the current paradigm is proposed: to consider the gene as the genomic feature of interest in PGx discovery. The proof-of-concept study presented in this manuscript demonstrates that genomic region-based association testing has the potential to improve the power of detecting single SNP or

  19. Metabolomics-based promising candidate biomarkers and pathways in Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kang, Jian; Lu, Jingli; Zhang, Xiaojian

    2015-05-01

    Pathologically, loss of synapses and neurons, extracellular senile plaques and intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) are observed in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). These features are associated with changes Aβ (amyloid β) 40, Aβ42, total tau and phosphorylated tau (p-tau), which are as definitely biomarkers for severe AD state. However, biomarkers for effectively diagnosing AD in the pre-clinical state for directing therapeutic strategies are lacking. Metabolic profiling as a powerful tool to identify new biomarkers is receiving increasing attention in AD. This review will focus on metabolomics-based detection of promising candidate biomarkers and pathways in AD to facilitate the discovery of new medicines and disease pathways.

  20. Biomarker discovery in heterogeneous tissue samples -taking the in-silico deconfounding approach

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Parida Shreemanta K

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background For heterogeneous tissues, such as blood, measurements of gene expression are confounded by relative proportions of cell types involved. Conclusions have to rely on estimation of gene expression signals for homogeneous cell populations, e.g. by applying micro-dissection, fluorescence activated cell sorting, or in-silico deconfounding. We studied feasibility and validity of a non-negative matrix decomposition algorithm using experimental gene expression data for blood and sorted cells from the same donor samples. Our objective was to optimize the algorithm regarding detection of differentially expressed genes and to enable its use for classification in the difficult scenario of reversely regulated genes. This would be of importance for the identification of candidate biomarkers in heterogeneous tissues. Results Experimental data and simulation studies involving noise parameters estimated from these data revealed that for valid detection of differential gene expression, quantile normalization and use of non-log data are optimal. We demonstrate the feasibility of predicting proportions of constituting cell types from gene expression data of single samples, as a prerequisite for a deconfounding-based classification approach. Classification cross-validation errors with and without using deconfounding results are reported as well as sample-size dependencies. Implementation of the algorithm, simulation and analysis scripts are available. Conclusions The deconfounding algorithm without decorrelation using quantile normalization on non-log data is proposed for biomarkers that are difficult to detect, and for cases where confounding by varying proportions of cell types is the suspected reason. In this case, a deconfounding ranking approach can be used as a powerful alternative to, or complement of, other statistical learning approaches to define candidate biomarkers for molecular diagnosis and prediction in biomedicine, in

  1. Biomarkers for Ectopic Pregnancy and Pregnancy of Unknown Location

    OpenAIRE

    Senapati, Suneeta; Barnhart, Kurt T.

    2013-01-01

    Early pregnancy failure is the most common complication of pregnancy, and 1–2% of all pregnancies will be ectopic. As one of the leading causes of maternal morbidity and mortality, diagnosing ectopic pregnancy and determining the fate of a pregnancy of unknown location are of great clinical concern. Several serum and plasma biomarkers for ectopic pregnancy have been investigated independently and in combination. The following is a review of the state of biomarker discovery and development for...

  2. Early-Phase Studies of Biomarkers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Pepe, Margaret S.; Janes, Holly; Li, Christopher I.

    2016-01-01

    of a positive biomarker test in cases (true positive) to cost associated with a positive biomarker test in controls (false positive). Guidance is offered on soliciting the cost/benefit ratio. The calculations are based on the longstanding decision theory concept of providing a net benefit on average...... impact on patient outcomes of using the biomarker to make clinical decisions....

  3. Application of Fluorescence Two-Dimensional Difference In-Gel Electrophoresis as a Proteomic Biomarker Discovery Tool in Muscular Dystrophy Research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carberry, Steven; Zweyer, Margit; Swandulla, Dieter; Ohlendieck, Kay

    2013-01-01

    In this article, we illustrate the application of difference in-gel electrophoresis for the proteomic analysis of dystrophic skeletal muscle. The mdx diaphragm was used as a tissue model of dystrophinopathy. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis is a widely employed protein separation method in proteomic investigations. Although two-dimensional gels usually underestimate the cellular presence of very high molecular mass proteins, integral membrane proteins and low copy number proteins, this method is extremely powerful in the comprehensive analysis of contractile proteins, metabolic enzymes, structural proteins and molecular chaperones. This gives rise to two-dimensional gel electrophoretic separation as the method of choice for studying contractile tissues in health and disease. For comparative studies, fluorescence difference in-gel electrophoresis has been shown to provide an excellent biomarker discovery tool. Since aged diaphragm fibres from the mdx mouse model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy closely resemble the human pathology, we have carried out a mass spectrometry-based comparison of the naturally aged diaphragm versus the senescent dystrophic diaphragm. The proteomic comparison of wild type versus mdx diaphragm resulted in the identification of 84 altered protein species. Novel molecular insights into dystrophic changes suggest increased cellular stress, impaired calcium buffering, cytostructural alterations and disturbances of mitochondrial metabolism in dystrophin-deficient muscle tissue. PMID:24833232

  4. Protein biomarker discovery and fast monitoring for the identification and detection of Anisakids by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carrera, Mónica; Gallardo, José M; Pascual, Santiago; González, Ángel F; Medina, Isabel

    2016-06-16

    Anisakids are fish-borne parasites that are responsible for a large number of human infections and allergic reactions around the world. World health organizations and food safety authorities aim to control and prevent this emerging health problem. In the present work, a new method for the fast monitoring of these parasites is described. The strategy is divided in three steps: (i) purification of thermostable proteins from fish-borne parasites (Anisakids), (ii) in-solution HIFU trypsin digestion and (iii) monitoring of several peptide markers by parallel reaction monitoring (PRM) mass spectrometry. This methodology allows the fast detection of Anisakids in Biomarker Discovery and the Fast Monitoring for the identification and detection of Anisakids in fishery products. The strategy is based on the purification of thermostable proteins, the use of accelerated in-solution trypsin digestions under an ultrasonic field provided by High-Intensity Focused Ultrasound (HIFU) and the monitoring of several peptide biomarkers by Parallel Reaction Monitoring (PRM) Mass Spectrometry in a linear ion trap mass spectrometer. The workflow allows the unequivocal detection of Anisakids, in <2h. The present strategy constitutes the fastest method for Anisakids detection, whose application in the food quality control area, could provide to the authorities an effective and rapid method to guarantee the safety to the consumers. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. COPD Exacerbation Biomarkers Validated Using Multiple Reaction Monitoring Mass Spectrometry.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Janice M Leung

    Full Text Available Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (AECOPD result in considerable morbidity and mortality. However, there are no objective biomarkers to diagnose AECOPD.We used multiple reaction monitoring mass spectrometry to quantify 129 distinct proteins in plasma samples from patients with COPD. This analytical approach was first performed in a biomarker cohort of patients hospitalized with AECOPD (Cohort A, n = 72. Proteins differentially expressed between AECOPD and convalescent states were chosen using a false discovery rate 1.2. Protein selection and classifier building were performed using an elastic net logistic regression model. The performance of the biomarker panel was then tested in two independent AECOPD cohorts (Cohort B, n = 37, and Cohort C, n = 109 using leave-pair-out cross-validation methods.Five proteins were identified distinguishing AECOPD and convalescent states in Cohort A. Biomarker scores derived from this model were significantly higher during AECOPD than in the convalescent state in the discovery cohort (p<0.001. The receiver operating characteristic cross-validation area under the curve (CV-AUC statistic was 0.73 in Cohort A, while in the replication cohorts the CV-AUC was 0.77 for Cohort B and 0.79 for Cohort C.A panel of five biomarkers shows promise in distinguishing AECOPD from convalescence and may provide the basis for a clinical blood test to diagnose AECOPD. Further validation in larger cohorts is necessary for future clinical translation.

  6. Current status of fluid biomarkers in mild traumatic brain injury

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kulbe, Jacqueline R.; Geddes, James W.

    2015-01-01

    Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) affects millions of people annually and is difficult to diagnose. Mild injury is insensitive to conventional imaging techniques and diagnoses are often made using subjective criteria such as self-reported symptoms. Many people who sustain a mTBI develop persistent post-concussive symptoms. Athletes and military personnel are at great risk for repeat injury which can result in second impact syndrome or chronic traumatic encephalopathy. An objective and quantifiable measure, such as a serum biomarker, is needed to aid in mTBI diagnosis, prognosis, return to play/duty assessments, and would further elucidate mTBI pathophysiology. The majority of TBI biomarker research focuses on severe TBI with few studies specific to mild injury. Most studies use a hypothesis-driven approach, screening biofluids for markers known to be associated with TBI pathophysiology. This approach has yielded limited success in identifying markers that can be used clinically, additional candidate biomarkers are needed. Innovative and unbiased methods such as proteomics, microRNA arrays, urinary screens, autoantibody identification and phage display would complement more traditional approaches to aid in the discovery of novel mTBI biomarkers. PMID:25981889

  7. Developing novel blood-based biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Snyder, Heather M; Carrillo, Maria C; Grodstein, Francine

    2014-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease is the public health crisis of the 21st century. There is a clear need for a widely available, inexpensive and reliable method to diagnosis Alzheimer's disease in the earliest stages, track disease progression, and accelerate clinical development of new therapeutics. One avenue...... of research being explored is blood based biomarkers. In April 2012, the Alzheimer's Association and the Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation convened top scientists from around the world to discuss the state of blood based biomarker development. This manuscript summarizes the meeting and the resultant...

  8. Biomarker Discovery Using New Metabolomics Software for Automated Processing of High Resolution LC-MS Data

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hnatyshyn, S.; Reily, M.; Shipkova, P.; McClure, T.; Sanders, M.; Peake, D.

    2011-01-01

    Robust biomarkers of target engagement and efficacy are required in different stages of drug discovery. Liquid chromatography coupled to high resolution mass spectrometry provides sensitivity, accuracy and wide dynamic range required for identification of endogenous metabolites in biological matrices. LCMS is widely-used tool for biomarker identification and validation. Typical high resolution LCMS profiles from biological samples may contain greater than a million mass spectral peaks corresponding to several thousand endogenous metabolites. Reduction of the total number of peaks, component identification and statistical comparison across sample groups remains to be a difficult and time consuming challenge. Blood samples from four groups of rats (male vs. female, fully satiated and food deprived) were analyzed using high resolution accurate mass (HRAM) LCMS. All samples were separated using a 15 minute reversed-phase C18 LC gradient and analyzed in both positive and negative ion modes. Data was acquired using 15K resolution and 5ppm mass measurement accuracy. The entire data set was analyzed using software developed in collaboration between Bristol Meyers Squibb and Thermo Fisher Scientific to determine the metabolic effects of food deprivation on rats. Metabolomic LC-MS data files are extraordinarily complex and appropriate reduction of the number of spectral peaks via identification of related peaks and background removal is essential. A single component such as hippuric acid generates more than 20 related peaks including isotopic clusters, adducts and dimers. Plasma and urine may contain 500-1500 unique quantifiable metabolites. Noise filtering approaches including blank subtraction were used to reduce the number of irrelevant peaks. By grouping related signals such as isotopic peaks and alkali adducts, data processing was greatly simplified by reducing the total number of components by 10-fold. The software processes 48 samples in under 60minutes. Principle

  9. The use of time-resolved fluorescence in gel-based proteomics for improved biomarker discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sandberg, AnnSofi; Buschmann, Volker; Kapusta, Peter; Erdmann, Rainer; Wheelock, Åsa M.

    2010-02-01

    This paper describes a new platform for quantitative intact proteomics, entitled Cumulative Time-resolved Emission 2-Dimensional Gel Electrophoresis (CuTEDGE). The CuTEDGE technology utilizes differences in fluorescent lifetimes to subtract the confounding background fluorescence during in-gel detection and quantification of proteins, resulting in a drastic improvement in both sensitivity and dynamic range compared to existing technology. The platform is primarily designed for image acquisition in 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE), but is also applicable to 1-dimensional gel electrophoresis (1-DE), and proteins electroblotted to membranes. In a set of proof-of-principle measurements, we have evaluated the performance of the novel technology using the MicroTime 100 instrument (PicoQuant GmbH) in conjunction with the CyDye minimal labeling fluorochromes (GE Healthcare, Uppsala, Sweden) to perform differential gel electrophoresis (DIGE) analyses. The results indicate that the CuTEDGE technology provides an improvement in the dynamic range and sensitivity of detection of 3 orders of magnitude as compared to current state-of-the-art image acquisition instrumentation available for 2-DE (Typhoon 9410, GE Healthcare). Given the potential dynamic range of 7-8 orders of magnitude and sensitivities in the attomol range, the described invention represents a technological leap in detection of low abundance cellular proteins, which is desperately needed in the field of biomarker discovery.

  10. Impact of biomarker development on drug safety assessment

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marrer, Estelle; Dieterle, Frank

    2010-01-01

    Drug safety has always been a key aspect of drug development. Recently, the Vioxx case and several cases of serious adverse events being linked to high-profile products have increased the importance of drug safety, especially in the eyes of drug development companies and global regulatory agencies. Safety biomarkers are increasingly being seen as helping to provide the clarity, predictability, and certainty needed to gain confidence in decision making: early-stage projects can be stopped quicker, late-stage projects become less risky. Public and private organizations are investing heavily in terms of time, money and manpower on safety biomarker development. An illustrative and 'door opening' safety biomarker success story is the recent recognition of kidney safety biomarkers for pre-clinical and limited translational contexts by FDA and EMEA. This milestone achieved for kidney biomarkers and the 'know how' acquired is being transferred to other organ toxicities, namely liver, heart, vascular system. New technologies and molecular-based approaches, i.e., molecular pathology as a complement to the classical toolbox, allow promising discoveries in the safety biomarker field. This review will focus on the utility and use of safety biomarkers all along drug development, highlighting the present gaps and opportunities identified in organ toxicity monitoring. A last part will be dedicated to safety biomarker development in general, from identification to diagnostic tests, using the kidney safety biomarkers success as an illustrative example.

  11. Predictive biomarker discovery through the parallel integration of clinical trial and functional genomics datasets

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Swanton, C.; Larkin, J.M.; Gerlinger, M.

    2010-01-01

    -cancer agents. The consortium focuses on the identification of reliable predictive biomarkers to approved agents with anti-angiogenic activity for which no reliable predictive biomarkers exist: sunitinib, a multi-targeted tyrosine kinase inhibitor and everolimus, a mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) pathway...

  12. Evaluation of pathogen-specific biomarkers for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Objective - To develop a noninvasive biomarker based Mycobacterium bovis specific detection system to track infection in domestic and wild animals. Design – Experimental longitudinal study for discovery and cross sectional design for validation Animals - Yearling white-tailed deer fawns (n=8) were ...

  13. Biomarkers for personalized oncology: recent advances and future challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kalia, Madhu

    2015-03-01

    Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by the uncontrolled growth and spread of abnormal cells and oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with tumors. The last decade has seen significant advances in the development of biomarkers in oncology that play a critical role in understanding molecular and cellular mechanisms which drive tumor initiation, maintenance and progression. Clinical molecular diagnostics and biomarker discoveries in oncology are advancing rapidly as we begin to understand the complex mechanisms that transform a normal cell into an abnormal one. These discoveries have fueled the development of novel drug targets and new treatment strategies. The standard of care for patients with advanced-stage cancers has shifted away from an empirical treatment strategy based on the clinical-pathological profile to one where a biomarker driven treatment algorithm based on the molecular profile of the tumor is used. Recent advances in multiplex genotyping technologies and high-throughput genomic profiling by next-generation sequencing make possible the rapid and comprehensive analysis of the cancer genome of individual patients even from very little tumor biopsy material. Predictive (diagnostic) biomarkers are helpful in matching targeted therapies with patients and in preventing toxicity of standard (systemic) therapies. Prognostic biomarkers identify somatic germ line mutations, changes in DNA methylation, elevated levels of microRNA (miRNA) and circulating tumor cells (CTC) in blood. Predictive biomarkers using molecular diagnostics are currently in use in clinical practice of personalized oncotherapy for the treatment of five diseases: chronic myeloid leukemia, colon, breast, lung cancer and melanoma and these biomarkers are being used successfully to evaluate benefits that can be achieved through targeted therapy. Examples of these molecularly targeted biomarker therapies are: tyrosine kinase inhibitors in chronic myeloid leukemia and

  14. Qualitative and quantitative characterization of plasma proteins when incorporating traveling wave ion mobility into a liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry workflow for biomarker discovery: use of product ion quantitation as an alternative data analysis tool for label free quantitation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daly, Charlotte E; Ng, Leong L; Hakimi, Amirmansoor; Willingale, Richard; Jones, Donald J L

    2014-02-18

    Discovery of protein biomarkers in clinical samples necessitates significant prefractionation prior to liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) analysis. Integrating traveling wave ion mobility spectrometry (TWIMS) enables in-line gas phase separation which when coupled with nanoflow liquid chromatography and data independent acquisition tandem mass spectrometry, confers significant advantages to the discovery of protein biomarkers by improving separation and inherent sensitivity. Incorporation of TWIMS leads to a packet of concentrated ions which ultimately provides a significant improvement in sensitivity. As a consequence of ion packeting, when present at high concentrations, accurate quantitation of proteins can be affected due to detector saturation effects. Human plasma was analyzed in triplicate using liquid-chromatography data independent acquisition mass spectrometry (LC-DIA-MS) and using liquid-chromatography ion-mobility data independent acquisition mass spectrometry (LC-IM-DIA-MS). The inclusion of TWIMS was assessed for the effect on sample throughput, data integrity, confidence of protein and peptide identification, and dynamic range. The number of identified proteins is significantly increased by an average of 84% while both the precursor and product mass accuracies are maintained between the modalities. Sample dynamic range is also maintained while quantitation is achieved for all but the most abundant proteins by incorporating a novel data interpretation method that allows accurate quantitation to occur. This additional separation is all achieved within a workflow with no discernible deleterious effect on throughput. Consequently, TWIMS greatly enhances proteome coverage and can be reliably used for quantification when using an alternative product ion quantification strategy. Using TWIMS in biomarker discovery in human plasma is thus recommended.

  15. Blood-Based Biomarker Candidates of Cerebral Amyloid Using PiB PET in Non-Demented Elderly

    Science.gov (United States)

    Westwood, Sarah; Leoni, Emanuela; Hye, Abdul; Lynham, Steven; Khondoker, Mizanur R.; Ashton, Nicholas J.; Kiddle, Steven J.; Baird, Alison L.; Sainz-Fuertes, Ricardo; Leung, Rufina; Graf, John; Hehir, Cristina Tan; Baker, David; Cereda, Cristina; Bazenet, Chantal; Ward, Malcolm; Thambisetty, Madhav; Lovestone, Simon

    2018-01-01

    Increasingly, clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) are being conducted earlier in the disease phase and with biomarker confirmation using in vivo amyloid PET imaging or CSF tau and Aβ measures to quantify pathology. However, making such a pre-clinical AD diagnosis is relatively costly and the screening failure rate is likely to be high. Having a blood-based marker that would reduce such costs and accelerate clinical trials through identifying potential participants with likely pre-clinical AD would be a substantial advance. In order to seek such a candidate biomarker, discovery phase proteomic analyses using 2DGE and gel-free LC-MS/MS for high and low molecular weight analytes were conducted on longitudinal plasma samples collected over a 12-year period from non-demented older individuals who exhibited a range of 11C-PiB PET measures of amyloid load. We then sought to extend our discovery findings by investigating whether our candidate biomarkers were also associated with brain amyloid burden in disease, in an independent cohort. Seven plasma proteins, including A2M, Apo-A1, and multiple complement proteins, were identified as pre-clinical biomarkers of amyloid burden and were consistent across three time points (p biomarker signature indicative of AD pathology at a stage long before the onset of clinical disease manifestation. As in previous studies, acute phase reactants and inflammatory markers dominate this signature. PMID:27031486

  16. Quantitative, multiplexed workflow for deep analysis of human blood plasma and biomarker discovery by mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Keshishian, Hasmik; Burgess, Michael W; Specht, Harrison; Wallace, Luke; Clauser, Karl R; Gillette, Michael A; Carr, Steven A

    2017-08-01

    Proteomic characterization of blood plasma is of central importance to clinical proteomics and particularly to biomarker discovery studies. The vast dynamic range and high complexity of the plasma proteome have, however, proven to be serious challenges and have often led to unacceptable tradeoffs between depth of coverage and sample throughput. We present an optimized sample-processing pipeline for analysis of the human plasma proteome that provides greatly increased depth of detection, improved quantitative precision and much higher sample analysis throughput as compared with prior methods. The process includes abundant protein depletion, isobaric labeling at the peptide level for multiplexed relative quantification and ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to accurate-mass, high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry analysis of peptides fractionated off-line by basic pH reversed-phase (bRP) chromatography. The overall reproducibility of the process, including immunoaffinity depletion, is high, with a process replicate coefficient of variation (CV) of 4,500 proteins are detected and quantified per patient sample on average, with two or more peptides per protein and starting from as little as 200 μl of plasma. The approach can be multiplexed up to 10-plex using tandem mass tags (TMT) reagents, further increasing throughput, albeit with some decrease in the number of proteins quantified. In addition, we provide a rapid protocol for analysis of nonfractionated depleted plasma samples analyzed in 10-plex. This provides ∼600 quantified proteins for each of the ten samples in ∼5 h of instrument time.

  17. The NINDS Parkinson's disease biomarkers program: The Ninds Parkinson's Disease Biomarkers Program

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Rosenthal, Liana S. [Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore Maryland USA; Drake, Daniel [Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York New York USA; Alcalay, Roy N. [Department of Neurology, Columbia University, New York New York USA; Babcock, Debra [National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA; Bowman, F. DuBois [Department of Biostatistics, Columbia University, New York New York USA; Chen-Plotkin, Alice [Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA; Dawson, Ted M. [Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore Maryland USA; Neuroregeneration and Stem Cell Programs, Institute for Cell Engineering, Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience, Pharmacology and Molecular Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore Maryland USA; Dewey, Richard B. [Department of Neurology and Neurotherapeutics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas USA; German, Dwight C. [Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas USA; Huang, Xuemei [Department of Neurology, Penn State Hershey Medical Center, Hershey Pennsylvania USA; Landin, Barry [Center for Information Technology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA; McAuliffe, Matthew [Center for Information Technology, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA; Petyuk, Vladislav A. [Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland Washington USA; Scherzer, Clemens R. [Department of Neurology, Brigham & Women' s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge Massachusetts USA; Hillaire-Clarke, Coryse St. [National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA; Sieber, Beth-Anne [National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA; Sutherland, Margaret [National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA; Tarn, Chi [Coriell Institute for Medical Research, Camden New Jersey USA; West, Andrew [Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham USA; Vaillancourt, David [Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville Florida USA; Zhang, Jing [Department of Pathology, University of Washington, Seattle Washington USA; Gwinn, Katrina [National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Maryland USA

    2015-10-07

    Background: Neuroprotection for Parkinson Disease (PD) remains elusive. Biomarkers hold the promise of removing roadblocks to therapy development. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) has therefore established the Parkinson’s Disease Biomarkers Program (PDBP) to promote discovery of biomarkers for use in phase II-III clinical trials in PD. Methods: The PDBP facilitates biomarker development to improve neuroprotective clinical trial design, essential for advancing therapeutics for PD. To date, eleven consortium projects in the PDBP are focused on the development of clinical and laboratory-based PD biomarkers for diagnosis, progression tracking, and/or the prediction of prognosis. Seven of these projects also provide detailed longitudinal data and biospecimens from PD patients and controls, as a resource for all PD researchers. Standardized operating procedures and pooled reference samples have been created in order to allow cross-project comparisons and assessment of batch effects. A web-based Data Management Resource facilitates rapid sharing of data and biosamples across the entire PD research community for additional biomarker projects. Results: Here we describe the PDBP, highlight standard operating procedures for the collection of biospecimens and data, and provide an interim report with quality control analysis on the first 1082 participants and 1033 samples with quality control analysis collected as of October 2014. Conclusions: By making samples and data available to academics and industry, encouraging the adoption of existing standards, and providing a resource which complements existing programs, the PDBP will accelerate the pace of PD biomarker research, with the goal of improving diagnostic methods and treatment.

  18. Prognostic Biomarkers Used for Localised Prostate Cancer Management: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lamy, Pierre-Jean; Allory, Yves; Gauchez, Anne-Sophie; Asselain, Bernard; Beuzeboc, Philippe; de Cremoux, Patricia; Fontugne, Jacqueline; Georges, Agnès; Hennequin, Christophe; Lehmann-Che, Jacqueline; Massard, Christophe; Millet, Ingrid; Murez, Thibaut; Schlageter, Marie-Hélène; Rouvière, Olivier; Kassab-Chahmi, Diana; Rozet, François; Descotes, Jean-Luc; Rébillard, Xavier

    2017-03-07

    Prostate cancer stratification is based on tumour size, pretreatment PSA level, and Gleason score, but it remains imperfect. Current research focuses on the discovery and validation of novel prognostic biomarkers to improve the identification of patients at risk of aggressive cancer or of tumour relapse. This systematic review by the Intergroupe Coopérateur Francophone de Recherche en Onco-urologie (ICFuro) analysed new evidence on the analytical validity and clinical validity and utility of six prognostic biomarkers (PHI, 4Kscore, MiPS, GPS, Prolaris, Decipher). All available data for the six biomarkers published between January 2002 and April 2015 were systematically searched and reviewed. The main endpoints were aggressive prostate cancer prediction, additional value compared to classical prognostic parameters, and clinical benefit for patients with localised prostate cancer. The preanalytical and analytical validations were heterogeneous for all tests and often not adequate for the molecular signatures. Each biomarker was studied for specific indications (candidates for a first or second biopsy, and potential candidates for active surveillance, radical prostatectomy, or adjuvant treatment) for which the level of evidence (LOE) was variable. PHI and 4Kscore were the biomarkers with the highest LOE for discriminating aggressive and indolent tumours in different indications. Blood biomarkers (PHI and 4Kscore) have the highest LOE for the prediction of more aggressive prostate cancer and could help clinicians to manage patients with localised prostate cancer. The other biomarkers show a potential prognostic value; however, they should be evaluated in additional studies to confirm their clinical validity. We reviewed studies assessing the value of six prognostic biomarkers for prostate cancer. On the basis of the available evidence, some biomarkers could help in discriminating between aggressive and non-aggressive tumours with an additional value compared to the

  19. Enhancement of MS Signal Processing For Improved Cancer Biomarker Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Si, Qian

    Technological advances in proteomics have shown great potential in detecting cancer at the earliest stages. One way is to use the time of flight mass spectroscopy to identify biomarkers, or early disease indicators related to the cancer. Pattern analysis of time of flight mass spectra data from blood and tissue samples gives great hope for the identification of potential biomarkers among the complex mixture of biological and chemical samples for the early cancer detection. One of the keys issues is the pre-processing of raw mass spectra data. A lot of challenges need to be addressed: unknown noise character associated with the large volume of data, high variability in the mass spectroscopy measurements, and poorly understood signal background and so on. This dissertation focuses on developing statistical algorithms and creating data mining tools for computationally improved signal processing for mass spectrometry data. I have introduced an advanced accurate estimate of the noise model and a half-supervised method of mass spectrum data processing which requires little knowledge about the data.

  20. Clinical proteomics: Applications for prostate cancer biomarker discovery and detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Petricoin, Emanuel F; Ornstein, David K; Liotta, Lance A

    2004-01-01

    The science of proteomics comprises much more than simply generating lists of proteins that change in expression as a cause of or consequence of pathophysiology. The goal of proteomics should be to characterize the information flow through the intercellular protein circuitry that communicates with the extracellular microenvironment and then ultimately to the serum/plasma macroenvironment. Serum proteomic pattern diagnostics is a new type of proteomic concept in which patterns of ion signatures generated from high dimensional mass spectrometry data are used as diagnostic classifiers. This recent approach has exciting potential for clinical utility of diagnostic patterns because low molecular weight metabolites, peptides, and protein fragments may have higher accuracy than traditional biomarkers of cancer detection. Intriguingly, we now have discovered that this diagnostic information exists in a bound state, complexed with circulating highly abundant carrier proteins. These diagnostic fragments may one day be harvested by circulating nanoparticles, designed to absorb, enrich, and amplify the repertoire of diagnostic biomarkers generated-even at the critical, initial stages of carcinogenesis. Copyright 2004 Elsevier Inc.

  1. A new strategy for faster urinary biomarkers identification by Nano-LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Le Meur Y

    2008-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis is a potent tool in biomarkers discovery characterized by its high sensitivity and high throughput capacity. However, methods based on MALDI-TOF/TOF for biomarkers discovery still need optimization, in particular to reduce analysis time and to evaluate their reproducibility for peak intensities measurement. The aims of this methodological study were: (i to optimize and critically evaluate each step of urine biomarker discovery method based on Nano-LC coupled off-line to MALDI-TOF/TOF, taking full advantage of the dual decoupling between Nano-LC, MS and MS/MS to reduce the overall analysis time; (ii to evaluate the quantitative performance and reproducibility of nano-LC-MALDI analysis in biomarker discovery; and (iii to evaluate the robustness of biomarkers selection. Results A pool of urine sample spiked at increasing concentrations with a mixture of standard peptides was used as a specimen for biological samples with or without biomarkers. Extraction and nano-LC-MS variabilities were estimated by analyzing in triplicates and hexaplicates, respectively. The stability of chromatographic fractions immobilised with MALDI matrix on MALDI plates was evaluated by successive MS acquisitions after different storage times at different temperatures. Low coefficient of variation (CV%: 10–22% and high correlation (R2 > 0.96 values were obtained for the quantification of the spiked peptides, allowing quantification of these peptides in the low fentomole range, correct group discrimination and selection of "specific" markers using principal component analysis. Excellent peptide integrity and stable signal intensity were found when MALDI plates were stored for periods of up to 2 months at +4°C. This allowed storage of MALDI plates between LC separation and MS acquisition (first decoupling, and between MS and MSMS acquisitions while the selection of inter-group discriminative ions is done (second decoupling

  2. A new strategy for faster urinary biomarkers identification by Nano-LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF mass spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Benkali, K; Marquet, P; Rérolle, JP; Le Meur, Y; Gastinel, LN

    2008-01-01

    Background LC-MALDI-TOF/TOF analysis is a potent tool in biomarkers discovery characterized by its high sensitivity and high throughput capacity. However, methods based on MALDI-TOF/TOF for biomarkers discovery still need optimization, in particular to reduce analysis time and to evaluate their reproducibility for peak intensities measurement. The aims of this methodological study were: (i) to optimize and critically evaluate each step of urine biomarker discovery method based on Nano-LC coupled off-line to MALDI-TOF/TOF, taking full advantage of the dual decoupling between Nano-LC, MS and MS/MS to reduce the overall analysis time; (ii) to evaluate the quantitative performance and reproducibility of nano-LC-MALDI analysis in biomarker discovery; and (iii) to evaluate the robustness of biomarkers selection. Results A pool of urine sample spiked at increasing concentrations with a mixture of standard peptides was used as a specimen for biological samples with or without biomarkers. Extraction and nano-LC-MS variabilities were estimated by analyzing in triplicates and hexaplicates, respectively. The stability of chromatographic fractions immobilised with MALDI matrix on MALDI plates was evaluated by successive MS acquisitions after different storage times at different temperatures. Low coefficient of variation (CV%: 10–22%) and high correlation (R2 > 0.96) values were obtained for the quantification of the spiked peptides, allowing quantification of these peptides in the low fentomole range, correct group discrimination and selection of "specific" markers using principal component analysis. Excellent peptide integrity and stable signal intensity were found when MALDI plates were stored for periods of up to 2 months at +4°C. This allowed storage of MALDI plates between LC separation and MS acquisition (first decoupling), and between MS and MSMS acquisitions while the selection of inter-group discriminative ions is done (second decoupling). Finally the recording of

  3. Candidate proteomic biomarkers for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (steatosis and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis) discovered with mass-spectrometry: a systematic review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lădaru, Anca; Bălănescu, Paul; Stan, Mihaela; Codreanu, Ioana; Anca, Ioana Alina

    2016-01-01

    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is characterized by lipid accumulation in the liver which is accompanied by a series of metabolic deregulations. There are sustained research efforts focusing upon biomarker discovery for NAFLD diagnosis and its prognosis in order investigate and follow-up patients as minimally invasive as possible. The objective of this study is to critically review proteomic studies that used mass spectrometry techniques and summarize relevant proteomic NAFLD candidate biomarkers. Medline and Embase databases were searched from inception to December 2014. A final number of 22 records were included that identified 251 candidate proteomic biomarkers. Thirty-three biomarkers were confirmed - 14 were found in liver samples, 21 in serum samples, and two from both serum and liver samples. Some of the biomarkers identified have already been extensively studied regarding their diagnostic and prognostic capacity. However, there are also more potential biomarkers that still need to be addressed in future studies.

  4. Other biomarkers for detecting prostate cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nogueira, Lucas; Corradi, Renato; Eastham, James A

    2010-01-01

    Prostate-specific antigen (PSA) has been used for detecting prostate cancer since 1994. Although it is the best cancer biomarker available, PSA is not perfect. It lacks both the sensitivity and specificity to accurately detect the presence of prostate cancer. None of the PSA thresholds currently in use consistently identify patients with prostate cancer and exclude patients without cancer. Novel approaches to improve our ability to detect prostate cancer and predict the course of the disease are needed. Additional methods for detecting prostate cancer have been evaluated. Despite the discovery of many new biomarkers, only a few have shown some clinical value. These markers include human kallikrein 2, urokinase-type plasminogen activator receptor, prostate-specific membrane antigen, early prostate cancer antigen, PCA3, alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase and glutathione S-transferase pi hypermethylation. We review the reports on biomarkers for prostate cancer detection, and their possible role in the clinical practice.

  5. Catch and measure-mass spectrometry-based immunoassays in biomarker research.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiß, Frederik; van den Berg, Bart H J; Planatscher, Hannes; Pynn, Christopher J; Joos, Thomas O; Poetz, Oliver

    2014-05-01

    Mass spectrometry-based (MS) methods are effective tools for discovering protein biomarker candidates that can differentiate between physiological and pathophysiological states. Promising candidates are validated in studies comprising large patient cohorts. Here, targeted protein analytics are used to increase sample throughput. Methods involving antibodies, such as sandwich immunoassays or Western blots, are commonly applied at this stage. Highly-specific and sensitive mass spectrometry-based immunoassays that have been established in recent years offer a suitable alternative to sandwich immunoassays for quantifying proteins. Mass Spectrometric ImmunoAssays (MSIA) and Stable Isotope Standards and Capture by Anti-Peptide Antibodies (SISCAPA/iMALDI) are two prominent types of MS-based immunoassays in which the capture is done either at the protein or the peptide level. We present an overview of these emerging types of immunoassays and discuss their suitability for the discovery and validation of protein biomarkers. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Biomarkers: A Proteomic Challenge. © 2013.

  6. Biology and Biomarkers for Wound Healing

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lindley, Linsey E.; Stojadinovic, Olivera; Pastar, Irena; Tomic-Canic, Marjana

    2016-01-01

    Background As the population grows older, the incidence and prevalence of conditions which lead to a predisposition for poor wound healing also increases. Ultimately, this increase in non-healing wounds has led to significant morbidity and mortality with subsequent huge economic ramifications. Therefore, understanding specific molecular mechanisms underlying aberrant wound healing is of great importance. It has, and will continue to be the leading pathway to the discovery of therapeutic targets as well as diagnostic molecular biomarkers. Biomarkers may help identify and stratify subsets of non-healing patients for whom biomarker-guided approaches may aid in healing. Methods A series of literature searches were performed using Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Internet searches. Results Currently, biomarkers are being identified using biomaterials sourced locally, from human wounds and/or systemically using systematic high-throughput “omics” modalities (genomic, proteomic, lipidomic, metabolomic analysis). In this review we highlight the current status of clinically applicable biomarkers and propose multiple steps in validation and implementation spectrum including those measured in tissue specimens e.g. β-catenin and c-myc, wound fluid e.g. MMP’s and interleukins, swabs e.g. wound microbiota and serum e.g. procalcitonin and MMP’s. Conclusions Identification of numerous potential biomarkers utilizing different avenues of sample collection and molecular approaches is currently underway. A focus on simplicity, and consistent implementation of these biomarkers as well as an emphasis on efficacious follow-up therapeutics is necessary for transition of this technology to clinically feasible point-of-care applications. PMID:27556760

  7. Biomarkers in the diagnosis of lysosomal storage disorders: proteins, lipids, and inhibodies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Aerts, Johannes M F G; Kallemeijn, Wouter W; Wegdam, Wouter; Joao Ferraz, Maria; van Breemen, Marielle J; Dekker, Nick; Kramer, Gertjan; Poorthuis, Ben J; Groener, Johanna E M; Cox-Brinkman, Josanne; Rombach, Saskia M; Hollak, Carla E M; Linthorst, Gabor E; Witte, Martin D; Gold, Henrik; van der Marel, Gijs A; Overkleeft, Herman S; Boot, Rolf G

    2011-06-01

    A biomarker is an analyte indicating the presence of a biological process linked to the clinical manifestations and outcome of a particular disease. In the case of lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs), primary and secondary accumulating metabolites or proteins specifically secreted by storage cells are good candidates for biomarkers. Clinical applications of biomarkers are found in improved diagnosis, monitoring disease progression, and assessing therapeutic correction. These are illustrated by reviewing the discovery and use of biomarkers for Gaucher disease and Fabry disease. In addition, recently developed chemical tools allowing specific visualization of enzymatically active lysosomal glucocerebrosidase are described. Such probes, coined inhibodies, offer entirely new possibilities for more sophisticated molecular diagnosis, enzyme replacement therapy monitoring, and fundamental research.

  8. Searching for new biomarkers in ovarian cancer patients

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hentze, Julie L.; Høgdall, Claus; Kjær, Susanne K.

    2017-01-01

    , will be examined. Relevant microRNAs and DNA methylation patterns will be investigated using array technology. Patient exomes will be fully sequenced, and identified genetic variations will be validated with Next Generation Sequencing. In all cases, data will be correlated with clinical information on the patient...... of cancer and the discovery of new drugs. Moreover, biomarkers are a prerequisite for the development of precision medicine. This study will attack the ovarian cancer problem from several angles, thereby increasing the chance of successfully contributing to saving lives....

  9. Towards understanding and predicting suicidality in women: biomarkers and clinical risk assessment.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Levey, D F; Niculescu, E M; Le-Niculescu, H; Dainton, H L; Phalen, P L; Ladd, T B; Weber, H; Belanger, E; Graham, D L; Khan, F N; Vanipenta, N P; Stage, E C; Ballew, A; Yard, M; Gelbart, T; Shekhar, A; Schork, N J; Kurian, S M; Sandusky, G E; Salomon, D R; Niculescu, A B

    2016-06-01

    Women are under-represented in research on suicidality to date. Although women have a lower rate of suicide completion than men, due in part to the less-violent methods used, they have a higher rate of suicide attempts. Our group has previously identified genomic (blood gene expression biomarkers) and clinical information (apps) predictors for suicidality in men. We now describe pilot studies in women. We used a powerful within-participant discovery approach to identify genes that change in expression between no suicidal ideation (no SI) and high suicidal ideation (high SI) states (n=12 participants out of a cohort of 51 women psychiatric participants followed longitudinally, with diagnoses of bipolar disorder, depression, schizoaffective disorder and schizophrenia). We then used a Convergent Functional Genomics (CFG) approach to prioritize the candidate biomarkers identified in the discovery step by using all the prior evidence in the field. Next, we validated for suicidal behavior the top-ranked biomarkers for SI, in a demographically matched cohort of women suicide completers from the coroner's office (n=6), by assessing which markers were stepwise changed from no SI to high SI to suicide completers. We then tested the 50 biomarkers that survived Bonferroni correction in the validation step, as well as top increased and decreased biomarkers from the discovery and prioritization steps, in a completely independent test cohort of women psychiatric disorder participants for prediction of SI (n=33) and in a future follow-up cohort of psychiatric disorder participants for prediction of psychiatric hospitalizations due to suicidality (n=24). Additionally, we examined how two clinical instruments in the form of apps, Convergent Functional Information for Suicidality (CFI-S) and Simplified Affective State Scale (SASS), previously tested in men, perform in women. The top CFI-S item distinguishing high SI from no SI states was the chronic stress of social isolation. We

  10. Knowledge-based identification of soluble biomarkers: hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD as an example.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Page, Sandra; Birerdinc, Aybike; Estep, Michael; Stepanova, Maria; Afendy, Arian; Petricoin, Emanuel; Younossi, Zobair; Chandhoke, Vikas; Baranova, Ancha

    2013-01-01

    The discovery of biomarkers is often performed using high-throughput proteomics-based platforms and is limited to the molecules recognized by a given set of purified and validated antigens or antibodies. Knowledge-based, or systems biology, approaches that involve the analysis of integrated data, predominantly molecular pathways and networks may infer quantitative changes in the levels of biomolecules not included by the given assay from the levels of the analytes profiled. In this study we attempted to use a knowledge-based approach to predict biomarkers reflecting the changes in underlying protein phosphorylation events using Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) as a model. Two soluble biomarkers, CCL-2 and FasL, were inferred in silico as relevant to NAFLD pathogenesis. Predictive performance of these biomarkers was studied using serum samples collected from patients with histologically proven NAFLD. Serum levels of both molecules, in combination with clinical and demographic data, were predictive of hepatic fibrosis in a cohort of NAFLD patients. Our study suggests that (1) NASH-specific disruption of the kinase-driven signaling cascades in visceral adipose tissue lead to detectable changes in the levels of soluble molecules released into the bloodstream, and (2) biomarkers discovered in silico could contribute to predictive models for non-malignant chronic diseases.

  11. Knowledge-based identification of soluble biomarkers: hepatic fibrosis in NAFLD as an example.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra Page

    Full Text Available The discovery of biomarkers is often performed using high-throughput proteomics-based platforms and is limited to the molecules recognized by a given set of purified and validated antigens or antibodies. Knowledge-based, or systems biology, approaches that involve the analysis of integrated data, predominantly molecular pathways and networks may infer quantitative changes in the levels of biomolecules not included by the given assay from the levels of the analytes profiled. In this study we attempted to use a knowledge-based approach to predict biomarkers reflecting the changes in underlying protein phosphorylation events using Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD as a model. Two soluble biomarkers, CCL-2 and FasL, were inferred in silico as relevant to NAFLD pathogenesis. Predictive performance of these biomarkers was studied using serum samples collected from patients with histologically proven NAFLD. Serum levels of both molecules, in combination with clinical and demographic data, were predictive of hepatic fibrosis in a cohort of NAFLD patients. Our study suggests that (1 NASH-specific disruption of the kinase-driven signaling cascades in visceral adipose tissue lead to detectable changes in the levels of soluble molecules released into the bloodstream, and (2 biomarkers discovered in silico could contribute to predictive models for non-malignant chronic diseases.

  12. Discovery and validation of DNA hypomethylation biomarkers for liver cancer using HRM-specific probes.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Barbara Stefanska

    Full Text Available Poor prognosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC associated with late diagnosis necessitates the development of early diagnostic biomarkers. We have previously delineated the landscape of DNA methylation in HCC patients unraveling the importance of promoter hypomethylation in activation of cancer- and metastasis-driving genes. The purpose of the present study was to test the feasibility that genes that are hypomethylated in HCC could serve as candidate diagnostic markers. We use high resolution melting analysis (HRM as a simple translatable PCR-based method to define methylation states in clinical samples. We tested seven regions selected from the shortlist of genes hypomethylated in HCC and showed that HRM analysis of several of them distinguishes methylation states in liver cancer specimens from normal adjacent liver and chronic hepatitis in the Shanghai area. Such regions were identified within promoters of neuronal membrane glycoprotein M6-B (GPM6B and melanoma antigen family A12 (MAGEA12 genes. Differences in HRM in the immunoglobulin superfamily Fc receptor (FCRL1 separated invasive tumors from less invasive HCC. The identified biomarkers differentiated HCC from chronic hepatitis in another set of samples from Dhaka. Although the main thrust in DNA methylation diagnostics in cancer is on hypermethylated genes, our study for the first time illustrates the potential use of hypomethylated genes as markers for solid tumors. After further validation in a larger cohort, the identified DNA hypomethylated regions can become important candidate biomarkers for liver cancer diagnosis and prognosis, especially in populations with high risk for HCC development.

  13. Metabolomic study of lipids in serum for biomarker discovery in Alzheimer's disease using direct infusion mass spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    González-Domínguez, R; García-Barrera, T; Gómez-Ariza, J L

    2014-09-01

    In this study, we demonstrated the potential of direct infusion mass spectrometry for the lipidomic characterization of Alzheimer's disease. Serum samples were extracted for lipids recovery, and directly analyzed using an electrospray source. Metabolomic fingerprints were subjected to multivariate analysis in order to discriminate between groups of patients and healthy controls, and then some key-compounds were identified as possible markers of Alzheimer's disease. Major differences were found in lipids, although some low molecular weight metabolites also showed significant changes. Thus, important metabolic pathways involved in neurodegeneration could be studied on the basis of these perturbations, such as membrane breakdown (phospholipids and diacylglycerols), oxidative stress (prostaglandins, imidazole and histidine), alterations in neurotransmission systems (oleamide and putrescine) and hyperammonaemia (guanidine and arginine). Moreover, it is noteworthy that some of these potential biomarkers have not been previously described for Alzheimer's disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. In search of biomarkers for autism: scientific, social and ethical challenges.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Walsh, Pat; Elsabbagh, Mayada; Bolton, Patrick; Singh, Ilina

    2011-09-20

    There is widespread hope that the discovery of valid biomarkers for autism will both reveal the causes of autism and enable earlier and more targeted methods for diagnosis and intervention. However, growing enthusiasm about recent advances in this area of autism research needs to be tempered by an awareness of the major scientific challenges and the important social and ethical concerns arising from the development of biomarkers and their clinical application. Collaborative approaches involving scientists and other stakeholders must combine the search for valid, clinically useful autism biomarkers with efforts to ensure that individuals with autism and their families are treated with respect and understanding.

  15. Alterations of the Subgingival Microbiota in Pediatric Crohn's Disease Studied Longitudinally in Discovery and Validation Cohorts.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kelsen, Judith; Bittinger, Kyle; Pauly-Hubbard, Helen; Posivak, Leah; Grunberg, Stephanie; Baldassano, Robert; Lewis, James D; Wu, Gary D; Bushman, Frederic D

    2015-12-01

    Oral manifestations are common in Crohn's disease (CD). Here we characterized the subgingival microbiota in pediatric patients with CD initiating therapy and after 8 weeks to identify microbial community features associated with CD and therapy. Pediatric patients with CD were recruited from The Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania. Healthy control subjects were recruited from primary care or orthopedics clinic. Subgingival plaque samples were collected at initiation of therapy and after 8 weeks. Treatment exposures included 5-ASAs, immunomodulators, steroids, and infliximab. The microbiota was characterized by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. The study was repeated in separate discovery (35 CD, 43 healthy) and validation cohorts (43 CD, 31 healthy). Most subjects in both cohorts demonstrated clinical response after 8 weeks of therapy (discovery cohort 88%, validation cohort 79%). At week 0, both antibiotic exposure and disease state were associated with differences in bacterial community composition. Seventeen genera were identified in the discovery cohort as candidate biomarkers, of which 11 were confirmed in the validation cohort. Capnocytophaga, Rothia, and TM7 were more abundant in CD relative to healthy controls. Other bacteria were reduced in abundance with antibiotic exposure among CD subjects. CD-associated genera were not enriched compared with healthy controls after 8 weeks of therapy. Subgingival microbial community structure differed with CD and antibiotic use. Results in the discovery cohort were replicated in a separate validation cohort. Several potentially pathogenic bacterial lineages were associated with CD but were not diminished in abundance by antibiotic treatment, suggesting targets for additional surveillance.

  16. Automated Morphological and Morphometric Analysis of Mass Spectrometry Imaging Data: Application to Biomarker Discovery

    Science.gov (United States)

    Picard de Muller, Gaël; Ait-Belkacem, Rima; Bonnel, David; Longuespée, Rémi; Stauber, Jonathan

    2017-12-01

    Mass spectrometry imaging datasets are mostly analyzed in terms of average intensity in regions of interest. However, biological tissues have different morphologies with several sizes, shapes, and structures. The important biological information, contained in this highly heterogeneous cellular organization, could be hidden by analyzing the average intensities. Finding an analytical process of morphology would help to find such information, describe tissue model, and support identification of biomarkers. This study describes an informatics approach for the extraction and identification of mass spectrometry image features and its application to sample analysis and modeling. For the proof of concept, two different tissue types (healthy kidney and CT-26 xenograft tumor tissues) were imaged and analyzed. A mouse kidney model and tumor model were generated using morphometric - number of objects and total surface - information. The morphometric information was used to identify m/z that have a heterogeneous distribution. It seems to be a worthwhile pursuit as clonal heterogeneity in a tumor is of clinical relevance. This study provides a new approach to find biomarker or support tissue classification with more information. [Figure not available: see fulltext.

  17. Discovery of dachshund 2 protein as a novel biomarker of poor prognosis in epithelial ovarian cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nodin Björn

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The Dachshund homolog 2 (DACH2 gene has been implicated in development of the female genital tract in mouse models and premature ovarian failure syndrome, but to date, its expression in human normal and cancerous tissue remains unexplored. Using the Human Protein Atlas as a tool for cancer biomarker discovery, DACH2 protein was found to be differentially expressed in epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC. Here, the expression and prognostic significance of DACH2 was further evaluated in ovarian cancer cell lines and human EOC samples. Methods Immunohistochemical expression of DACH2 was examined in tissue microarrays with 143 incident EOC cases from two prospective, population-based cohorts, including a subset of benign-appearing fallopian tubes (n = 32. A nuclear score (NS, i.e. multiplier of staining fraction and intensity, was calculated. For survival analyses, cases were dichotomized into low (NS 3 using classification and regression tree analysis. Kaplan Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards modelling were used to assess the impact of DACH2 expression on survival. DACH2 expression was analysed in the cisplatin sensitive ovarian cancer cell line A2780 and its cisplatin resistant derivative A2780-Cp70. The specificity of the DACH2 antibody was tested using siRNA-mediated silencing of DACH2 in A2780-Cp70 cells. Results DACH2 expression was considerably higher in the cisplatin resistant A2780-Cp70 cells compared to the cisplatin-sensitive A2780 cells. While present in all sampled fallopian tubes, DACH2 expression ranged from negative to strong in EOC. In EOC, DACH2 expression correlated with several proteins involved in DNA integrity and repair, and proliferation. DACH2 expression was significantly higher in carcinoma of the serous subtype compared to non-serous carcinoma. In the full cohort, high DACH2 expression was significantly associated with poor prognosis in univariable analysis, and in carcinoma of the serous subtype

  18. Major depressive disorder: insight into candidate cerebrospinal fluid protein biomarkers from proteomics studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Al Shweiki, Mhd Rami; Oeckl, Patrick; Steinacker, Petra; Hengerer, Bastian; Schönfeldt-Lecuona, Carlos; Otto, Markus

    2017-06-01

    Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is the leading cause of global disability, and an increasing body of literature suggests different cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) proteins as biomarkers of MDD. The aim of this review is to summarize the suggested CSF biomarkers and to analyze the MDD proteomics studies of CSF and brain tissues for promising biomarker candidates. Areas covered: The review includes the human studies found by a PubMed search using the following terms: 'depression cerebrospinal fluid biomarker', 'major depression biomarker CSF', 'depression CSF biomarker', 'proteomics depression', 'proteomics biomarkers in depression', 'proteomics CSF biomarker in depression', and 'major depressive disorder CSF'. The literature analysis highlights promising biomarker candidates and demonstrates conflicting results on others. It reveals 42 differentially regulated proteins in MDD that were identified in more than one proteomics study. It discusses the diagnostic potential of the biomarker candidates and their association with the suggested pathologies. Expert commentary: One ultimate goal of finding biomarkers for MDD is to improve the diagnostic accuracy to achieve better treatment outcomes; due to the heterogeneous nature of MDD, using bio-signatures could be a good strategy to differentiate MDD from other neuropsychiatric disorders. Notably, further validation studies of the suggested biomarkers are still needed.

  19. Sputum-Based Molecular Biomarkers for the Early Detection of Lung Cancer: Limitations and Promise

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Kim, Connie E. [Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. 462 First Avenue, NBV 7N24, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Tchou-Wong, Kam-Meng; Rom, William N., E-mail: william.rom@nyumc.org [Department of Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine. 462 First Avenue, NBV 7N24, New York, NY 10016 (United States); Department of Environmental Medicine, New York University School of Medicine, 57 Old Forge Road, Tuxedo, NY 10987 (United States)

    2011-07-19

    Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths, with an overall survival of 15% at five years. Biomarkers that can sensitively and specifically detect lung cancer at early stage are crucial for improving this poor survival rate. Sputum has been the target for the discovery of non-invasive biomarkers for lung cancer because it contains airway epithelial cells, and molecular alterations identified in sputum are most likely to reflect tumor-associated changes or field cancerization caused by smoking in the lung. Sputum-based molecular biomarkers include morphology, allelic imbalance, promoter hypermethylation, gene mutations and, recently, differential miRNA expression. To improve the sensitivity and reproducibility of sputum-based biomarkers, we recommend standardization of processing protocols, bronchial epithelial cell enrichment, and identification of field cancerization biomarkers.

  20. Unlocking biomarker discovery: large scale application of aptamer proteomic technology for early detection of lung cancer.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rachel M Ostroff

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. New diagnostics are needed to detect early stage lung cancer because it may be cured with surgery. However, most cases are diagnosed too late for curative surgery. Here we present a comprehensive clinical biomarker study of lung cancer and the first large-scale clinical application of a new aptamer-based proteomic technology to discover blood protein biomarkers in disease. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We conducted a multi-center case-control study in archived serum samples from 1,326 subjects from four independent studies of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC in long-term tobacco-exposed populations. Sera were collected and processed under uniform protocols. Case sera were collected from 291 patients within 8 weeks of the first biopsy-proven lung cancer and prior to tumor removal by surgery. Control sera were collected from 1,035 asymptomatic study participants with ≥ 10 pack-years of cigarette smoking. We measured 813 proteins in each sample with a new aptamer-based proteomic technology, identified 44 candidate biomarkers, and developed a 12-protein panel (cadherin-1, CD30 ligand, endostatin, HSP90α, LRIG3, MIP-4, pleiotrophin, PRKCI, RGM-C, SCF-sR, sL-selectin, and YES that discriminates NSCLC from controls with 91% sensitivity and 84% specificity in cross-validated training and 89% sensitivity and 83% specificity in a separate verification set, with similar performance for early and late stage NSCLC. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: This study is a significant advance in clinical proteomics in an area of high unmet clinical need. Our analysis exceeds the breadth and dynamic range of proteome interrogated of previously published clinical studies of broad serum proteome profiling platforms including mass spectrometry, antibody arrays, and autoantibody arrays. The sensitivity and specificity of our 12-biomarker panel improves upon published protein and gene expression panels

  1. Novel Biomarkers of Physical Activity Maintenance in Midlife Women: Preliminary Investigation

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kelly A. Bosak

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available The precision health initiative is leading the discovery of novel biomarkers as important indicators of biological processes or responses to behavior, such as physical activity. Neural biomarkers identified by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI hold promise to inform future research, and ultimately, for transfer to the clinical setting to optimize health outcomes. This study investigated resting-state and functional brain biomarkers between midlife women who were maintaining physical activity in accordance with the current national guidelines and previously acquired age-matched sedentary controls. Approval was obtained from the Human Subjects Committee. Participants included nondiabetic, healthy weight to overweight (body mass index 19–29.9 kg/m2 women (n = 12 aged 40–64 years. Control group data were used from participants enrolled in our previous functional MRI study and baseline resting-state MRI data from a subset of sedentary (<500 kcal of physical activity per week midlife women who were enrolled in a 9-month exercise intervention conducted in our imaging center. Differential activation of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG and greater connectivity with the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC was identified between physically active women and sedentary controls. After correcting for multiple comparisons, these differences in biomarkers of physical activity maintenance did not reach statistical significance. Preliminary evidence in this small sample suggests that neural biomarkers of physical activity maintenance involve activations in the brain region associated with areas involved in implementing goal-directed behavior. Specifically, activation of the IFG and connectivity with the dlPFC is identified as a neural biomarker to explain and predict long-term physical activity maintenance for healthy aging. Future studies should evaluate these biomarker links with relevant clinical correlations.

  2. Lessons for tumor biomarker trials: vicious cycles, scientific method & developing guidelines.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hayes, Daniel; Raison, Claire

    2015-02-01

    Interview with Daniel Hayes, by Claire Raison (Commissioning Editor) Daniel F Hayes, M.D. is the Stuart A Padnos Professor of Breast Cancer Research and co-Director of the Breast Oncology Program at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center (Ann Arbor, MI, USA). Dr Hayes has extensive experience in clinical and translational breast cancer biomarker research, and in drug development and clinical trials. Around 30 years ago, he led the discovery of the circulating breast tumor biomarker, CA15-3, which started his career into further tumor biomarker work. The main thrust of his work since then has been in clinical trials, tumor biomarkers and trying to integrate the two. Dr Hayes is Chair of the Correlative Sciences Committee of the North American Breast Cancer Group (now called the Breast Cancer Steering Committee), and co-chairs the Expert Panel for Tumor Biomarker Practice Guidelines for the American Society of Clinical Oncology.

  3. Biomarkers of Hypoxic Ischemic Encephalopathy in Newborns

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha V. Douglas-Escobar

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available As neonatal intensive care has evolved, the focus has shifted from improving mortality alone to an effort to improve both mortality and morbidity. The most frequent source of neonatal brain injury occurs as a result of hypoxic-ischemic injury. Hypoxic-ischemic injury occurs in about 2 of 1,000 full-term infants and severe injured infants will have lifetime disabilities and neurodevelopmental delays. Most recently, remarkable efforts toward neuroprotection have been started with the advent of therapeutic hypothermia and a key step in the evolution of neonatal neuroprotection is the discovery of biomarkers that enable the clinician-scientist to screen infants for brain injury, monitor progression of disease, identify injured brain regions, and assess efficacy of neuroprotective clinical trials. Lastly, biomarkers offer great hope identifying when an injury occurred shedding light on the potential pathophysiology and the most effective therapy. In this article, we will review biomarkers of HIE including S100b, neuron specific enolase, umbilical cord IL-6, CK-BB, GFAP, myelin basic protein, UCHL-1, and pNF-H. We hope to contribute to the awareness, validation and clinical use of established as well as novel neonatal brain injury biomarkers.

  4. Biomarker Analysis of Stored Blood Products: Emphasis on Pre-Analytical Issues

    Science.gov (United States)

    Delobel, Julien; Rubin, Olivier; Prudent, Michel; Crettaz, David; Tissot, Jean-Daniel; Lion, Niels

    2010-01-01

    Millions of blood products are transfused every year; many lives are thus directly concerned by transfusion. The three main labile blood products used in transfusion are erythrocyte concentrates, platelet concentrates and fresh frozen plasma. Each of these products has to be stored according to its particular components. However, during storage, modifications or degradation of those components may occur, and are known as storage lesions. Thus, biomarker discovery of in vivo blood aging as well as in vitro labile blood products storage lesions is of high interest for the transfusion medicine community. Pre-analytical issues are of major importance in analyzing the various blood products during storage conditions as well as according to various protocols that are currently used in blood banks for their preparations. This paper will review key elements that have to be taken into account in the context of proteomic-based biomarker discovery applied to blood banking. PMID:21151459

  5. Update on Biomarkers for the Detection of Endometriosis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fassbender, Amelie; Burney, Richard O.; O, Dorien F.; D'Hooghe, Thomas; Giudice, Linda

    2015-01-01

    Endometriosis is histologically characterized by the displacement of endometrial tissue to extrauterine locations including the pelvic peritoneum, ovaries, and bowel. An important cause of infertility and pelvic pain, the individual and global socioeconomic burden of endometriosis is significant. Laparoscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of the condition. However, the invasive nature of surgery, coupled with the lack of a laboratory biomarker for the disease, results in a mean latency of 7–11 years from onset of symptoms to definitive diagnosis. Unfortunately, the delay in diagnosis may have significant consequences in terms of disease progression. The discovery of a sufficiently sensitive and specific biomarker for the nonsurgical detection of endometriosis promises earlier diagnosis and prevention of deleterious sequelae and represents a clear research priority. In this review, we describe and discuss the current status of biomarkers of endometriosis in plasma, urine, and endometrium. PMID:26240814

  6. Update on Biomarkers for the Detection of Endometriosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Amelie Fassbender

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Endometriosis is histologically characterized by the displacement of endometrial tissue to extrauterine locations including the pelvic peritoneum, ovaries, and bowel. An important cause of infertility and pelvic pain, the individual and global socioeconomic burden of endometriosis is significant. Laparoscopy remains the gold standard for the diagnosis of the condition. However, the invasive nature of surgery, coupled with the lack of a laboratory biomarker for the disease, results in a mean latency of 7–11 years from onset of symptoms to definitive diagnosis. Unfortunately, the delay in diagnosis may have significant consequences in terms of disease progression. The discovery of a sufficiently sensitive and specific biomarker for the nonsurgical detection of endometriosis promises earlier diagnosis and prevention of deleterious sequelae and represents a clear research priority. In this review, we describe and discuss the current status of biomarkers of endometriosis in plasma, urine, and endometrium.

  7. Differential membrane proteomics using 18O-labeling to identify biomarkers for cholangiocarcinoma

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kristiansen, Troels Zakarias; Harsha, H C; Grønborg, Mads

    2008-01-01

    Quantitative proteomic methodologies allow profiling of hundreds to thousands of proteins in a high-throughput fashion. This approach is increasingly applied to cancer biomarker discovery to identify proteins that are differentially regulated in cancers. Fractionation of protein samples based...

  8. Tissue- and Serum-Associated Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chauhan, Ranjit; Lahiri, Nivedita

    2016-01-01

    Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the world, is offering a challenge to human beings, with the current modes of treatment being a palliative approach. Lack of proper curative or preventive treatment methods encouraged extensive research around the world with an aim to detect a vaccine or therapeutic target biomolecule that could lead to development of a drug or vaccine against HCC. Biomarkers or biological disease markers have emerged as a potential tool as drug/vaccine targets, as they can accurately diagnose, predict, and even prevent the diseases. Biomarker expression in tissue, serum, plasma, or urine can detect tumor in very early stages of its development and monitor the cancer progression and also the effect of therapeutic interventions. Biomarker discoveries are driven by advanced techniques, such as proteomics, transcriptomics, whole genome sequencing, micro- and micro-RNA arrays, and translational clinics. In this review, an overview of the potential of tissue- and serum-associated HCC biomarkers as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for drug development is presented. In addition, we highlight recently developed micro-RNA, long noncoding RNA biomarkers, and single-nucleotide changes, which may be used independently or as complementary biomarkers. These active investigations going on around the world aimed at conquering HCC might show a bright light in the near future. PMID:27398029

  9. Tissue- and Serum-Associated Biomarkers of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Ranjit Chauhan

    2016-01-01

    Full Text Available Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths in the world, is offering a challenge to human beings, with the current modes of treatment being a palliative approach. Lack of proper curative or preventive treatment methods encouraged extensive research around the world with an aim to detect a vaccine or therapeutic target biomolecule that could lead to development of a drug or vaccine against HCC. Biomarkers or biological disease markers have emerged as a potential tool as drug/vaccine targets, as they can accurately diagnose, predict, and even prevent the diseases. Biomarker expression in tissue, serum, plasma, or urine can detect tumor in very early stages of its development and monitor the cancer progression and also the effect of therapeutic interventions. Biomarker discoveries are driven by advanced techniques, such as proteomics, transcriptomics, whole genome sequencing, micro- and micro-RNA arrays, and translational clinics. In this review, an overview of the potential of tissue- and serum-associated HCC biomarkers as diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic targets for drug development is presented. In addition, we highlight recently developed micro-RNA, long noncoding RNA biomarkers, and single-nucleotide changes, which may be used independently or as complementary biomarkers. These active investigations going on around the world aimed at conquering HCC might show a bright light in the near future.

  10. A Pilot Proteomic Analysis of Salivary Biomarkers in Autism Spectrum Disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ngounou Wetie, Armand G; Wormwood, Kelly L; Russell, Stefanie; Ryan, Jeanne P; Darie, Costel C; Woods, Alisa G

    2015-06-01

    Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalence is increasing, with current estimates at 1/68-1/50 individuals diagnosed with an ASD. Diagnosis is based on behavioral assessments. Early diagnosis and intervention is known to greatly improve functional outcomes in people with ASD. Diagnosis, treatment monitoring and prognosis of ASD symptoms could be facilitated with biomarkers to complement behavioral assessments. Mass spectrometry (MS) based proteomics may help reveal biomarkers for ASD. In this pilot study, we have analyzed the salivary proteome in individuals with ASD compared to neurotypical control subjects, using MS-based proteomics. Our goal is to optimize methods for salivary proteomic biomarker discovery and to identify initial putative biomarkers in people with ASDs. The salivary proteome is virtually unstudied in ASD, and saliva could provide an easily accessible biomaterial for analysis. Using nano liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, we found statistically significant differences in several salivary proteins, including elevated prolactin-inducible protein, lactotransferrin, Ig kappa chain C region, Ig gamma-1 chain C region, Ig lambda-2 chain C regions, neutrophil elastase, polymeric immunoglobulin receptor and deleted in malignant brain tumors 1. Our results indicate that this is an effective method for identification of salivary protein biomarkers, support the concept that immune system and gastrointestinal disturbances may be present in individuals with ASDs and point toward the need for larger studies in behaviorally-characterized individuals. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  11. Cardiovascular biomarkers in clinical studies of type 2 diabetes

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Baldassarre, M P A; Andersen, A; Consoli, A

    2018-01-01

    biomarkers and 3) novel biomarkers (oxidative stress and endothelial dysfunction biomarkers). Within each category we present the currently best validated biomarkers with special focus on the population of interest (type 2 diabetes). For each individual biomarker, the physiological role, the validation...

  12. Proteomics pipeline for biomarker discovery of laser capture microdissected breast cancer tissue

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    N.Q. Liu (Ning Qing); R.B.H. Braakman (René); C. Stingl (Christoph); T.M. Luider (Theo); J.W.M. Martens (John); J.A. Foekens (John); A. Umar (Arzu)

    2012-01-01

    textabstractMass spectrometry (MS)-based label-free proteomics offers an unbiased approach to screen biomarkers related to disease progression and therapy-resistance of breast cancer on the global scale. However, multi-step sample preparation can introduce large variation in generated data, while

  13. Sparse multi-block PLSR for biomarker discovery when integrating data from LC-MS and NMR metabolomics

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Karaman, Ibrahim; Nørskov, Natalja; Yde, Christian Clement

    2015-01-01

    The objective of this study was to implement a multivariate method which analyzes multi-block metabolomics data and performs variable selection in order to discover potential biomarkers, simultaneously. We call this method sparse multi-block partial least squares regression (Sparse MBPLSR). To ac...

  14. Imaging biomarker roadmap for cancer studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    O'Connor, James P. B.; Aboagye, Eric O.; Adams, Judith E.; Aerts, Hugo J. W. L.; Barrington, Sally F.; Beer, Ambros J.; Boellaard, Ronald; Bohndiek, Sarah E.; Brady, Michael; Brown, Gina; Buckley, David L.; Chenevert, Thomas L.; Clarke, Laurence P.; Collette, Sandra; Cook, Gary J.; Desouza, Nandita M.; Dickson, John C.; Dive, Caroline; Evelhoch, Jeffrey L.; Faivre-Finn, Corinne; Gallagher, Ferdia A.; Gilbert, Fiona J.; Gillies, Robert J.; Goh, Vicky; Griffiths, J. R.; Groves, Ashley M.; Halligan, Steve; Harris, Adrian L.; Hawkes, David J.; Hoekstra, Otto S.; Huang, Erich P.; Hutton, Brian F.; Jackson, Edward F.; Jayson, Gordon C.; Jones, Andrew; Koh, Dow-Mu; Lacombe, Denis; Lambin, Philippe; Lassau, Nathalie; Leach, Martin O.; Lee, Ting-Yim; Leen, Edward L.; Lewis, Jason S.; Liu, Yan; Lythgoe, Mark F.; Manoharan, Prakash; Maxwell, Ross J.; Miles, Kenneth A.; Morgan, Bruno; Morris, Steve; Ng, Tony; Padhani, Anwar R.; Parker, Geoff J. M.; Partridge, Mike; Pathak, Arvind P.; Peet, Andrew C.; Punwani, Shonit; Reynolds, Andrew R.; Robinson, Simon P.; Shankar, Lalitha K.; Sharma, Ricky A.; Soloviev, Dmitry; Stroobants, Sigrid G.; Sullivan, Daniel C.; Taylor, Stuart A.; Tofts, Paul S.; Tozer, Gillian M.; van Herk, Marcel B.; Walker-Samuel, Simon; Wason, James; Williams, Kaye J.; Workman, Paul; Yankeelov, Thomas E.; Brindle, Kevin M.; McShane, Lisa M.; Jackson, Alan; Waterton, John C.

    Imaging biomarkers (IBs) are integral to the routine management of patients with cancer. IBs used daily in oncology include clinical TNM stage, objective response and left ventricular ejection fraction. Other CT, MRI, PET and ultrasonography biomarkers are used extensively in cancer research and

  15. Biomarkers in Sports and Exercise: Tracking Health, Performance, and Recovery in Athletes.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lee, Elaine C; Fragala, Maren S; Kavouras, Stavros A; Queen, Robin M; Pryor, John Luke; Casa, Douglas J

    2017-10-01

    Biomarker discovery and validation is a critical aim of the medical and scientific community. Research into exercise and diet-related biomarkers aims to improve health, performance, and recovery in military personnel, athletes, and lay persons. Exercise physiology research has identified individual biomarkers for assessing health, performance, and recovery during exercise training. However, there are few recommendations for biomarker panels for tracking changes in individuals participating in physical activity and exercise training programs. Our approach was to review the current literature and recommend a collection of validated biomarkers in key categories of health, performance, and recovery that could be used for this purpose. We determined that a comprehensive performance set of biomarkers should include key markers of (a) nutrition and metabolic health, (b) hydration status, (c) muscle status, (d) endurance performance, (e) injury status and risk, and (f) inflammation. Our review will help coaches, clinical sport professionals, researchers, and athletes better understand how to comprehensively monitor physiologic changes, as they design training cycles that elicit maximal improvements in performance while minimizing overtraining and injury risk.

  16. A pilot study to evaluate the application of a generic protein standard panel for quality control of biomarker detection technologies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Valdivia Hernan J

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Protein biomarker studies are currently hampered by a lack of measurement standards to demonstrate quality, reliability and comparability across multiple assay platforms. This is especially pertinent for immunoassays where multiple formats for detecting target analytes are commonly used. Findings In this pilot study a generic panel of six non-human protein standards (50 - 10^7 pg/mL of varying abundance was prepared as a quality control (QC material. Simulated "normal" and "diseased" panels of proteins were prepared in pooled human plasma and incorporated into immunoassays using the Meso Scale Discovery® (MSD® platform to illustrate reliable detection of the component proteins. The protein panel was also evaluated as a spike-in material for a model immunoassay involving detection of ovarian cancer biomarkers within individual human plasma samples. Our selected platform could discriminate between two panels of the proteins exhibiting small differences in abundance. Across distinct experiments, all component proteins exhibited reproducible signal outputs in pooled human plasma. When individual donor samples were used, half the proteins produced signals independent of matrix effects. These proteins may serve as a generic indicator of platform reliability. Each of the remaining proteins exhibit differential signals across the distinct samples, indicative of sample matrix effects, with the three proteins following the same trend. This subset of proteins may be useful for characterising the degree of matrix effects associated with the sample which may impact on the reliability of quantifying target diagnostic biomarkers. Conclusions We have demonstrated the potential utility of this panel of standards to act as a generic QC tool for evaluating the reproducibility of the platform for protein biomarker detection independent of serum matrix effects.

  17. "Seeing is believing": perspectives of applying imaging technology in discovery toxicology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Xu, Jinghai James; Dunn, Margaret Condon; Smith, Arthur Russell

    2009-11-01

    Efficiency and accuracy in addressing drug safety issues proactively are critical in minimizing late-stage drug attritions. Discovery toxicology has become a specialty subdivision of toxicology seeking to effectively provide early predictions and safety assessment in the drug discovery process. Among the many technologies utilized to select safer compounds for further development, in vitro imaging technology is one of the best characterized and validated to provide translatable biomarkers towards clinically-relevant outcomes of drug safety. By carefully applying imaging technologies in genetic, hepatic, and cardiac toxicology, and integrating them with the rest of the drug discovery processes, it was possible to demonstrate significant impact of imaging technology on drug research and development and substantial returns on investment.

  18. Interactomic approach for evaluating nucleophosmin-binding proteins as biomarkers for Ewing's sarcoma.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haga, Ayako; Ogawara, Yoko; Kubota, Daisuke; Kitabayashi, Issay; Murakami, Yasufumi; Kondo, Tadashi

    2013-06-01

    Nucleophosmin (NPM) is a novel prognostic biomarker for Ewing's sarcoma. To evaluate the prognostic utility of NPM, we conducted an interactomic approach to characterize the NPM protein complex in Ewing's sarcoma cells. A gene suppression assay revealed that NPM promoted cell proliferation and the invasive properties of Ewing's sarcoma cells. FLAG-tag-based affinity purification coupled with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry identified 106 proteins in the NPM protein complex. The functional classification suggested that the NPM complex participates in critical biological events, including ribosome biogenesis, regulation of transcription and translation, and protein folding, that are mediated by these proteins. In addition to JAK1, a candidate prognostic biomarker for Ewing's sarcoma, the NPM complex, includes 11 proteins known as prognostic biomarkers for other malignancies. Meta-analysis of gene expression profiles of 32 patients with Ewing's sarcoma revealed that 6 of 106 were significantly and independently associated with survival period. These observations suggest a functional role as well as prognostic value of these NPM complex proteins in Ewing's sarcoma. Further, our study suggests the potential applications of interactomics in conjunction with meta-analysis for biomarker discovery. © 2013 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  19. Promise Fulfilled? An EBSCO Discovery Service Usability Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Williams, Sarah C.; Foster, Anita K.

    2011-01-01

    Discovery tools are the next phase of library search systems. Illinois State University's Milner Library implemented EBSCO Discovery Service in August 2010. The authors conducted usability studies on the system in the fall of 2010. The aims of the study were twofold: first, to determine how Milner users set about using the system in order to…

  20. Metabolomic Discovery of Novel Urinary Galabiosylceramide Analogs as Fabry Disease Biomarkers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Boutin, Michel; Auray-Blais, Christiane

    2015-03-01

    Fabry disease is an X-linked, complex, multisystemic lysosomal storage disorder presenting marked phenotypic and genotypic variability among affected male and female patients. Glycosphingolipids, mainly globotriaosylceramide (Gb3) isoforms/analogs, globotriaosylsphingosine (lyso-Gb3) and analogs, as well as galabiosylceramide (Ga2) isoforms/analogs accumulate in the vascular endothelium, nerves, cardiomyocytes, renal glomerular and tubular epithelial cells, and biological fluids. The search for biomarkers reflecting disease severity and progression is still on-going. A metabolomic study using quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry has revealed 22 galabiosylceramide isoforms/analogs in urine of untreated Fabry patients classified in seven groups according to their chemical structure: (1) Saturated fatty acid; (2) one extra double bond; (3) two extra double bonds; (4) hydroxylated saturated fatty acid; (5) hydroxylated fatty acid and one extra double bond; (6) hydrated sphingosine and hydroxylated fatty acid; (7) methylated amide linkage. Relative quantification of both Ga2 and Gb3 isoforms/analogs was performed. All these biomarkers are significantly more abundant in urine samples from untreated Fabry males compared with healthy male controls. A significant amount of Ga2 isoforms/analogs, accounting for 18% of all glycosphingolipids analyzed (Ga2 + Gb3 and respective isoforms/analogs), were present in urine of Fabry patients. Gb3 isoforms containing saturated fatty acids are the most abundant (60.9%) compared with 26.3% for Ga2. A comparison between Ga2 isoforms/analogs and their Gb3 counterparts also showed that the proportion of analogs with hydroxylated fatty acids is significantly greater for Ga2 (35.8%) compared with Gb3 (1.9%). These results suggest different biological pathways involved in the synthesis and/or degradation of Gb3 and Ga2 metabolites.

  1. Maximizing biomarker discovery by minimizing gene signatures

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Chang Chang

    2011-12-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background The use of gene signatures can potentially be of considerable value in the field of clinical diagnosis. However, gene signatures defined with different methods can be quite various even when applied the same disease and the same endpoint. Previous studies have shown that the correct selection of subsets of genes from microarray data is key for the accurate classification of disease phenotypes, and a number of methods have been proposed for the purpose. However, these methods refine the subsets by only considering each single feature, and they do not confirm the association between the genes identified in each gene signature and the phenotype of the disease. We proposed an innovative new method termed Minimize Feature's Size (MFS based on multiple level similarity analyses and association between the genes and disease for breast cancer endpoints by comparing classifier models generated from the second phase of MicroArray Quality Control (MAQC-II, trying to develop effective meta-analysis strategies to transform the MAQC-II signatures into a robust and reliable set of biomarker for clinical applications. Results We analyzed the similarity of the multiple gene signatures in an endpoint and between the two endpoints of breast cancer at probe and gene levels, the results indicate that disease-related genes can be preferably selected as the components of gene signature, and that the gene signatures for the two endpoints could be interchangeable. The minimized signatures were built at probe level by using MFS for each endpoint. By applying the approach, we generated a much smaller set of gene signature with the similar predictive power compared with those gene signatures from MAQC-II. Conclusions Our results indicate that gene signatures of both large and small sizes could perform equally well in clinical applications. Besides, consistency and biological significances can be detected among different gene signatures, reflecting the

  2. Isolation and characterization of urinary extracellular vesicles: implications for biomarker discovery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Merchant, M.L.; Rood, I.M.; Deegens, J.K.J.; Klein, J.B.

    2017-01-01

    Urine is a valuable diagnostic medium and, with the discovery of urinary extracellular vesicles, is viewed as a dynamic bioactive fluid. Extracellular vesicles are lipid-enclosed structures that can be classified into three categories: exosomes, microvesicles (or ectosomes) and apoptotic bodies.

  3. Executive summary—Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development: Building a Consensus123

    Science.gov (United States)

    Namasté, Sorrel; Brabin, Bernard; Combs, Gerald; L'Abbe, Mary R; Wasantwisut, Emorn; Darnton-Hill, Ian

    2011-01-01

    The ability to develop evidence-based clinical guidance and effective programs and policies to achieve global health promotion and disease prevention goals depends on the availability of valid and reliable data. With specific regard to the role of food and nutrition in achieving those goals, relevant data are developed with the use of biomarkers that reflect nutrient exposure, status, and functional effect. A need exists to promote the discovery, development, and use of biomarkers across a range of applications. In addition, a process is needed to harmonize the global health community's decision making about what biomarkers are best suited for a given use under specific conditions and settings. To address these needs, the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health, US Department of Health and Human Services, organized a conference entitled “Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development: Building a Consensus,” which was hosted by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Partners included key multilateral, US agencies and public and private organizations. The assembly endorsed the utility of this initiative and the need for the BOND (Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development) project to continue. A consensus was reached on the requirement to develop a process to inform the community about the relative strengths or weaknesses and specific applications of various biomarkers under defined conditions. The articles in this supplement summarize the deliberations of the 4 working groups: research, clinical, policy, and programmatic. Also described are content presentations on the harmonization processes, the evidence base for biomarkers for 5 case-study micronutrients, and new frontiers in science and technology. PMID:21733880

  4. Genomic Biomarkers for Personalized Medicine: Development and Validation in Clinical Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shigeyuki Matsui

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The establishment of high-throughput technologies has brought substantial advances to our understanding of the biology of many diseases at the molecular level and increasing expectations on the development of innovative molecularly targeted treatments and molecular biomarkers or diagnostic tests in the context of clinical studies. In this review article, we position the two critical statistical analyses of high-dimensional genomic data, gene screening and prediction, in the framework of development and validation of genomic biomarkers or signatures, through taking into consideration the possible different strategies for developing genomic signatures. A wide variety of biomarker-based clinical trial designs to assess clinical utility of a biomarker or a new treatment with a companion biomarker are also discussed.

  5. Analysis of Serum Metabolic Profile by Ultra-performance Liquid Chromatography-mass Spectrometry for Biomarkers Discovery: Application in a Pilot Study to Discriminate Patients with Tuberculosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Shuang Feng

    2015-01-01

    Full Text Available Background: Tuberculosis (TB is a chronic wasting inflammatory disease characterized by multisystem involvement, which can cause metabolic derangements in afflicted patients. Metabolic signatures have been exploited in the study of several diseases. However, the serum that is successfully used in TB diagnosis on the basis of metabolic profiling is not by much. Methods: Orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis was capable of distinguishing TB patients from both healthy subjects and patients with conditions other than TB. Therefore, TB-specific metabolic profiling was established. Clusters of potential biomarkers for differentiating TB active from non-TB diseases were identified using Mann-Whitney U-test. Multiple logistic regression analysis of metabolites was calculated to determine the suitable biomarker group that allows the efficient differentiation of patients with TB active from the control subjects. Results: From among 271 participants, 12 metabolites were found to contribute to the distinction between the TB active group and the control groups. These metabolites were mainly involved in the metabolic pathways of the following three biomolecules: Fatty acids, amino acids, and lipids. The receiver operating characteristic curves of 3D, 7D, and 11D-phytanic acid, behenic acid, and threoninyl-γ-glutamate exhibited excellent efficiency with area under the curve (AUC values of 0.904 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0863-0.944, 0.93 (95% CI: 0.893-0.966, and 0.964 (95% CI: 00.941-0.988, respectively. The largest and smallest resulting AUCs were 0.964 and 0.720, indicating that these biomarkers may be involved in the disease mechanisms. The combination of lysophosphatidylcholine (18:0, behenic acid, threoninyl-γ-glutamate, and presqualene diphosphate was used to represent the most suitable biomarker group for the differentiation of patients with TB active from the control subjects, with an AUC value of 0.991. Conclusion: The

  6. Potential biomarker panels in overall breast cancer management: advancements by multilevel diagnostics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Girotra, Shantanu; Yeghiazaryan, Kristina; Golubnitschaja, Olga

    2016-09-01

    Breast cancer (BC) prevalence has reached an epidemic scale with half a million deaths annually. Current deficits in BC management include predictive and preventive approaches, optimized screening programs, individualized patient profiling, highly sensitive detection technologies for more precise diagnostics and therapy monitoring, individualized prediction and effective treatment of BC metastatic disease. To advance BC management, paradigm shift from delayed to predictive, preventive and personalized medical services is essential. Corresponding step forwards requires innovative multilevel diagnostics procuring specific panels of validated biomarkers. Here, we discuss current instrumental advancements including genomics, proteomics, epigenetics, miRNA, metabolomics, circulating tumor cells and cancer stem cells with a focus on biomarker discovery and multilevel diagnostic panels. A list of the recommended biomarker candidates is provided.

  7. Metabolomics: beyond biomarkers and towards mechanisms

    Science.gov (United States)

    Johnson, Caroline H.; Ivanisevic, Julijana; Siuzdak, Gary

    2017-01-01

    Metabolomics, which is the profiling of metabolites in biofluids, cells and tissues, is routinely applied as a tool for biomarker discovery. Owing to innovative developments in informatics and analytical technologies, and the integration of orthogonal biological approaches, it is now possible to expand metabolomic analyses to understand the systems-level effects of metabolites. Moreover, because of the inherent sensitivity of metabolomics, subtle alterations in biological pathways can be detected to provide insight into the mechanisms that underlie various physiological conditions and aberrant processes, including diseases. PMID:26979502

  8. Prognostic utility of novel biomarkers of cardiovascular stress: the Framingham Heart Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Thomas J; Wollert, Kai C; Larson, Martin G; Coglianese, Erin; McCabe, Elizabeth L; Cheng, Susan; Ho, Jennifer E; Fradley, Michael G; Ghorbani, Anahita; Xanthakis, Vanessa; Kempf, Tibor; Benjamin, Emelia J; Levy, Daniel; Vasan, Ramachandran S; Januzzi, James L

    2012-09-25

    Biomarkers for predicting cardiovascular events in community-based populations have not consistently added information to standard risk factors. A limitation of many previously studied biomarkers is their lack of cardiovascular specificity. To determine the prognostic value of 3 novel biomarkers induced by cardiovascular stress, we measured soluble ST2, growth differentiation factor-15, and high-sensitivity troponin I in 3428 participants (mean age, 59 years; 53% women) in the Framingham Heart Study. We performed multivariable-adjusted proportional hazards models to assess the individual and combined ability of the biomarkers to predict adverse outcomes. We also constructed a "multimarker" score composed of the 3 biomarkers in addition to B-type natriuretic peptide and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein. During a mean follow-up of 11.3 years, there were 488 deaths, 336 major cardiovascular events, 162 heart failure events, and 142 coronary events. In multivariable-adjusted models, the 3 new biomarkers were associated with each end point (Pstatistic (P=0.005 or lower) and net reclassification improvement (P=0.001 or lower). Multiple biomarkers of cardiovascular stress are detectable in ambulatory individuals and add prognostic value to standard risk factors for predicting death, overall cardiovascular events, and heart failure.

  9. Epigenome-Wide Association Study Identifies Cardiac Gene Patterning and a Novel Class of Biomarkers for Heart Failure.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Meder, Benjamin; Haas, Jan; Sedaghat-Hamedani, Farbod; Kayvanpour, Elham; Frese, Karen; Lai, Alan; Nietsch, Rouven; Scheiner, Christina; Mester, Stefan; Bordalo, Diana Martins; Amr, Ali; Dietrich, Carsten; Pils, Dietmar; Siede, Dominik; Hund, Hauke; Bauer, Andrea; Holzer, Daniel Benjamin; Ruhparwar, Arjang; Mueller-Hennessen, Matthias; Weichenhan, Dieter; Plass, Christoph; Weis, Tanja; Backs, Johannes; Wuerstle, Maximilian; Keller, Andreas; Katus, Hugo A; Posch, Andreas E

    2017-10-17

    Biochemical DNA modification resembles a crucial regulatory layer among genetic information, environmental factors, and the transcriptome. To identify epigenetic susceptibility regions and novel biomarkers linked to myocardial dysfunction and heart failure, we performed the first multi-omics study in myocardial tissue and blood of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and controls. Infinium human methylation 450 was used for high-density epigenome-wide mapping of DNA methylation in left-ventricular biopsies and whole peripheral blood of living probands. RNA deep sequencing was performed on the same samples in parallel. Whole-genome sequencing of all patients allowed exclusion of promiscuous genotype-induced methylation calls. In the screening stage, we detected 59 epigenetic loci that are significantly associated with dilated cardiomyopathy (false discovery corrected P ≤0.05), with 3 of them reaching epigenome-wide significance at P ≤5×10 -8 . Twenty-seven (46%) of these loci could be replicated in independent cohorts, underlining the role of epigenetic regulation of key cardiac transcription regulators. Using a staged multi-omics study design, we link a subset of 517 epigenetic loci with dilated cardiomyopathy and cardiac gene expression. Furthermore, we identified distinct epigenetic methylation patterns that are conserved across tissues, rendering these CpGs novel epigenetic biomarkers for heart failure. The present study provides to our knowledge the first epigenome-wide association study in living patients with heart failure using a multi-omics approach. © 2017 American Heart Association, Inc.

  10. Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development—Iodine Review1234

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rohner, Fabian; Zimmermann, Michael; Jooste, Pieter; Pandav, Chandrakant; Caldwell, Kathleen; Raghavan, Ramkripa; Raiten, Daniel J.

    2014-01-01

    The objective of the Biomarkers of Nutrition for Development (BOND) project is to provide state-of-the-art information and service with regard to selection, use, and interpretation of biomarkers of nutrient exposure, status, function, and effect. Specifically, the BOND project seeks to develop consensus on accurate assessment methodologies that are applicable to researchers (laboratory/clinical/surveillance), clinicians, programmers, and policy makers (data consumers). The BOND project is also intended to develop targeted research agendas to support the discovery and development of biomarkers through improved understanding of nutrient biology within relevant biologic systems. In phase I of the BOND project, 6 nutrients (iodine, vitamin A, iron, zinc, folate, and vitamin B-12) were selected for their high public health importance because they typify the challenges faced by users in the selection, use, and interpretation of biomarkers. For each nutrient, an expert panel was constituted and charged with the development of a comprehensive review covering the respective nutrient’s biology, existing biomarkers, and specific issues of use with particular reference to the needs of the individual user groups. In addition to the publication of these reviews, materials from each will be extracted to support the BOND interactive Web site (http://www.nichd.nih.gov/global_nutrition/programs/bond/pages/index.aspx). This review represents the first in the series of reviews and covers all relevant aspects of iodine biology and biomarkers. The article is organized to provide the reader with a full appreciation of iodine’s background history as a public health issue, its biology, and an overview of available biomarkers and specific considerations for the use and interpretation of iodine biomarkers across a range of clinical and population-based uses. The review also includes a detailed research agenda to address priority gaps in our understanding of iodine biology and assessment

  11. Pilot Study on the Investigation of Tear Fluid Biomarkers as an Indicator of Ocular, Neurological, and Immunological Health in Astronauts

    Science.gov (United States)

    Morton, Stephen; Crucian, Brian; Hagan, Suzanne; Satyamitra, Merriline; Daily, Anna

    2018-01-01

    The purpose of this pilot study is to investigate the collection, preparation, and analysis of tear biomarkers as a means of assessing ocular, neurological, and immunological health. At present, no published data exists on the cytokine profiles of tears from astronauts exposed to long periods of microgravity and space irradiations. In addition, no published data exist on cytokine (biomarker) profiles of tears that have been collected from irradiated non-human biological systems (primates and other animal models). A goal for the proposed pilot study is to discover novel tear biomarkers which can help inform researchers, clinicians, epidemiologist and healthcare providers about the health status of a living biological system, as well as informing them when a disease state is triggered. This would be done via analysis of the onset of expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, leading up to the full progression of a disease (i.e. cancer, loss of vision, radiation-induced oxidative stress, cardiovascular disorders, fibrosis in major organs, bone loss). Another goal of this pilot study is to investigate the state of disease against proposed medical countermeasures, in order to determine whether the countermeasures are efficacious in preventing or mitigating these injuries. An example of an up and coming tear biomarker technology, Ascendant Dx, a clinical stage diagnostic company, is developing a screening test to detect breast cancer using proteins from tears. The team utilized Liquid Chromatography -Mass Spectrometry with Mass analysis (LC MS/MS) as a discovery platform followed by validation with ELISA to come up with a panel of protein biomarkers that can differentiate breast cancer samples from control ("cancer free") samples with results far surpassing the results of imaging techniques in use today. Continued research into additional proteins is underway to increase the sensitivity and specificity of the test and development efforts are on the way to transfer the

  12. Biomarkers of brain injury in the premature infant

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Martha V. Douglas-Escobar

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available The term encephalopathy of prematurity encompasses not only the acute brain injury (such as intraventricular hemorrhage but also complex disturbance on the infant’s subsequent brain development. In premature infants, the most frequent recognized source of brain injury is intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH and periventricular leukomalacia (PVL. Furthermore 20-25% infants with birth weigh less than 1,500 g will have IVH and that proportion increases to 45% if the birth weight is less than 500-750 g. In addition, nearly 60% of very low birth weight newborns will have hypoxic-ischemic injury. Therefore permanent lifetime neurodevelopmental disabilities are frequent in premature infants. Innovative approach to prevent or decrease brain injury in preterm infants requires discovery of biomarkers able to discriminate infants at risk for injury, monitor the progression of the injury and assess efficacy of neuroprotective clinical trials. In this article, we will review biomarkers studied in premature infants with IVH, Post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilation (PHVD and PVL including: S100b, Activin A, erythropoietin, chemokine CCL 18, GFAP and NFL will also be examined. Some of the most promising biomarkers for IVH are S100β and Activin. The concentrations of TGF-β1, MMP-9 and PAI-1 in cerebrospinal fluid could be used to discriminate patients that will require shunt after post-hemorrhagic ventricular dilation. Neonatal brain injury is frequent in premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care and we hope to contribute to the awareness and interest in clinical validation of established as well as novel neonatal brain injury biomarkers.

  13. Trend analysis of time-series data: A novel method for untargeted metabolite discovery

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Peters, S.; Janssen, H.-G.; Vivó-Truyols, G.

    2010-01-01

    A new strategy for biomarker discovery is presented that uses time-series metabolomics data. Data sets from samples analysed at different time points after an intervention are searched for compounds that show a meaningful trend following the intervention. Obviously, this requires new data-analytical

  14. Distinguishing prognostic and predictive biomarkers: An information theoretic approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sechidis, Konstantinos; Papangelou, Konstantinos; Metcalfe, Paul D; Svensson, David; Weatherall, James; Brown, Gavin

    2018-05-02

    The identification of biomarkers to support decision-making is central to personalised medicine, in both clinical and research scenarios. The challenge can be seen in two halves: identifying predictive markers, which guide the development/use of tailored therapies; and identifying prognostic markers, which guide other aspects of care and clinical trial planning, i.e. prognostic markers can be considered as covariates for stratification. Mistakenly assuming a biomarker to be predictive, when it is in fact largely prognostic (and vice-versa) is highly undesirable, and can result in financial, ethical and personal consequences. We present a framework for data-driven ranking of biomarkers on their prognostic/predictive strength, using a novel information theoretic method. This approach provides a natural algebra to discuss and quantify the individual predictive and prognostic strength, in a self-consistent mathematical framework. Our contribution is a novel procedure, INFO+, which naturally distinguishes the prognostic vs predictive role of each biomarker and handles higher order interactions. In a comprehensive empirical evaluation INFO+ outperforms more complex methods, most notably when noise factors dominate, and biomarkers are likely to be falsely identified as predictive, when in fact they are just strongly prognostic. Furthermore, we show that our methods can be 1-3 orders of magnitude faster than competitors, making it useful for biomarker discovery in 'big data' scenarios. Finally, we apply our methods to identify predictive biomarkers on two real clinical trials, and introduce a new graphical representation that provides greater insight into the prognostic and predictive strength of each biomarker. R implementations of the suggested methods are available at https://github.com/sechidis. konstantinos.sechidis@manchester.ac.uk. Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

  15. Mass spectrometry-driven drug discovery for development of herbal medicine.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Aihua; Sun, Hui; Wang, Xijun

    2018-05-01

    Herbal medicine (HM) has made a major contribution to the drug discovery process with regard to identifying products compounds. Currently, more attention has been focused on drug discovery from natural compounds of HM. Despite the rapid advancement of modern analytical techniques, drug discovery is still a difficult and lengthy process. Fortunately, mass spectrometry (MS) can provide us with useful structural information for drug discovery, has been recognized as a sensitive, rapid, and high-throughput technology for advancing drug discovery from HM in the post-genomic era. It is essential to develop an efficient, high-quality, high-throughput screening method integrated with an MS platform for early screening of candidate drug molecules from natural products. We have developed a new chinmedomics strategy reliant on MS that is capable of capturing the candidate molecules, facilitating their identification of novel chemical structures in the early phase; chinmedomics-guided natural product discovery based on MS may provide an effective tool that addresses challenges in early screening of effective constituents of herbs against disease. This critical review covers the use of MS with related techniques and methodologies for natural product discovery, biomarker identification, and determination of mechanisms of action. It also highlights high-throughput chinmedomics screening methods suitable for lead compound discovery illustrated by recent successes. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

  16. Opportunities and Challenges of Proteomics in Pediatric Patients: Circulating Biomarkers After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation As a Successful Example

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paczesny, Sophie; Duncan, Christine; Jacobsohn, David; Krance, Robert; Leung, Kathryn; Carpenter, Paul; Bollard, Catherine; Renbarger, Jamie; Cooke, Kenneth

    2015-01-01

    Biomarkers have the potential to improve diagnosis and prognosis, facilitate targeted treatment, and reduce health care costs. Thus, there is great hope that biomarkers will be integrated in all clinical decisions in the near future. A decade ago, the biomarker field was launched with great enthusiasm because mass spectrometry revealed that blood contains a rich library of candidate biomarkers. However, biomarker research has not yet delivered on its promise due to several limitations: (i) improper sample handling and tracking as well as limited sample availability in the pediatric population, (ii) omission of appropriate controls in original study designs, (iii) lability and low abundance of interesting biomarkers in blood, and (iv) the inability to mechanistically tie biomarker presence to disease biology. These limitations as well as successful strategies to overcome them are discussed in this review. Several advances in biomarker discovery and validation have been made in hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, the current most effective tumor immunotherapy, and these could serve as examples for other conditions. This review provides fresh optimism that biomarkers clinically relevant in pediatrics are closer to being realized based on: (i) a uniform protocol for low-volume blood collection and preservation, (ii) inclusion of well-controlled independent cohorts, (iii) novel technologies and instrumentation with low analytical sensitivity, and (iv) integrated animal models for exploring potential biomarkers and targeted therapies. PMID:25196024

  17. Definitions and validation criteria for biomarkers and surrogate endpoints: development and testing of a quantitative hierarchical levels of evidence schema

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lassere, Marissa N; Johnson, Kent R; Boers, Maarten

    2007-01-01

    endpoints, and leading indicators, a quantitative surrogate validation schema was developed and subsequently evaluated at a stakeholder workshop. RESULTS: The search identified several classification schema and definitions. Components of these were incorporated into a new quantitative surrogate validation...... level of evidence schema that evaluates biomarkers along 4 domains: Target, Study Design, Statistical Strength, and Penalties. Scores derived from 3 domains the Target that the marker is being substituted for, the Design of the (best) evidence, and the Statistical strength are additive. Penalties...... of the National Institutes of Health definitions of biomarker, surrogate endpoint, and clinical endpoint was useful. CONCLUSION: Further development and application of this schema provides incentives and guidance for effective biomarker and surrogate endpoint research, and more efficient drug discovery...

  18. Validation of New Cancer Biomarkers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Duffy, Michael J; Sturgeon, Catherine M; Söletormos, Georg

    2015-01-01

    BACKGROUND: Biomarkers are playing increasingly important roles in the detection and management of patients with cancer. Despite an enormous number of publications on cancer biomarkers, few of these biomarkers are in widespread clinical use. CONTENT: In this review, we discuss the key steps...... in advancing a newly discovered cancer candidate biomarker from pilot studies to clinical application. Four main steps are necessary for a biomarker to reach the clinic: analytical validation of the biomarker assay, clinical validation of the biomarker test, demonstration of clinical value from performance...... of the biomarker test, and regulatory approval. In addition to these 4 steps, all biomarker studies should be reported in a detailed and transparent manner, using previously published checklists and guidelines. Finally, all biomarker studies relating to demonstration of clinical value should be registered before...

  19. Use of biomarkers in the discovery of novel anti-schizophrenia drugs

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Mikkelsen, Jens D; Thomsen, Morten S; Hansen, Henrik H

    2010-01-01

    Schizophrenia is characterized by a diverse symptomatology that often includes positive, cognitive and negative symptoms. Current anti-schizophrenic drugs act at multiple receptors, but little is known about how each of these receptors contributes to their mechanisms of action. Screening of novel...... anti-schizophrenic drug candidates targeting single receptors will be based on biomarker assays that measure signalling pathways, transcriptional factors, epigenetic mechanisms and synaptic function and translate these effects to behavioural effects in animals and humans. This review discusses current...

  20. Three-Dimensionally Functionalized Reverse Phase Glycoprotein Array for Cancer Biomarker Discovery and Validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pan, Li; Aguilar, Hillary Andaluz; Wang, Linna; Iliuk, Anton; Tao, W Andy

    2016-11-30

    Glycoproteins have vast structural diversity that plays an important role in many biological processes and have great potential as disease biomarkers. Here, we report a novel functionalized reverse phase protein array (RPPA), termed polymer-based reverse phase glycoprotein array (polyGPA), to capture and profile glycoproteomes specifically, and validate glycoproteins. Nitrocellulose membrane functionalized with globular hydroxyaminodendrimers was used to covalently capture preoxidized glycans on glycoproteins from complex protein samples such as biofluids. The captured glycoproteins were subsequently detected using the same validated antibodies as in RPPA. We demonstrated the outstanding specificity, sensitivity, and quantitative capabilities of polyGPA by capturing and detecting purified as well as endogenous α-1-acid glycoprotein (AGP) in human plasma. We further applied quantitative N-glycoproteomics and the strategy to validate a panel of glycoproteins identified as potential biomarkers for bladder cancer by analyzing urine glycoproteins from bladder cancer patients or matched healthy individuals.

  1. Assessed and Emerging Biomarkers in Stroke and Training-Mediated Stroke Recovery: State of the Art

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Marialuisa Gandolfi

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Since the increasing update of the biomolecular scientific literature, biomarkers in stroke have reached an outstanding and remarkable revision in the very recent years. Besides the diagnostic and prognostic role of some inflammatory markers, many further molecules and biological factors have been added to the list, including tissue derived cytokines, growth factor-like molecules, hormones, and microRNAs. The literatures on brain derived growth factor and other neuroimmune mediators, bone-skeletal muscle biomarkers, cellular and immunity biomarkers, and the role of microRNAs in stroke recovery were reviewed. To date, biomarkers represent a possible challenge in the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of stroke onset, pathogenesis, and recovery. Many molecules are still under investigation and may become promising and encouraging biomarkers. Experimental and clinical research should increase this list and promote new discoveries in this field, to improve stroke diagnosis and treatment.

  2. Biomarkers in differentiating clinical dengue cases: A prospective cohort study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gary Kim Kuan Low

    2015-12-01

    Full Text Available Objective: To evaluate five biomarkers (neopterin, vascular endothelial growth factor-A, thrombomodulin, soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 and pentraxin 3 in differentiating clinical dengue cases. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted whereby the blood samples were obtained at day of presentation and the final diagnosis were obtained at the end of patients’ follow-up. All patients included in the study were 15 years old or older, not pregnant, not infected by dengue previously and did not have cancer, autoimmune or haematological disorder. Median test was performed to compare the biomarker levels. A subgroup Mann-Whitney U test was analysed between severe dengue and non-severe dengue cases. Monte Carlo method was used to estimate the 2-tailed probability (P value for independent variables with unequal number of patients. Results: All biomarkers except thrombomodulin has P value < 0.001 in differentiating among the healthy subjects, non-dengue fever, dengue without warning signs and dengue with warning signs/severe dengue. Subgroup analysis for all the biomarkers between severe dengue and non-severe dengue cases was not statistically significant except vascular endothelial growth factor-A (P < 0.05. Conclusions: Certain biomarkers were able to differentiate the clinical dengue cases. This could be potentially useful in classifying and determining the severity of dengue infected patients in the hospital.

  3. The utility of biomarkers in hepatocellular carcinoma: review of urine-based 1H-NMR studies – what the clinician needs to know

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Cartlidge CR

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Caroline R Cartlidge,1 M R Abellona U,2 Alzhraa M A Alkhatib,2 Simon D Taylor-Robinson1 1Department of Surgery and Cancer, Liver Unit, Division of Digestive Health, 2Department of Surgery and Cancer, Division of Computational and Systems Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK Abstract: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC is the fifth most common malignancy, the third most common cause of cancer death, and the most common primary liver cancer. Overall, there is a need for more reliable biomarkers for HCC, as those currently available lack sensitivity and specificity. For example, the current gold-standard biomarker, serum alpha-fetoprotein, has a sensitivity of roughly only 70%. Cancer cells have different characteristic metabolic signatures in biofluids, compared to healthy cells; therefore, metabolite analysis in blood or urine should lead to the detection of suitable candidates for the detection of HCC. With the advent of metabonomics, this has increased the potential for new biomarker discovery. In this article, we look at approaches used to identify biomarkers of HCC using proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR spectroscopy of urine samples. The various multivariate statistical analysis techniques used are explained, and the process of biomarker identification is discussed, with a view to simplifying the knowledge base for the average clinician. Keywords: hepatocellular carcinoma, biomarkers, metabonomics, urine, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, 1H-NMR 

  4. The role of pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes in cancer progress and their potential application as biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jin, H; Wu, Y; Tan, X

    2017-08-01

    Pancreatic cancer is one of the most deadly cancers, with dismal prognosis due to its poor early detection rate and high metastatic rate. Thus, elucidation of the molecular mechanisms accounting for its metastasis and discovery of competent biomarkers is required. Exosomes are multivesicular body-derived small extracellular vesicles released by various cell types that serve as important message carriers during intercellular communication. They are also known to play critical roles during cancer-genesis, cancer-related immune reactions, and metastasis. They also possess promising potential as novel biomarkers for cancer early detection. Therefore, extensive studies on pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes are currently being performed because they hold the promising potential of elevating the overall survival rate of patients with pancreatic cancer. In the present review, we focus on the role of exosomes in pancreatic cancer-related immune reactions, metastasis, and complications, and on their potential application as pancreatic cancer biomarkers.

  5. In Vivo Imaging Biomarkers in Mouse Models of Alzheimer's Disease: Are We Lost in Translation or Breaking Through?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Benoît Delatour

    2010-01-01

    Full Text Available Identification of biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease (AD is a critical priority to efficiently diagnose the patients, to stage the progression of neurodegeneration in living subjects, and to assess the effects of disease-modifier treatments. This paper addresses the development and usefulness of preclinical neuroimaging biomarkers of AD. It is today possible to image in vivo the brain of small rodents at high resolution and to detect the occurrence of macroscopic/microscopic lesions in these species, as well as of functional alterations reminiscent of AD pathology. We will outline three different types of imaging biomarkers that can be used in AD mouse models: biomarkers with clear translational potential, biomarkers that can serve as in vivo readouts (in particular in the context of drug discovery exclusively for preclinical research, and finally biomarkers that constitute new tools for fundamental research on AD physiopathogeny.

  6. Biomarkers in systemic lupus erythematosus: challenges and prospects for the future

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kao, Amy H.; Manzi, Susan; Ahearn, Joseph M.

    2013-01-01

    The search for lupus biomarkers to diagnose, monitor, stratify, and predict individual response to therapy is currently more intense than ever before. This effort is essential for several reasons. First, epidemic overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of lupus, even by certified rheumatologists, leads to errors in therapy with concomitant side effects which may be more serious than the disease itself. Second, identification of lupus flares remains as much an art as it is a science. Third, the capacity to stratify patients so as to predict those who will develop specific patterns of organ involvement is not currently possible but would potentially lead to preventive therapeutic strategies. Fourth, only one new drug for the treatment of lupus has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration in over 50 years. A major obstacle in this pipeline is the dearth of biomarkers available to prove a patient has responded to an experimental therapeutic intervention. This review will summarize the challenges faced in the discovery and validation of lupus biomarkers, the most promising lupus biomarkers identified to date, and the promise of future directions. PMID:23904865

  7. Pharmacogenomic Biomarkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sandra C. Kirkwood

    2002-01-01

    Full Text Available Pharmacogenomic biomarkers hold great promise for the future of medicine and have been touted as a means to personalize prescriptions. Genetic biomarkers for disease susceptibility including both Mendelian and complex disease promise to result in improved understanding of the pathophysiology of disease, identification of new potential therapeutic targets, and improved molecular classification of disease. However essential to fulfilling the promise of individualized therapeutic intervention is the identification of drug activity biomarkers that stratify individuals based on likely response to a particular therapeutic, both positive response, efficacy, and negative response, development of side effect or toxicity. Prior to the widespread clinical application of a genetic biomarker multiple scientific studies must be completed to identify the genetic variants and delineate their functional significance in the pathophysiology of a carefully defined phenotype. The applicability of the genetic biomarker in the human population must then be verified through both retrospective studies utilizing stored or clinical trial samples, and through clinical trials prospectively stratifying patients based on the biomarker. The risk conferred by the polymorphism and the applicability in the general population must be clearly understood. Thus, the development and widespread application of a pharmacogenomic biomarker is an involved process and for most disease states we are just at the beginning of the journey towards individualized therapy and improved clinical outcome.

  8. Engineered gold nanoparticles for identification of novel ovarian biomarkers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Giri, Karuna

    Ovarian cancer is a leading cause of cancer related death among women in the US and worldwide. The disease has a high mortality rate due to limited tools available that can diagnose ovarian cancer at an early stage and the lack of effective treatments for disease free survival at late stages. Identification of proteins specifically expressed/overexpressed in ovarian cancer could lead to identification of novel diagnostic biomarkers and therapeutic targets that improve patient outcomes. In this regard, mass spectrometry is a powerful tool to probe the proteome of a cancer cell. It can aid discovery of proteins important for the pathophysiology of ovarian cancer. These proteins in turn could serve as diagnostic and treatment biomarkers of the disease. However, a limitation of mass spectrometry based proteomic analyses is that the technique lacks sensitivity and is biased against detection of low abundance proteins. With current approaches to biomarker discovery, we may therefore be overlooking candidate proteins that are important for ovarian cancer. This study presents a new approach to enrich low abundance proteins and subsequently detect them with mass spectrometry. Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) and functionalization of their surfaces provide an excellent opportunity to capture and enrich low abundance proteins. First, the study focused on conducting an extensive investigation of the time evolution of nanoparticle-protein interaction and understanding drivers of protein attachment on nanoparticle surface. The adsorption of proteins to AuNPs was found to be highly dynamic with multiple attachment and detachment events which decreased over time. Initially, electrostatic forces played an important role in protein binding and structurally flexible proteins such as those involved in RNA processing were more likely to bind to AuNPs. More importantly, the feasibility and success of protein enrichment by AuNPs was evaluated. The AuNPs based approach was able to detect

  9. Proteomics and metabolomics for mechanistic insights and biomarker discovery in cardiovascular disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barallobre-Barreiro, Javier; Chung, Yuen-Li; Mayr, Manuel

    2013-08-01

    In the last decade, proteomics and metabolomics have contributed substantially to our understanding of cardiovascular diseases. The unbiased assessment of pathophysiological processes without a priori assumptions complements other molecular biology techniques that are currently used in a reductionist approach. In this review, we highlight some of the "omics" methods used to assess protein and metabolite changes in cardiovascular disease. A discrete biological function is very rarely attributed to a single molecule; more often it is the combined input of many proteins. In contrast to the reductionist approach, in which molecules are studied individually, "omics" platforms allow the study of more complex interactions in biological systems. Combining proteomics and metabolomics to quantify changes in metabolites and their corresponding enzymes will advance our understanding of pathophysiological mechanisms and aid the identification of novel biomarkers for cardiovascular disease. Copyright © 2013 Sociedad Española de Cardiología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

  10. Can the Growth/Differentiation Factor-15 Be a Surrogate Target in Chronic Heart Failure Biomarker-Guided Therapy?

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Alexander E. Berezin

    2017-03-01

    Full Text Available Heart failure (HF biomarker-guided therapy is a promising method, which directs to the improvement of clinical status, attenuation of admission/readmission to the hospital and reduction in mortality rate. Many biological markers, like inflammatory cytokines, are under consideration as a surrogate target for HF treatment, while there are known biomarkers with established predictive value, such as natriuretic peptides. However, discovery of new biomarkers reflecting various underlying mechanisms of HF and appearing to be surrogate targets for biomarker-guided therapy is fairly promising. Nowadays, growth/differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15 is suggested a target biomarker for HF treatment. Although elevated level of GDF-15 is associated with HF development, progression, and prognosis, there is no represented evidence regarding the direct comparison of this biomarker with other clinical risk predictors and biomarkers. Moreover, GDF-15 might serve as a contributor to endothelial progenitor cells (EPC dysfunction by inducing EPC death/autophagy and limiting their response to angiopoetic and reparative effects. The short communication was discussed whether GDF-15 is good molecular target for HF biomarker-guided therapy.

  11. Multiplexed homogeneous proximity ligation assays for high throughput protein biomarker research in serological material

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Lundberg, Martin; Thorsen, Stine Buch; Assarsson, Erika

    2011-01-01

    A high throughput protein biomarker discovery tool has been developed based on multiplexed proximity ligation assays (PLA) in a homogeneous format in the sense of no washing steps. The platform consists of four 24-plex panels profiling 74 putative biomarkers with sub pM sensitivity each consuming...... sequences are united by DNA ligation upon simultaneous target binding forming a PCR amplicon. Multiplex PLA thereby converts multiple target analytes into real-time PCR amplicons that are individually quantificatied using microfluidic high capacity qPCR in nano liter volumes. The assay shows excellent...

  12. Addressing the Challenge of Defining Valid Proteomic Biomarkers and Classifiers

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Dakna, Mohammed

    2010-12-10

    Abstract Background The purpose of this manuscript is to provide, based on an extensive analysis of a proteomic data set, suggestions for proper statistical analysis for the discovery of sets of clinically relevant biomarkers. As tractable example we define the measurable proteomic differences between apparently healthy adult males and females. We choose urine as body-fluid of interest and CE-MS, a thoroughly validated platform technology, allowing for routine analysis of a large number of samples. The second urine of the morning was collected from apparently healthy male and female volunteers (aged 21-40) in the course of the routine medical check-up before recruitment at the Hannover Medical School. Results We found that the Wilcoxon-test is best suited for the definition of potential biomarkers. Adjustment for multiple testing is necessary. Sample size estimation can be performed based on a small number of observations via resampling from pilot data. Machine learning algorithms appear ideally suited to generate classifiers. Assessment of any results in an independent test-set is essential. Conclusions Valid proteomic biomarkers for diagnosis and prognosis only can be defined by applying proper statistical data mining procedures. In particular, a justification of the sample size should be part of the study design.

  13. An integrative multi-platform analysis for discovering biomarkers of osteosarcoma

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Li, Guodong; Zhang, Wenjuan; Zeng, Huazong; Chen, Lei; Wang, Wenjing; Liu, Jilong; Zhang, Zhiyu; Cai, Zhengdong

    2009-01-01

    SELDI-TOF-MS (Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionization-Time of Flight-Mass Spectrometry) has become an attractive approach for cancer biomarker discovery due to its ability to resolve low mass proteins and high-throughput capability. However, the analytes from mass spectrometry are described only by their mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) values without further identification and annotation. To discover potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of osteosarcoma, we designed an integrative workflow combining data sets from both SELDI-TOF-MS and gene microarray analysis. After extracting the information for potential biomarkers from SELDI data and microarray analysis, their associations were further inferred by link-test to identify biomarkers that could likely be used for diagnosis. Immuno-blot analysis was then performed to examine whether the expression of the putative biomarkers were indeed altered in serum from patients with osteosarcoma. Six differentially expressed protein peaks with strong statistical significances were detected by SELDI-TOF-MS. Four of the proteins were up-regulated and two of them were down-regulated. Microarray analysis showed that, compared with an osteoblastic cell line, the expression of 653 genes was changed more than 2 folds in three osteosarcoma cell lines. While expression of 310 genes was increased, expression of the other 343 genes was decreased. The two sets of biomarkers candidates were combined by the link-test statistics, indicating that 13 genes were potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of osteosarcoma. Among these genes, cytochrome c1 (CYC-1) was selected for further experimental validation. Link-test on datasets from both SELDI-TOF-MS and microarray high-throughput analysis can accelerate the identification of tumor biomarkers. The result confirmed that CYC-1 may be a promising biomarker for early diagnosis of osteosarcoma

  14. Nonylphenol Toxicity Evaluation and Discovery of Biomarkers in Rat Urine by a Metabolomics Strategy through HPLC-QTOF-MS

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yan-Xin Zhang

    2016-05-01

    Full Text Available Nonylphenol (NP was quantified using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS in the urine and plasma of rats treated with 0, 50, and 250 mg/kg/day of NP for four consecutive days. A urinary metabolomic strategy was originally implemented by high performance liquid chromatography time of flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-QTOF-MS to explore the toxicological effects of NP and determine the overall alterations in the metabolite profiles so as to find potential biomarkers. It is essential to point out that from the observation, the metabolic data were clearly clustered and separated for the three groups. To further identify differentiated metabolites, multivariate analysis, including principal component analysis (PCA, orthogonal partial least-squares discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA, high-resolution MS/MS analysis, as well as searches of Metlin and Massbank databases, were conducted on a series of metabolites between the control and dose groups. Finally, five metabolites, including glycine, glycerophosphocholine, 5-hydroxytryptamine, malonaldehyde (showing an upward trend, and tryptophan (showing a downward trend, were identified as the potential urinary biomarkers of NP-induced toxicity. In order to validate the reliability of these potential biomarkers, an independent validation was performed by using the multiple reaction monitoring (MRM-based targeted approach. The oxidative stress reflected by urinary 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine (8-oxodG levels was elevated in individuals highly exposed to NP, supporting the hypothesis that mitochondrial dysfunction was a result of xenoestrogen accumulation. This study reveals a promising approach to find biomarkers to assist researchers in monitoring NP.

  15. Discovery of sexual dimorphisms in metabolic and genetic biomarkers.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kirstin Mittelstrass

    2011-08-01

    Full Text Available Metabolomic profiling and the integration of whole-genome genetic association data has proven to be a powerful tool to comprehensively explore gene regulatory networks and to investigate the effects of genetic variation at the molecular level. Serum metabolite concentrations allow a direct readout of biological processes, and association of specific metabolomic signatures with complex diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders has been shown. There are well-known correlations between sex and the incidence, prevalence, age of onset, symptoms, and severity of a disease, as well as the reaction to drugs. However, most of the studies published so far did not consider the role of sexual dimorphism and did not analyse their data stratified by gender. This study investigated sex-specific differences of serum metabolite concentrations and their underlying genetic determination. For discovery and replication we used more than 3,300 independent individuals from KORA F3 and F4 with metabolite measurements of 131 metabolites, including amino acids, phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelins, acylcarnitines, and C6-sugars. A linear regression approach revealed significant concentration differences between males and females for 102 out of 131 metabolites (p-values<3.8×10(-4; Bonferroni-corrected threshold. Sex-specific genome-wide association studies (GWAS showed genome-wide significant differences in beta-estimates for SNPs in the CPS1 locus (carbamoyl-phosphate synthase 1, significance level: p<3.8×10(-10; Bonferroni-corrected threshold for glycine. We showed that the metabolite profiles of males and females are significantly different and, furthermore, that specific genetic variants in metabolism-related genes depict sexual dimorphism. Our study provides new important insights into sex-specific differences of cell regulatory processes and underscores that studies should consider sex-specific effects in design and

  16. Ambient temperature and cardiovascular biomarkers in a repeated-measure study in healthy adults: A novel biomarker index approach.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wu, Shaowei; Yang, Di; Pan, Lu; Shan, Jiao; Li, Hongyu; Wei, Hongying; Wang, Bin; Huang, Jing; Baccarelli, Andrea A; Shima, Masayuki; Deng, Furong; Guo, Xinbiao

    2017-07-01

    Associations of ambient temperature with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality have been well documented in numerous epidemiological studies, but the underlying pathways remain unclear. We investigated whether systemic inflammation, coagulation, systemic oxidative stress, antioxidant activity and endothelial function may be the mechanistic pathways associated with ambient temperature. Forty study participants underwent repeated blood collections for 12 times in Beijing, China in 2010-2011. Ambient temperature and air pollution data were measured in central monitors close to student residences. We created five indices as the sum of weighted biomarker percentiles to represent the overall levels of 15 cardiovascular biomarkers in five pathways (systemic inflammation: hs-CRP, TNF-α and fibrinogen; coagulation: fibrinogen, PAI-1, tPA, vWF and sP-selectin; systemic oxidative stress: Ox-LDL and sCD36: antioxidant activity: EC-SOD and GPX1; and endothelial function: ET-1, E-selectin, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1). We used generalized mixed-effects models to estimate temperature effects controlling for air pollution and other covariates. There were significant decreasing trends in the adjusted means of biomarker indices over the lowest to the highest quartiles of daily temperatures before blood collection. A 10°C decrease at 2-d average daily temperature were associated with increases of 2.5% [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.7, 4.2], 1.6% (95% CI: 0.1, 3.1), 2.7% (95% CI: 0.5, 4.8), 5.5% (95% CI: 3.8, 7.3) and 2.0% (95% CI: 0.3, 3.8) in the indices for systemic inflammation, coagulation, systemic oxidative stress, antioxidant activity and endothelial function, respectively. In contrast, the associations between ambient temperature and individual biomarkers had substantial variation in magnitude and strength. The altered cardiovascular biomarker profiles in healthy adults associated with ambient temperature changes may help explain the temperature-related cardiovascular morbidity

  17. Onchocerca volvulus-neurotransmitter tyramine is a biomarker for river blindness.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Globisch, Daniel; Moreno, Amira Y; Hixon, Mark S; Nunes, Ashlee A K; Denery, Judith R; Specht, Sabine; Hoerauf, Achim; Janda, Kim D

    2013-03-12

    Onchocerciasis, also known as "river blindness", is a neglected tropical disease infecting millions of people mainly in Africa and the Middle East but also in South America and Central America. Disease infectivity initiates from the filarial parasitic nematode Onchocerca volvulus, which is transmitted by the blackfly vector Simulium sp. carrying infectious third-stage larvae. Ivermectin has controlled transmission of microfilariae, with an African Program elimination target date of 2025. However, there is currently no point-of-care diagnostic that can distinguish the burden of infection--including active and/or past infection--and enable the elimination program to be effectively monitored. Here, we describe how liquid chromatography-MS-based urine metabolome analysis can be exploited for the identification of a unique biomarker, N-acetyltyramine-O,β-glucuronide (NATOG), a neurotransmitter-derived secretion metabolite from O. volvulus. The regulation of this tyramine neurotransmitter was found to be linked to patient disease infection, including the controversial antibiotic doxycycline treatment that has been shown to both sterilize and kill adult female worms. Further clues to its regulation have been elucidated through biosynthetic pathway determination within the nematode and its human host. Our results demonstrate that NATOG tracks O. volvulus metabolism in both worms and humans, and thus can be considered a host-specific biomarker for onchocerciasis progression. Liquid chromatography-MS-based urine metabolome analysis discovery of NATOG not only has broad implications for a noninvasive host-specific onchocerciasis diagnostic but provides a basis for the metabolome mining of other neglected tropical diseases for the discovery of distinct biomarkers and monitoring of disease progression.

  18. Differential Proteomics Identification of HSP90 as Potential Serum Biomarker in Hepatocellular Carcinoma by Two-dimensional Electrophoresis and Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Yiyi Sun

    2010-03-01

    Full Text Available The aim of the current study is to identify the potential biomarkers involved in Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC carcinogenesis. A comparative proteomics approach was utilized to identify the differentially expressed proteins in the serum of 10 HCC patients and 10 controls. A total of 12 significantly altered proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. Of the 12 proteins identified, HSP90 was one of the most significantly altered proteins and its over-expression in the serum of 20 HCC patients was confirmed using ELISA analysis. The observations suggest that HSP90 might be a potential biomarker for early diagnosis, prognosis, and monitoring in the therapy of HCC. This work demonstrates that a comprehensive strategy of proteomic identification combined with further validation should be adopted in the field of cancer biomarker discovery.

  19. Key drivers of biomedical innovation in cancer drug discovery

    OpenAIRE

    Huber, Margit A; Kraut, Norbert

    2014-01-01

    Discovery and translational research has led to the identification of a series of ?cancer drivers??genes that, when mutated or otherwise misregulated, can drive malignancy. An increasing number of drugs that directly target such drivers have demonstrated activity in clinical trials and are shaping a new landscape for molecularly targeted cancer therapies. Such therapies rely on molecular and genetic diagnostic tests to detect the presence of a biomarker that predicts response. Here, we highli...

  20. Screening Preoperative Peptide Biomarkers for Predicting Postoperative Myocardial Infarction after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jiang, Zhibin; Hu, Ping; Liu, Jianxin; Wang, Dianjun; Jin, Longyu; Hong, Chao

    2014-01-01

    Postoperative myocardial infarction (PMI) is one of the most serious complications of cardiac surgeries. No preoperative biomarker is currently available for predicting PMI after cardiac surgeries. In the present study, we used a phage display peptide library to screen potential preoperative peptide biomarkers for predicting PMI after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery. Twenty patients who developed PMI after CABG and 20 age-, sex-, and body mass index-matched patients without PMI after CABG were enrolled as a discovery cohort. Another 50 patients who developed PMI after CABG and 50 randomly selected patients without PMI after CABG were enrolled as a validation cohort to validate the potential peptide biomarkers identified in the discovery cohort. Fifty randomly selected healthy volunteers were also enrolled in the validation phase as a healthy control group. In the discovery/screening phase, 17 out of 20 randomly selected phage clones exhibited specific reaction with purified sera IgG from the PMI group, among which 11 came from the same phage clone with inserted peptide sequence GVIMVIAVSCVF (named PMI-1). In the validation phase, phage ELISA showed that serum IgG from 90% of patients in the PMI group had a positive reaction with PMI-1; in contrast, only 14% and 6% of patients in the non-PMI group and the healthy control group had a positive reaction with PMI-1, respectively. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value and accuracy of the PMI-1 phage clone to preoperatively identify patients who would develop PMI after CABG were 90.0%, 86.0%, 86.5, 89.5% and 88.0%, respectively. The absorbance value of the PMI-1 phage clone showed statistically significant correlation with the peak postoperative serum cardiac troponin I level (r = 0.349, p = 0.012) in the PMI group. In conclusion, we for the first time identified a mimic peptide (PMI-1) with high validity in preoperative prediction of PMI after CABG. PMID

  1. Ionizing radiation biomarkers for potential use in epidemiological studies

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Pernot, Eileen; Cardis, Elisabeth; Hall, Janet; Baatout, Sarah; El Saghire, Houssein; Mohammed Abderrafi Benotmane; Roel Quintens; Blanchardon, Eric; Bouffler, Simon; Gomolka, Maria; Guertler, Anne; Kreuzer, Michaela; Harms-Ringdahl, Mats; Jeggo, Penny; Laurier, Dominique; Lindholm, Carita; Mkacher, Radhia; Sabatier, Laure; Tapio, Soile; De Vathaire, Florent

    2012-01-01

    Ionizing radiation is a known human carcinogen that can induce a variety of biological effects depending on the physical nature, duration, doses and dose-rates of exposure. However, the magnitude of health risks at low doses and dose-rates (below 100 mSv and/or 0.1 mSv min -1 ) remains controversial due to a lack of direct human evidence. It is anticipated that significant insights will emerge from the integration of epidemiological and biological research, made possible by molecular epidemiology studies incorporating biomarkers and bioassays. A number of these have been used to investigate exposure, effects and susceptibility to ionizing radiation, albeit often at higher doses and dose rates, with each reflecting time-limited cellular or physiological alterations. This review summarises the multidisciplinary work undertaken in the framework of the European project DoReMi (Low Dose Research towards Multidisciplinary Integration) to identify the most appropriate biomarkers for use in population studies. In addition to logistical and ethical considerations for conducting large-scale epidemiological studies, we discuss the relevance of their use for assessing the effects of low dose ionizing radiation exposure at the cellular and physiological level. We also propose a temporal classification of biomarkers that may be relevant for molecular epidemiology studies which need to take into account the time elapsed since exposure. Finally, the integration of biology with epidemiology requires careful planning and enhanced discussions between the epidemiology, biology and dosimetry communities in order to determine the most important questions to be addressed in light of pragmatic considerations including the appropriate population to be investigated (occupationally, environmentally or medically exposed), and study design. The consideration of the logistics of biological sample collection, processing and storing and the choice of biomarker or bioassay, as well as awareness of

  2. Proteomic Profiling of Exosomes Leads to the Identification of Novel Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Duijvesz, Diederick; Burnum-Johnson, Kristin E.; Gritsenko, Marina A.; Hoogland, Marije; Vredenbregt-van den Berg, Mirella S.; Willemsen, Rob; Luider, Theo N.; Pasa-Tolic, Ljiljana; Jenster, Guido

    2013-12-31

    Introduction: Current markers for prostate cancer, such as PSA lack specificity. Therefore, novel biomarkers are needed. Unfortunately, biomarker discovery from body fluids is often hampered by the high abundance of many proteins unrelated to disease. An attractive alternative biomarker discovery approach is the isolation of small vesicles (exosomes, ~100 nm). They contain proteins that are specific to the tissue from which they are derived and therefore can be considered as treasure chests for disease-specific marker discovery. Profiling prostate cancer-derived exosomes could reveal new markers for this malignancy. Materials and Methods: Exosomes were isolated from 2 immortalized primary prostate epithelial cells (PNT2C2 and RWPE-1) and 2 PCa cell lines (PC346C and VCaP) by ultracentrifugation. Proteomic analyses utilized a nanoLC coupled with an LTQ-Orbitrap operated in tandem MS (MS/MS) mode, followed by the Accurate Mass and Time (AMT) tag approach. Exosomal proteins were validated by Western blotting. A Tissue Micro Array, containing 481 different PCa samples (radical prostatectomy), was used to correlate candidate markers with several clinical-pathological parameters such as PSA, Gleason score, biochemical recurrence, and (PCa-related) death. Results: Proteomic characterization resulted in the identification of 263 proteins by at least 2 peptides. Specifically analysis of exosomes from PNT2C2, RWPE-1, PC346C, and VCaP identified 248, 233, 169, and 216 proteins, respectively. Statistical analyses revealed 52 proteins differently expressed between PCa and control cells, 9 of which were more abundant in PCa. Validation by Western blotting confirmed a higher abundance of FASN, XPO1 and PDCD6IP (ALIX) in PCa exosomes. The Tissue Micro 4 Array showed strong correlation of higher Gleason scores and local recurrence with increased cytoplasmic XPO1 (P<0.001). Conclusions: Differentially abundant proteins of cell line-derived exosomes make a clear subdivision between

  3. Strategies, models and biomarkers in experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease research

    Science.gov (United States)

    Willebrords, Joost; Pereira, Isabel Veloso Alves; Maes, Michaël; Yanguas, Sara Crespo; Colle, Isabelle; Van Den Bossche, Bert; Da silva, Tereza Cristina; Oliveira, Cláudia P; Andraus, Wellington; Alves, Venâncio Avancini Ferreira; Cogliati, Bruno; Vinken, Mathieu

    2015-01-01

    Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease encompasses a spectrum of liver diseases, including simple steatosis, steatohepatitis, liver fibrosis and cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease is currently the most dominant chronic liver disease in Western countries due to the fact that hepatic steatosis is associated with insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, obesity, metabolic syndrome and drug-induced injury. A variety of chemicals, mainly drugs, and diets is known to cause hepatic steatosis in humans and rodents. Experimental non-alcoholic fatty liver disease models rely on the application of a diet or the administration of drugs to laboratory animals or the exposure of hepatic cell lines to these drugs. More recently, genetically modified rodents or zebrafish have been introduced as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease models. Considerable interest now lies in the discovery and development of novel non-invasive biomarkers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, with specific focus on hepatic steatosis. Experimental diagnostic biomarkers of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, such as (epi)genetic parameters and ‘-omics’-based read-outs are still in their infancy, but show great promise. . In this paper, the array of tools and models for the study of liver steatosis is discussed. Furthermore, the current state-of-art regarding experimental biomarkers such as epigenetic, genetic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabonomic biomarkers will be reviewed. PMID:26073454

  4. Biomarker Profiles in Women with PCOS and PCOS Offspring; A Pilot Study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Daan, Nadine M P; Koster, Maria P H; de Wilde, Marlieke A; Dalmeijer, Gerdien W; Evelein, Annemieke M V; Fauser, Bart C J M; de Jager, Wilco

    2016-01-01

    OBJECTIVE: To study metabolic/inflammatory biomarker risk profiles in women with PCOS and PCOS offspring. DESIGN: Cross-sectional comparison of serum biomarkers. SETTING: University Medical Center Utrecht. PATIENTS: Hyperandrogenic PCOS women (HA-PCOS, n = 34), normoandrogenic PCOS women (NA-PCOS, n

  5. Current Stem Cell Biomarkers and Their Functional Mechanisms in Prostate Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaile Zhang

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Currently there is little effective treatment available for castration resistant prostate cancer, which is responsible for the majority of prostate cancer related deaths. Emerging evidence suggested that cancer stem cells might play an important role in resistance to traditional cancer therapies, and the studies of cancer stem cells (including specific isolation and targeting on those cells might benefit the discovery of novel treatment of prostate cancer, especially castration resistant disease. In this review, we summarized major biomarkers for prostate cancer stem cells, as well as their functional mechanisms and potential application in clinical diagnosis and treatment of patients.

  6. Putative transcriptomic biomarkers in the inflammatory cytokine pathway differentiate major depressive disorder patients from control subjects and bipolar disorder patients.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Timothy R Powell

    Full Text Available Mood disorders consist of two etiologically related, but distinctly treated illnesses, major depressive disorder (MDD and bipolar disorder (BPD. These disorders share similarities in their clinical presentation, and thus show high rates of misdiagnosis. Recent research has revealed significant transcriptional differences within the inflammatory cytokine pathway between MDD patients and controls, and between BPD patients and controls, suggesting this pathway may possess important biomarker properties. This exploratory study attempts to identify disorder-specific transcriptional biomarkers within the inflammatory cytokine pathway, which can distinguish between control subjects, MDD patients and BPD patients. This is achieved using RNA extracted from subject blood and applying synthesized complementary DNA to quantitative PCR arrays containing primers for 87 inflammation-related genes. Initially, we use ANOVA to test for transcriptional differences in a 'discovery cohort' (total n = 90 and then we use t-tests to assess the reliability of any identified transcriptional differences in a 'validation cohort' (total n = 35. The two most robust and reliable biomarkers identified across both the discovery and validation cohort were Chemokine (C-C motif ligand 24 (CCL24 which was consistently transcribed higher amongst MDD patients relative to controls and BPD patients, and C-C chemokine receptor type 6 (CCR6 which was consistently more lowly transcribed amongst MDD patients relative to controls. Results detailed here provide preliminary evidence that transcriptional measures within inflammation-related genes might be useful in aiding clinical diagnostic decision-making processes. Future research should aim to replicate findings detailed in this exploratory study in a larger medication-free sample and examine whether identified biomarkers could be used prospectively to aid clinical diagnosis.

  7. Urine stability studies for novel biomarkers of acute kidney injury.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Parikh, Chirag R; Butrymowicz, Isabel; Yu, Angela; Chinchilli, Vernon M; Park, Meyeon; Hsu, Chi-Yuan; Reeves, W Brian; Devarajan, Prasad; Kimmel, Paul L; Siew, Edward D; Liu, Kathleen D

    2014-04-01

    The study of novel urinary biomarkers of acute kidney injury has expanded exponentially. Effective interpretation of data and meaningful comparisons between studies require awareness of factors that can adversely affect measurement. We examined how variations in short-term storage and processing might affect the measurement of urine biomarkers. Cross-sectional prospective. Hospitalized patients from 2 sites: Yale New Haven Hospital (n=50) and University of California, San Francisco Medical Center (n=36). We tested the impact of 3 urine processing conditions on these biomarkers: (1) centrifugation and storage at 4°C for 48 hours before freezing at -80°C, (2) centrifugation and storage at 25°C for 48 hours before freezing at -80°C, and (3) uncentrifuged samples immediately frozen at -80°C. Urine concentrations of 5 biomarkers: neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), interleukin 18 (IL-18), kidney injury molecule 1 (KIM-1), liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (L-FABP), and cystatin C. We measured urine biomarkers by established enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. Biomarker values were log-transformed, and agreement with a reference standard of immediate centrifugation and storage at -80°C was compared using concordance correlation coefficients (CCCs). Neither storing samples at 4°C for 48 hours nor centrifugation had a significant effect on measured levels, with CCCs higher than 0.9 for all biomarkers tested. For samples stored at 25°C for 48 hours, excellent CCC values (>0.9) also were noted between the test sample and the reference standard for NGAL, cystatin C, L-FABP and KIM-1. However, the CCC for IL-18 between samples stored at 25°C for 48 hours and the reference standard was 0.81 (95% CI, 0.66-0.96). No comparisons to fresh, unfrozen samples; no evaluation of the effect of protease inhibitors. All candidate markers tested using the specified assays showed high stability with both short-term storage at 4°C and without centrifugation

  8. Resolving breast cancer heterogeneity by searching reliable protein cancer biomarkers in the breast fluid secretome

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Mannello, Ferdinando; Ligi, Daniela

    2013-01-01

    One of the major goals in cancer research is to find and evaluate the early presence of biomarkers in human fluids and tissues. To resolve the complex cell heterogeneity of a tumor mass, it will be useful to characterize the intricate biomolecular composition of tumor microenvironment (the so called cancer secretome), validating secreted proteins as early biomarkers of cancer initiation and progression. This approach is not broadly applicable because of the paucity of well validated and FDA-approved biomarkers and because most of the candidate biomarkers are mainly organ-specific rather than tumor-specific. For these reasons, there is an urgent need to identify and validate a panel of biomarker combinations for early detection of human tumors. This is especially important for breast cancer, the cancer spread most worldwide among women. It is well known that patients with early diagnosed breast cancer live longer, require less extensive treatment and fare better than patients with more aggressive and/or advanced disease. In the frame of searching breast cancer biomarkers (especially using nipple aspirate fluid mirroring breast microenvironment), studies have highlighted an optimal combination of well-known biomarkers: uPA + PAI-1 + TF. When individually investigated they did not show perfect accuracy in predicting the presence of breast cancer, whereas the triple combination has been demonstrated to be highly predictive of pre-cancer and/or cancerous conditions, approaching 97-100% accuracy. Despite the heterogeneous composition of breast cancer and the difficulties to find specific breast cancer biomolecules, the noninvasive analysis of the nipple aspirate fluid secretome may significantly improve the discovery of promising biomarkers, helping also the differentiation among benign and invasive breast diseases, opening new frontiers in early oncoproteomics

  9. Tumor interstitial fluid - a treasure trove of cancer biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gromov, Pavel; Gromova, Irina; Olsen, Charlotta J; Timmermans-Wielenga, Vera; Talman, Mai-Lis; Serizawa, Reza R; Moreira, José M A

    2013-11-01

    Tumor interstitial fluid (TIF) is a proximal fluid that, in addition to the set of blood soluble phase-borne proteins, holds a subset of aberrantly externalized components, mainly proteins, released by tumor cells and tumor microenvironment through various mechanisms, which include classical secretion, non-classical secretion, secretion via exosomes and membrane protein shedding. Consequently, the interstitial aqueous phase of solid tumors is a highly promising resource for the discovery of molecules associated with pathological changes in tissues. Firstly, it allows one to delve deeper into the regulatory mechanisms and functions of secretion-related processes in tumor development. Secondly, the anomalous secretion of molecules that is innate to tumors and the tumor microenvironment, being associated with cancer progression, offers a valuable source for biomarker discovery and possible targets for therapeutic intervention. Here we provide an overview of the features of tumor-associated interstitial fluids, based on recent and updated information obtained mainly from our studies of breast cancer. Data from the study of interstitial fluids recovered from several other types of cancer are also discussed. This article is a part of a Special Issue entitled: The Updated Secretome. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. The use of mass spectrometry for analysing metabolite biomarkers in epidemiology: methodological and statistical considerations for application to large numbers of biological samples.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lind, Mads V; Savolainen, Otto I; Ross, Alastair B

    2016-08-01

    Data quality is critical for epidemiology, and as scientific understanding expands, the range of data available for epidemiological studies and the types of tools used for measurement have also expanded. It is essential for the epidemiologist to have a grasp of the issues involved with different measurement tools. One tool that is increasingly being used for measuring biomarkers in epidemiological cohorts is mass spectrometry (MS), because of the high specificity and sensitivity of MS-based methods and the expanding range of biomarkers that can be measured. Further, the ability of MS to quantify many biomarkers simultaneously is advantageously compared to single biomarker methods. However, as with all methods used to measure biomarkers, there are a number of pitfalls to consider which may have an impact on results when used in epidemiology. In this review we discuss the use of MS for biomarker analyses, focusing on metabolites and their application and potential issues related to large-scale epidemiology studies, the use of MS "omics" approaches for biomarker discovery and how MS-based results can be used for increasing biological knowledge gained from epidemiological studies. Better understanding of the possibilities and possible problems related to MS-based measurements will help the epidemiologist in their discussions with analytical chemists and lead to the use of the most appropriate statistical tools for these data.

  11. Isolation and characterization of urinary extracellular vesicles: implications for biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Merchant, Michael L; Rood, Ilse M; Deegens, Jeroen K J; Klein, Jon B

    2017-12-01

    Urine is a valuable diagnostic medium and, with the discovery of urinary extracellular vesicles, is viewed as a dynamic bioactive fluid. Extracellular vesicles are lipid-enclosed structures that can be classified into three categories: exosomes, microvesicles (or ectosomes) and apoptotic bodies. This classification is based on the mechanisms by which membrane vesicles are formed: fusion of multivesicular bodies with the plasma membranes (exosomes), budding of vesicles directly from the plasma membrane (microvesicles) or those shed from dying cells (apoptotic bodies). During their formation, urinary extracellular vesicles incorporate various cell-specific components (proteins, lipids and nucleic acids) that can be transferred to target cells. The rigour needed for comparative studies has fueled the search for optimal approaches for their isolation, purification, and characterization. RNA, the newest extracellular vesicle component to be discovered, has received substantial attention as an extracellular vesicle therapeutic, and compelling evidence suggests that ex vivo manipulation of microRNA composition may have uses in the treatment of kidney disorders. The results of these studies are building the case that urinary extracellular vesicles act as mediators of renal pathophysiology. As the field of extracellular vesicle studies is burgeoning, this Review focuses on primary data obtained from studies of human urine rather than on data from studies of laboratory animals or cultured immortalized cells.

  12. Consensus definitions and application guidelines for control groups in cerebrospinal fluid biomarker studies in multiple sclerosis

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Teunissen, Charlotte; Menge, Til; Altintas, Ayse

    2013-01-01

    The choice of appropriate control group(s) is critical in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker research in multiple sclerosis (MS). There is a lack of definitions and nomenclature of different control groups and a rationalized application of different control groups. We here propose consensus......). Furthermore, we discuss the application of these control groups in specific study designs, such as for diagnostic biomarker studies, prognostic biomarker studies and therapeutic response studies. Application of these uniform definitions will lead to better comparability of biomarker studies and optimal use...

  13. New biomarkers for sepsis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Li-xin XIE

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available There is a higher sepsis rate in the intensive care unit (ICU patients, which is one of the most important causes for patient death, but the sepsis lacks specific clinical manifestations. Exploring sensitive and specific molecular markers for infection that accurately reflect infection severity and prognosis is very clinically important. In this article, based on our previous study, we introduce some new biomarkers with high sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis and predicting the prognosis and severity of sepsis. Increase of serum soluble(s triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells-1 (sTREM-1 suggests a poor prognosis of septic patients, and changes of locus rs2234237 of sTREM-1 may be the one of important mechanisms. Additionally, urine sTREM-1 can provide an early warning of possible secondary acute kidney injury (AKI in sepsis patients. Serum sCD163 level was found to be a more important factor than procalcitonin (PCT and C-reactive protein (CRP in prognosis of sepsis, especially severe sepsis. Moreover, urine sCD163 also shows excellent performance in the diagnosis of sepsis and sepsis-associated AKI. Circulating microRNAs, such as miR-150, miR-297, miR-574-5p, miR -146a , miR-223, miR -15a and miR-16, also play important roles in the evaluation of status of septic patients. In the foreseeable future, newly-emerging technologies, including proteomics, metabonomics and trans-omics, may exert profound effects on the discovery of valuable biomarkers for sepsis.

  14. Alternative Polyadenylation Patterns for Novel Gene Discovery and Classification in Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Oguzhan Begik

    2017-07-01

    Full Text Available Certain aspects of diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of cancer patients are still important challenges to be addressed. Therefore, we propose a pipeline to uncover patterns of alternative polyadenylation (APA, a hidden complexity in cancer transcriptomes, to further accelerate efforts to discover novel cancer genes and pathways. Here, we analyzed expression data for 1045 cancer patients and found a significant shift in usage of poly(A signals in common tumor types (breast, colon, lung, prostate, gastric, and ovarian compared to normal tissues. Using machine-learning techniques, we further defined specific subsets of APA events to efficiently classify cancer types. Furthermore, APA patterns were associated with altered protein levels in patients, revealed by antibody-based profiling data, suggesting functional significance. Overall, our study offers a computational approach for use of APA in novel gene discovery and classification in common tumor types, with important implications in basic research, biomarker discovery, and precision medicine approaches.

  15. Biomarkers of World Trade Center Particulate Matter Exposure: Physiology of distal airway and blood biomarkers that predict FEV1 decline

    Science.gov (United States)

    Weiden, Michael D.; Kwon, Sophia; Caraher, Erin; Berger, Kenneth I.; Reibman, Joan; Rom, William N.; Prezant, David J.; Nolan, Anna

    2016-01-01

    Biomarkers can be important predictors of disease severity and progression. The intense exposure to particulates and other toxins from the destruction of the World Trade Center (WTC) overwhelmed the lung’s normal protective barriers. The Fire Department of New York (FDNY) cohort not only had baseline pre-exposure lung function measures but also had serum samples banked soon after their WTC exposure. This well phenotyped group of highly exposed first responders is an ideal cohort for biomarker discovery and eventual validation. Disease progression was heterogeneous in this group in that some individuals subsequently developed abnormal lung function while others recovered. Airflow obstruction predominated in WTC exposed patients who were symptomatic. Multiple independent disease pathways may cause this abnormal FEV1 after irritant exposure. WTC exposure activates one or more of these pathways causing abnormal FEV1 in an individual. Our hypothesis was that serum biomarkers expressed within 6 months after World Trade Center (WTC) exposure reflect active disease pathways and predict subsequent development or protection from abnormal FEV1biomarkers of WTC-LI. We have identified biomarkers of Inflammation, metabolic derangement, protease/antiprotease balance and vascular injury expressed in serum within 6 months of WTC exposure that were predictive of their FEV1 up to 7 years after their WTC exposure. Predicting future risk of airway injury after particulate exposures can focus monitoring and early treatment on a subset of patients in greatest need of these services. PMID:26024341

  16. In vitro biomarker discovery in the parasitic flatworm Fasciola hepatica for monitoring chemotherapeutic treatment

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Russell M. Morphew

    2014-06-01

    Full Text Available The parasitic flatworm Fasciola hepatica is a global food security risk. With no vaccines, the sustainability of triclabendazole (TCBZ is threatened by emerging resistance. F. hepatica excretory/secretory (ES products can be detected in host faeces and used to estimate TCBZ success and failure. However, there are no faecal based molecular diagnostics dedicated to assessing drug failure or resistance to TCBZ in the field. Utilising in vitro maintenance and sub-proteomic approaches two TCBZ stress ES protein response fingerprints were identified: markers of non-killing and lethal doses. This study provides candidate protein/peptide biomarkers to validate for detection of TCBZ failure and resistance.

  17. Metabolome analysis for discovering biomarkers of gastroenterological cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Suzuki, Makoto; Nishiumi, Shin; Matsubara, Atsuki; Azuma, Takeshi; Yoshida, Masaru

    2014-09-01

    Improvements in analytical technologies have made it possible to rapidly determine the concentrations of thousands of metabolites in any biological sample, which has resulted in metabolome analysis being applied to various types of research, such as clinical, cell biology, and plant/food science studies. The metabolome represents all of the end products and by-products of the numerous complex metabolic pathways operating in a biological system. Thus, metabolome analysis allows one to survey the global changes in an organism's metabolic profile and gain a holistic understanding of the changes that occur in organisms during various biological processes, e.g., during disease development. In clinical metabolomic studies, there is a strong possibility that differences in the metabolic profiles of human specimens reflect disease-specific states. Recently, metabolome analysis of biofluids, e.g., blood, urine, or saliva, has been increasingly used for biomarker discovery and disease diagnosis. Mass spectrometry-based techniques have been extensively used for metabolome analysis because they exhibit high selectivity and sensitivity during the identification and quantification of metabolites. Here, we describe metabolome analysis using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry, gas chromatography-mass spectrometry, and capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. Furthermore, the findings of studies that attempted to discover biomarkers of gastroenterological cancer are also outlined. Finally, we discuss metabolome analysis-based disease diagnosis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Development of a biomarkers database for the National Children's Study

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Lobdell, Danelle T [US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Human Studies Division, Epidemiology and Biomarkers Branch, MD 58A, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States); Mendola, Pauline [US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Research and Development, National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory, Human Studies Division, Epidemiology and Biomarkers Branch, MD 58A, Research Triangle Park, NC 27711 (United States)

    2005-08-07

    The National Children's Study (NCS) is a federally-sponsored, longitudinal study of environmental influences on the health and development of children across the United States (www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov). Current plans are to study approximately 100,000 children and their families beginning before birth up to age 21 years. To explore potential biomarkers that could be important measurements in the NCS, we compiled the relevant scientific literature to identify both routine or standardized biological markers as well as new and emerging biological markers. Although the search criteria encouraged examination of factors that influence the breadth of child health and development, attention was primarily focused on exposure, susceptibility, and outcome biomarkers associated with four important child health outcomes: autism and neurobehavioral disorders, injury, cancer, and asthma. The Biomarkers Database was designed to allow users to: (1) search the biomarker records compiled by type of marker (susceptibility, exposure or effect), sampling media (e.g., blood, urine, etc.), and specific marker name; (2) search the citations file; and (3) read the abstract evaluations relative to our search criteria. A searchable, user-friendly database of over 2000 articles was created and is publicly available at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=85844. PubMed was the primary source of references with some additional searches of Toxline, NTIS, and other reference databases. Our initial focus was on review articles, beginning as early as 1996, supplemented with searches of the recent primary research literature from 2001 to 2003. We anticipate this database will have applicability for the NCS as well as other studies of children's environmental health.

  19. Development of a biomarkers database for the National Children's Study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Lobdell, Danelle T.; Mendola, Pauline

    2005-01-01

    The National Children's Study (NCS) is a federally-sponsored, longitudinal study of environmental influences on the health and development of children across the United States (www.nationalchildrensstudy.gov). Current plans are to study approximately 100,000 children and their families beginning before birth up to age 21 years. To explore potential biomarkers that could be important measurements in the NCS, we compiled the relevant scientific literature to identify both routine or standardized biological markers as well as new and emerging biological markers. Although the search criteria encouraged examination of factors that influence the breadth of child health and development, attention was primarily focused on exposure, susceptibility, and outcome biomarkers associated with four important child health outcomes: autism and neurobehavioral disorders, injury, cancer, and asthma. The Biomarkers Database was designed to allow users to: (1) search the biomarker records compiled by type of marker (susceptibility, exposure or effect), sampling media (e.g., blood, urine, etc.), and specific marker name; (2) search the citations file; and (3) read the abstract evaluations relative to our search criteria. A searchable, user-friendly database of over 2000 articles was created and is publicly available at: http://cfpub.epa.gov/ncea/cfm/recordisplay.cfm?deid=85844. PubMed was the primary source of references with some additional searches of Toxline, NTIS, and other reference databases. Our initial focus was on review articles, beginning as early as 1996, supplemented with searches of the recent primary research literature from 2001 to 2003. We anticipate this database will have applicability for the NCS as well as other studies of children's environmental health

  20. Big-data-based edge biomarkers: study on dynamical drug sensitivity and resistance in individuals.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zeng, Tao; Zhang, Wanwei; Yu, Xiangtian; Liu, Xiaoping; Li, Meiyi; Chen, Luonan

    2016-07-01

    Big-data-based edge biomarker is a new concept to characterize disease features based on biomedical big data in a dynamical and network manner, which also provides alternative strategies to indicate disease status in single samples. This article gives a comprehensive review on big-data-based edge biomarkers for complex diseases in an individual patient, which are defined as biomarkers based on network information and high-dimensional data. Specifically, we firstly introduce the sources and structures of biomedical big data accessible in public for edge biomarker and disease study. We show that biomedical big data are typically 'small-sample size in high-dimension space', i.e. small samples but with high dimensions on features (e.g. omics data) for each individual, in contrast to traditional big data in many other fields characterized as 'large-sample size in low-dimension space', i.e. big samples but with low dimensions on features. Then, we demonstrate the concept, model and algorithm for edge biomarkers and further big-data-based edge biomarkers. Dissimilar to conventional biomarkers, edge biomarkers, e.g. module biomarkers in module network rewiring-analysis, are able to predict the disease state by learning differential associations between molecules rather than differential expressions of molecules during disease progression or treatment in individual patients. In particular, in contrast to using the information of the common molecules or edges (i.e.molecule-pairs) across a population in traditional biomarkers including network and edge biomarkers, big-data-based edge biomarkers are specific for each individual and thus can accurately evaluate the disease state by considering the individual heterogeneity. Therefore, the measurement of big data in a high-dimensional space is required not only in the learning process but also in the diagnosing or predicting process of the tested individual. Finally, we provide a case study on analyzing the temporal expression

  1. Consensus Guidelines for CSF and Blood Biobanking for CNS Biomarker Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Charlotte E. Teunissen

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available There is a long history of research into body fluid biomarkers in neurodegenerative and neuroinflammatory diseases. However, only a few biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF are being used in clinical practice. Anti-aquaporin-4 antibodies in serum are currently useful for the diagnosis of neuromyelitis optica (NMO, but we could expect novel CSF biomarkers that help define prognosis and response to treatment for this disease. One of the most critical factors in biomarker research is the inadequate powering of studies performed by single centers. Collaboration between investigators is needed to establish large biobanks of well-defined samples. A key issue in collaboration is to establish standardized protocols for biobanking to ensure that the statistical power gained by increasing the numbers of CSF samples is not compromised by pre-analytical factors. Here, consensus guidelines for CSF collection and biobanking are presented, based on the guidelines that have been published by the BioMS-eu network for CSF biomarker research. We focussed on CSF collection procedures, pre-analytical factors and high quality clinical and paraclinical information. Importantly, the biobanking protocols are applicable for CSF biobanks for research targeting any neurological disease.

  2. Using data-independent, high-resolution mass spectrometry in protein biomarker research: perspectives and clinical applications.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sajic, Tatjana; Liu, Yansheng; Aebersold, Ruedi

    2015-04-01

    In medicine, there is an urgent need for protein biomarkers in a range of applications that includes diagnostics, disease stratification, and therapeutic decisions. One of the main technologies to address this need is MS, used for protein biomarker discovery and, increasingly, also for protein biomarker validation. Currently, data-dependent analysis (also referred to as shotgun proteomics) and targeted MS, exemplified by SRM, are the most frequently used mass spectrometric methods. Recently developed data-independent acquisition techniques combine the strength of shotgun and targeted proteomics, while avoiding some of the limitations of the respective methods. They provide high-throughput, accurate quantification, and reproducible measurements within a single experimental setup. Here, we describe and review data-independent acquisition strategies and their recent use in clinically oriented studies. In addition, we also provide a detailed guide for the implementation of SWATH-MS (where SWATH is sequential window acquisition of all theoretical mass spectra)-one of the data-independent strategies that have gained wide application of late. © 2014 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  3. Seminal plasma as a source of prostate cancer peptide biomarker candidates for detection of indolent and advanced disease.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jochen Neuhaus

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Extensive prostate specific antigen screening for prostate cancer generates a high number of unnecessary biopsies and over-treatment due to insufficient differentiation between indolent and aggressive tumours. We hypothesized that seminal plasma is a robust source of novel prostate cancer (PCa biomarkers with the potential to improve primary diagnosis of and to distinguish advanced from indolent disease. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In an open-label case/control study 125 patients (70 PCa, 21 benign prostate hyperplasia, 25 chronic prostatitis, 9 healthy controls were enrolled in 3 centres. Biomarker panels a for PCa diagnosis (comparison of PCa patients versus benign controls and b for advanced disease (comparison of patients with post surgery Gleason score 7 were sought. Independent cohorts were used for proteomic biomarker discovery and testing the performance of the identified biomarker profiles. Seminal plasma was profiled using capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry. Pre-analytical stability and analytical precision of the proteome analysis were determined. Support vector machine learning was used for classification. Stepwise application of two biomarker signatures with 21 and 5 biomarkers provided 83% sensitivity and 67% specificity for PCa detection in a test set of samples. A panel of 11 biomarkers for advanced disease discriminated between patients with Gleason score 7 and organ-confined (biomarkers were identified as fragments of N-acetyllactosaminide beta-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase, prostatic acid phosphatase, stabilin-2, GTPase IMAP family member 6, semenogelin-1 and -2. Restricted sample size was the major limitation of the study. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Seminal plasma represents a robust source of potential peptide makers

  4. Integration of Antibody Array Technology into Drug Discovery and Development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Huang, Wei; Whittaker, Kelly; Zhang, Huihua; Wu, Jian; Zhu, Si-Wei; Huang, Ruo-Pan

    Antibody arrays represent a high-throughput technique that enables the parallel detection of multiple proteins with minimal sample volume requirements. In recent years, antibody arrays have been widely used to identify new biomarkers for disease diagnosis or prognosis. Moreover, many academic research laboratories and commercial biotechnology companies are starting to apply antibody arrays in the field of drug discovery. In this review, some technical aspects of antibody array development and the various platforms currently available will be addressed; however, the main focus will be on the discussion of antibody array technologies and their applications in drug discovery. Aspects of the drug discovery process, including target identification, mechanisms of drug resistance, molecular mechanisms of drug action, drug side effects, and the application in clinical trials and in managing patient care, which have been investigated using antibody arrays in recent literature will be examined and the relevance of this technology in progressing this process will be discussed. Protein profiling with antibody array technology, in addition to other applications, has emerged as a successful, novel approach for drug discovery because of the well-known importance of proteins in cell events and disease development.

  5. Three-dimensionally Functionalized Reverse Phase Glycoprotein Array for Cancer Biomarker Discovery and Validation

    OpenAIRE

    Pan, Li; Aguilar, Hillary Andaluz; Wang, Linna; Iliuk, Anton; Tao, W. Andy

    2016-01-01

    Glycoproteins have vast structural diversity which plays an important role in many biological processes and have great potential as disease biomarkers. Here we report a novel functionalized reverse phase protein array (RPPA), termed polymer-based reverse phase GlycoProtein Array (polyGPA), to specifically capture and profile glycoproteomes, and validate glycoproteins. Nitrocellulose membrane functionalized with globular hydroxyaminodendrimers was used to covalently capture pre-oxidized glycan...

  6. A Comprehensive Peptidome Profiling Technology for the Identification of Early Detection Biomarkers for Lung Adenocarcinoma

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ueda, Koji; Saichi, Naomi; Takami, Sachiko; Kang, Daechun; Toyama, Atsuhiko; Daigo, Yataro; Ishikawa, Nobuhisa; Kohno, Nobuoki; Tamura, Kenji; Shuin, Taro; Nakayama, Masato; Sato, Taka-Aki; Nakamura, Yusuke; Nakagawa, Hidewaki

    2011-01-01

    The mass spectrometry-based peptidomics approaches have proven its usefulness in several areas such as the discovery of physiologically active peptides or biomarker candidates derived from various biological fluids including blood and cerebrospinal fluid. However, to identify biomarkers that are reproducible and clinically applicable, development of a novel technology, which enables rapid, sensitive, and quantitative analysis using hundreds of clinical specimens, has been eagerly awaited. Here we report an integrative peptidomic approach for identification of lung cancer-specific serum peptide biomarkers. It is based on the one-step effective enrichment of peptidome fractions (molecular weight of 1,000–5,000) with size exclusion chromatography in combination with the precise label-free quantification analysis of nano-LC/MS/MS data set using Expressionist proteome server platform. We applied this method to 92 serum samples well-managed with our SOP (standard operating procedure) (30 healthy controls and 62 lung adenocarcinoma patients), and quantitatively assessed the detected 3,537 peptide signals. Among them, 118 peptides showed significantly altered serum levels between the control and lung cancer groups (p5.0). Subsequently we identified peptide sequences by MS/MS analysis and further assessed the reproducibility of Expressionist-based quantification results and their diagnostic powers by MRM-based relative-quantification analysis for 96 independently prepared serum samples and found that APOA4 273–283, FIBA 5–16, and LBN 306–313 should be clinically useful biomarkers for both early detection and tumor staging of lung cancer. Our peptidome profiling technology can provide simple, high-throughput, and reliable quantification of a large number of clinical samples, which is applicable for diverse peptidome-targeting biomarker discoveries using any types of biological specimens. PMID:21533267

  7. Application of a repeat-measure biomarker measurement error model to 2 validation studies: examination of the effect of within-person variation in biomarker measurements.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Preis, Sarah Rosner; Spiegelman, Donna; Zhao, Barbara Bojuan; Moshfegh, Alanna; Baer, David J; Willett, Walter C

    2011-03-15

    Repeat-biomarker measurement error models accounting for systematic correlated within-person error can be used to estimate the correlation coefficient (ρ) and deattenuation factor (λ), used in measurement error correction. These models account for correlated errors in the food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and the 24-hour diet recall and random within-person variation in the biomarkers. Failure to account for within-person variation in biomarkers can exaggerate correlated errors between FFQs and 24-hour diet recalls. For 2 validation studies, ρ and λ were calculated for total energy and protein density. In the Automated Multiple-Pass Method Validation Study (n=471), doubly labeled water (DLW) and urinary nitrogen (UN) were measured twice in 52 adults approximately 16 months apart (2002-2003), yielding intraclass correlation coefficients of 0.43 for energy (DLW) and 0.54 for protein density (UN/DLW). The deattenuated correlation coefficient for protein density was 0.51 for correlation between the FFQ and the 24-hour diet recall and 0.49 for correlation between the FFQ and the biomarker. Use of repeat-biomarker measurement error models resulted in a ρ of 0.42. These models were similarly applied to the Observing Protein and Energy Nutrition Study (1999-2000). In conclusion, within-person variation in biomarkers can be substantial, and to adequately assess the impact of correlated subject-specific error, this variation should be assessed in validation studies of FFQs. © The Author 2011. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. All rights reserved.

  8. Biomarkers in Autism

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Robert eHendren

    2014-08-01

    Full Text Available Autism spectrum disorders (ASD are complex, heterogeneous disorders caused by an interaction between genetic vulnerability and environmental factors. In an effort to better target the underlying roots of ASD for diagnosis and treatment, efforts to identify reliable biomarkers in genetics, neuroimaging, gene expression and measures of the body’s metabolism are growing. For this article, we review the published studies of potential biomarkers in autism and conclude that while there is increasing promise of finding biomarkers that can help us target treatment, there are none with enough evidence to support routine clinical use unless medical illness is suspected. Promising biomarkers include those for mitochondrial function, oxidative stress, and immune function. Genetic clusters are also suggesting the potential for useful biomarkers.

  9. Validation study of genetic biomarkers of response to TNF inhibitors in rheumatoid arthritis.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Rosario Lopez-Rodriguez

    Full Text Available Genetic biomarkers are sought to personalize treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA, given their variable response to TNF inhibitors (TNFi. However, no genetic biomaker is yet sufficiently validated. Here, we report a validation study of 18 previously reported genetic biomarkers, including 11 from GWAS of response to TNFi. The validation was attempted in 581 patients with RA that had not been treated with biologic antirheumatic drugs previously. Their response to TNFi was evaluated at 3, 6 and 12 months in two ways: change in the DAS28 measure of disease activity, and according to the EULAR criteria for response to antirheumatic drugs. Association of these parameters with the genotypes, obtained by PCR amplification followed by single-base extension, was tested with regression analysis. These analyses were adjusted for baseline DAS28, sex, and the specific TNFi. However, none of the proposed biomarkers was validated, as none showed association with response to TNFi in our study, even at the time of assessment and with the outcome that showed the most significant result in previous studies. These negative results are notable because this was the first independent validation study for 12 of the biomarkers, and because they indicate that prudence is needed in the interpretation of the proposed biomarkers of response to TNFi even when they are supported by very low p values. The results also emphasize the requirement of independent replication for validation, and the need to search protocols that could increase reproducibility of the biomarkers of response to TNFi.

  10. Cohort profile of BIOMArCS: the BIOMarker study to identify the Acute risk of a Coronary Syndrome-a prospective multicentre biomarker study conducted in the Netherlands.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Oemrawsingh, Rohit M; Akkerhuis, K Martijn; Umans, Victor A; Kietselaer, Bas; Schotborgh, Carl; Ronner, Eelko; Lenderink, Timo; Liem, Anho; Haitsma, David; van der Harst, Pim; Asselbergs, Folkert W; Maas, Arthur; Oude Ophuis, Anton J; Ilmer, Ben; Dijkgraaf, Rene; de Winter, Robbert-Jan; The, S Hong Kie; Wardeh, Alexander J; Hermans, Walter; Cramer, Etienne; van Schaik, Ron H; Hoefer, Imo E; Doevendans, Pieter A; Simoons, Maarten L; Boersma, Eric

    2016-12-23

    Progression of stable coronary artery disease (CAD) towards acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a dynamic and heterogeneous process with many intertwined constituents, in which a plaque destabilising sequence could lead to ACS within short time frames. Current CAD risk assessment models, however, are not designed to identify increased vulnerability for the occurrence of coronary events within a precise, short time frame at the individual patient level. The BIOMarker study to identify the Acute risk of a Coronary Syndrome (BIOMArCS) was designed to evaluate whether repeated measurements of multiple biomarkers can predict such 'vulnerable periods'. BIOMArCS is a multicentre, prospective, observational study of 844 patients presenting with ACS, either with or without ST-elevation and at least one additional cardiovascular risk factor. We hypothesised that patterns of circulating biomarkers that reflect the various pathophysiological components of CAD, such as distorted lipid metabolism, vascular inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, increased thrombogenicity and ischaemia, diverge in the days to weeks before a coronary event. Divergent biomarker patterns, identified by serial biomarker measurements during 1-year follow-up might then indicate 'vulnerable periods' during which patients with CAD are at high short-term risk of developing an ACS. Venepuncture was performed every fortnight during the first half-year and monthly thereafter. As prespecified, patient enrolment was terminated after the primary end point of cardiovascular death or hospital admission for non-fatal ACS had occurred in 50 patients. A case-cohort design will explore differences in temporal patterns of circulating biomarkers prior to the repeat ACS. Follow-up and event adjudication have been completed. Prespecified biomarker analyses are currently being performed and dissemination through peer-reviewed publications and conference presentations is expected from the third quarter of 2016. Should

  11. The Central Biobank and Virtual Biobank of BIOMARKAPD: A Resource for Studies on Neurodegenerative Diseases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijs, B.L.; Teunissen, C.E.; Goncharenko, N.; Betsou, F.; Blennow, K.; Baldeiras, I.; Brosseron, F.; Cavedo, E.; Fladby, T.; Froelich, L.; Gabryelewicz, T.; Gurvit, H.; Kapaki, E.; Koson, P.; Kulic, L.; Lehmann, S.; Lewczuk, P.; Lleo, A.; Maetzler, W.; Mendonca, A. de; Miller, A.M.; Molinuevo, J.L.; Mollenhauer, B.; Parnetti, L.; Rot, U.; Schneider, A.; Simonsen, A.H.; Tagliavini, F.; Tsolaki, M.; Verbeek, M.M.; Verhey, F.R.J.; Zboch, M.; Winblad, B.; Scheltens, P.; Zetterberg, H.; Visser, P.J.

    2015-01-01

    Biobanks are important resources for biomarker discovery and assay development. Biomarkers for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (BIOMARKAPD) is a European multicenter study, funded by the EU Joint Programme-Neurodegenerative Disease Research, which aims to improve the clinical use of body fluid

  12. Biomarkers of Pediatric Brain Tumors

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mark D Russell

    2013-03-01

    Full Text Available Background and Need for Novel Biomarkers: Brain tumors are the leading cause of death by solid tumors in children. Although improvements have been made in their radiological detection and treatment, our capacity to promptly diagnose pediatric brain tumors in their early stages remains limited. This contrasts several other cancers where serum biomarkers such as CA 19-9 and CA 125 facilitate early diagnosis and treatment. Aim: The aim of this article is to review the latest literature and highlight biomarkers which may be of clinical use in the common types of primary pediatric brain tumor. Methods: A PubMed search was performed to identify studies reporting biomarkers in the bodily fluids of pediatric patients with brain tumors. Details regarding the sample type (serum, cerebrospinal fluid or urine, biomarkers analyzed, methodology, tumor type and statistical significance were recorded. Results: A total of 12 manuscripts reporting 19 biomarkers in 367 patients vs. 397 controls were identified in the literature. Of the 19 biomarkers identified, 12 were isolated from cerebrospinal fluid, 2 from serum, 3 from urine, and 2 from multiple bodily fluids. All but one study reported statistically significant differences in biomarker expression between patient and control groups.Conclusions: This review identifies a panel of novel biomarkers for pediatric brain tumors. It provides a platform for the further studies necessary to validate these biomarkers and, in addition, highlights several techniques through which new biomarkers can be discovered.

  13. Blood-borne biomarkers of mortality risk: systematic review of cohort studies.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Evelyn Barron

    Full Text Available Lifespan and the proportion of older people in the population are increasing, with far reaching consequences for the social, political and economic landscape. Unless accompanied by an increase in health span, increases in age-related diseases will increase the burden on health care resources. Intervention studies to enhance healthy ageing need appropriate outcome measures, such as blood-borne biomarkers, which are easily obtainable, cost-effective, and widely accepted. To date there have been no systematic reviews of blood-borne biomarkers of mortality.To conduct a systematic review to identify available blood-borne biomarkers of mortality that can be used to predict healthy ageing post-retirement.Four databases (Medline, Embase, Scopus, Web of Science were searched. We included prospective cohort studies with a minimum of two years follow up and data available for participants with a mean age of 50 to 75 years at baseline.From a total of 11,555 studies identified in initial searches, 23 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Fifty-one blood borne biomarkers potentially predictive of mortality risk were identified. In total, 20 biomarkers were associated with mortality risk. Meta-analyses of mortality risk showed significant associations with C-reactive protein (Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality 1.42, p<0.001; Cancer-mortality 1.62, p<0.009; CVD-mortality 1.31, p = 0.033, N Terminal-pro brain natriuretic peptide (Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality 1.43, p<0.001; CHD-mortality 1.58, p<0.001; CVD-mortality 1.67, p<0.001 and white blood cell count (Hazard ratios for all-cause mortality 1.36, p = 0.001. There was also evidence that brain natriuretic peptide, cholesterol fractions, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, fibrinogen, granulocytes, homocysteine, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, neutrophils, osteoprotegerin, procollagen type III aminoterminal peptide, serum uric acid, soluble urokinase plasminogen activator receptor, tissue inhibitor of

  14. Image Biomarkers and Precision Medicine: need for validation

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Marti-Bonmati, L.; Alberich-Bayarri, A.; Garcia Castro, F.

    2016-01-01

    Personalized medicine aims to improve the diagnosis, classification and the best treatment for a particular patient. Today, radiologists are challenged to translate new biological discoveries, the different mechanisms of disease and advances in preclinical research, into a clinical reality through patients, images and their associated parameters. In this article we show how digital medical imaging and computational data processing extract numerous quantitative parameters from the obtained images as virtual biopsies. To be implemented in clinical practice, biomarkers should provide useful and relevant information, improving processes diagnostic, therapeutic and monitoring, for the benefit of patients. (Author)

  15. New developments and concepts related to biomarker application to vaccines

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ahmed, S. Sohail; Black, Steve; Ulmer, Jeffrey

    2012-01-01

    Summary This minireview will provide a perspective on new developments and concepts related to biomarker applications for vaccines. In the context of preventive vaccines, biomarkers have the potential to predict adverse events in select subjects due to differences in genetic make‐up/underlying medical conditions or to predict effectiveness (good versus poor response). When expanding them to therapeutic vaccines, their utility in identification of patients most likely to respond favourably (or avoid potentially negative effects of treatment) becomes self‐explanatory. Despite the progress made so far on dissection of various pathways of biological significance in humans, there is still plenty to unravel about the mysteries related to the quantitative and qualitative aspects of the human host response. This review will provide a focused overview of new concepts and developments in the field of vaccine biomarkers including (i) vaccine‐dependent signatures predicting subject response and safety, (ii) predicting therapeutic vaccine efficacy in chronic diseases, (iii) exploring the genetic make‐up of the host that may modulate subject‐specific adverse events or affect the quality of immune responses, and (iv) the topic of volunteer stratification as a result of biomarker screening (e.g. for therapeutic vaccines but also potentially for preventive vaccines) or as a reflection of an effort to compare select groups (e.g. vaccinated subjects versus patients recovering from infection) to enable the discovery of clinically relevant biomarkers for preventive vaccines. PMID:21895991

  16. Pathways to new drug discovery in neuropsychiatry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Berk Michael

    2012-11-01

    Full Text Available Abstract There is currently a crisis in drug discovery for neuropsychiatric disorders, with a profound, yet unexpected drought in new drug development across the spectrum. In this commentary, the sources of this dilemma and potential avenues to redress the issue are explored. These include a critical review of diagnostic issues and of selection of participants for clinical trials, and the mechanisms for identifying new drugs and new drug targets. Historically, the vast majority of agents have been discovered serendipitously or have been modifications of existing agents. Serendipitous discoveries, based on astute clinical observation or data mining, remain a valid option, as is illustrated by the suggestion in the paper by Wahlqvist and colleagues that treatment with sulfonylurea and metformin reduces the risk of affective disorder. However, the identification of agents targeting disorder-related biomarkers is currently proving particularly fruitful. There is considerable hope for genetics as a purist, pathophysiologically valid pathway to drug discovery; however, it is unclear whether the science is ready to meet this promise. Fruitful paradigms will require a break from the orthodoxy, and creativity and risk may well be the fingerprints of success. See related article http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/10/150

  17. Absolute Quantification of Toxicological Biomarkers via Mass Spectrometry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lau, Thomas Y K; Collins, Ben C; Stone, Peter; Tang, Ning; Gallagher, William M; Pennington, Stephen R

    2017-01-01

    With the advent of "-omics" technologies there has been an explosion of data generation in the field of toxicology, as well as many others. As new candidate biomarkers of toxicity are being regularly discovered, the next challenge is to validate these observations in a targeted manner. Traditionally, these validation experiments have been conducted using antibody-based technologies such as Western blotting, ELISA, and immunohistochemistry. However, this often produces a significant bottleneck as the time, cost, and development of successful antibodies are often far outpaced by the generation of targets of interest. In response to this, there recently have been several developments in the use of triple quadrupole (QQQ) mass spectrometry (MS) as a platform to provide quantification of proteins. This technology does not require antibodies; it is typically less expensive and quicker to develop assays and has the opportunity for more accessible multiplexing. The speed of these experiments combined with their flexibility and ability to multiplex assays makes the technique a valuable strategy to validate biomarker discovery.

  18. Discovering biomarkers for antidepressant response: protocol from the Canadian biomarker integration network in depression (CAN-BIND) and clinical characteristics of the first patient cohort.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lam, Raymond W; Milev, Roumen; Rotzinger, Susan; Andreazza, Ana C; Blier, Pierre; Brenner, Colleen; Daskalakis, Zafiris J; Dharsee, Moyez; Downar, Jonathan; Evans, Kenneth R; Farzan, Faranak; Foster, Jane A; Frey, Benicio N; Geraci, Joseph; Giacobbe, Peter; Feilotter, Harriet E; Hall, Geoffrey B; Harkness, Kate L; Hassel, Stefanie; Ismail, Zahinoor; Leri, Francesco; Liotti, Mario; MacQueen, Glenda M; McAndrews, Mary Pat; Minuzzi, Luciano; Müller, Daniel J; Parikh, Sagar V; Placenza, Franca M; Quilty, Lena C; Ravindran, Arun V; Salomons, Tim V; Soares, Claudio N; Strother, Stephen C; Turecki, Gustavo; Vaccarino, Anthony L; Vila-Rodriguez, Fidel; Kennedy, Sidney H

    2016-04-16

    Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) is among the most prevalent and disabling medical conditions worldwide. Identification of clinical and biological markers ("biomarkers") of treatment response could personalize clinical decisions and lead to better outcomes. This paper describes the aims, design, and methods of a discovery study of biomarkers in antidepressant treatment response, conducted by the Canadian Biomarker Integration Network in Depression (CAN-BIND). The CAN-BIND research program investigates and identifies biomarkers that help to predict outcomes in patients with MDD treated with antidepressant medication. The primary objective of this initial study (known as CAN-BIND-1) is to identify individual and integrated neuroimaging, electrophysiological, molecular, and clinical predictors of response to sequential antidepressant monotherapy and adjunctive therapy in MDD. CAN-BIND-1 is a multisite initiative involving 6 academic health centres working collaboratively with other universities and research centres. In the 16-week protocol, patients with MDD are treated with a first-line antidepressant (escitalopram 10-20 mg/d) that, if clinically warranted after eight weeks, is augmented with an evidence-based, add-on medication (aripiprazole 2-10 mg/d). Comprehensive datasets are obtained using clinical rating scales; behavioural, dimensional, and functioning/quality of life measures; neurocognitive testing; genomic, genetic, and proteomic profiling from blood samples; combined structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging; and electroencephalography. De-identified data from all sites are aggregated within a secure neuroinformatics platform for data integration, management, storage, and analyses. Statistical analyses will include multivariate and machine-learning techniques to identify predictors, moderators, and mediators of treatment response. From June 2013 to February 2015, a cohort of 134 participants (85 outpatients with MDD and 49 healthy participants

  19. Chromosome 1q21.3 amplification is a trackable biomarker and actionable target for breast cancer recurrence

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Goh, Jian Yuan; Feng, Min; Wang, Wenyu

    2017-01-01

    Tumor recurrence remains the main reason for breast cancer-associated mortality, and there are unmet clinical demands for the discovery of new biomarkers and development of treatment solutions to benefit patients with breast cancer at high risk of recurrence. Here we report the identification of ...

  20. Reconstructing exposures from biomarkers using exposure-pharmacokinetic modeling--A case study with carbaryl.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Brown, Kathleen; Phillips, Martin; Grulke, Christopher; Yoon, Miyoung; Young, Bruce; McDougall, Robin; Leonard, Jeremy; Lu, Jingtao; Lefew, William; Tan, Yu-Mei

    2015-12-01

    Sources of uncertainty involved in exposure reconstruction for short half-life chemicals were characterized using computational models that link external exposures to biomarkers. Using carbaryl as an example, an exposure model, the Cumulative and Aggregate Risk Evaluation System (CARES), was used to generate time-concentration profiles for 500 virtual individuals exposed to carbaryl. These exposure profiles were used as inputs into a physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) model to predict urinary biomarker concentrations. These matching dietary intake levels and biomarker concentrations were used to (1) compare three reverse dosimetry approaches based on their ability to predict the central tendency of the intake dose distribution; and (2) identify parameters necessary for a more accurate exposure reconstruction. This study illustrates the trade-offs between using non-iterative reverse dosimetry methods that are fast, less precise and iterative methods that are slow, more precise. This study also intimates the necessity of including urine flow rate and elapsed time between last dose and urine sampling as part of the biomarker sampling collection for better interpretation of urinary biomarker data of short biological half-life chemicals. Resolution of these critical data gaps can allow exposure reconstruction methods to better predict population-level intake doses from large biomonitoring studies. Published by Elsevier Inc.

  1. Metabolic profiling study on potential toxicity and immunotoxicity-biomarker discovery in rats treated with cyclophosphamide using HPLC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Li, Jing; Lin, Wensi; Lin, Weiwei; Xu, Peng; Zhang, Jianmei; Yang, Haisong; Ling, Xiaomei

    2015-05-01

    Despite the recent advances in understanding toxicity mechanism of cyclophosphamide (CTX), the development of biomarkers is still essential. CTX-induced immunotoxicity in rats by a metabonomics approach was investigated using high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with ion trap time-of-flight mass spectrometry (HPLC-ESI-IT-TOF-MS). The rats were orally administered CTX (30 mg/kg/day) for five consecutive days, and on the fifth day samples of urine, thymus and spleen were collected and analyzed. A significant difference in metabolic profiling was observed between the CTX-treated group and the control group by partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA), which indicated that metabolic disturbances of immunotoxicity in CTX-treated rats had occurred. One potential biomarker in spleen, three in urine and three in thymus were identified. It is suggested that the CTX-toxicity mechanism may involve the modulation of tryptophan metabolism, phospholipid metabolism and energy metabolism. This research can help to elucidate the CTX-influenced pathways at a low dose and can further help to indicate the patients' pathological status at earlier stages of toxicological progression after drug administration. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

  2. Calculations for Adjusting Endogenous Biomarker Levels During Analytical Recovery Assessments for Ligand-Binding Assay Bioanalytical Method Validation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Marcelletti, John F; Evans, Cindy L; Saxena, Manju; Lopez, Adriana E

    2015-07-01

    It is often necessary to adjust for detectable endogenous biomarker levels in spiked validation samples (VS) and in selectivity determinations during bioanalytical method validation for ligand-binding assays (LBA) with a matrix like normal human serum (NHS). Described herein are case studies of biomarker analyses using multiplex LBA which highlight the challenges associated with such adjustments when calculating percent analytical recovery (%AR). The LBA test methods were the Meso Scale Discovery V-PLEX® proinflammatory and cytokine panels with NHS as test matrix. The NHS matrix blank exhibited varied endogenous content of the 20 individual cytokines before spiking, ranging from undetectable to readily quantifiable. Addition and subtraction methods for adjusting endogenous cytokine levels in %AR calculations are both used in the bioanalytical field. The two methods were compared in %AR calculations following spiking and analysis of VS for cytokines having detectable endogenous levels in NHS. Calculations for %AR obtained by subtracting quantifiable endogenous biomarker concentrations from the respective total analytical VS values yielded reproducible and credible conclusions. The addition method, in contrast, yielded %AR conclusions that were frequently unreliable and discordant with values obtained with the subtraction adjustment method. It is shown that subtraction of assay signal attributable to matrix is a feasible alternative when endogenous biomarkers levels are below the limit of quantitation, but above the limit of detection. These analyses confirm that the subtraction method is preferable over that using addition to adjust for detectable endogenous biomarker levels when calculating %AR for biomarker LBA.

  3. Serum biomarkers predictive of depressive episodes in panic disorder.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gottschalk, M G; Cooper, J D; Chan, M K; Bot, M; Penninx, B W J H; Bahn, S

    2016-02-01

    Panic disorder with or without comorbid agoraphobia (PD/PDA) has been linked to an increased risk to develop subsequent depressive episodes, yet the underlying pathophysiology of these disorders remains poorly understood. We aimed to identify a biomarker panel predictive for the development of a depressive disorder (major depressive disorder and/or dysthymia) within a 2-year-follow-up period. Blood serum concentrations of 165 analytes were evaluated in 120 PD/PDA patients without depressive disorder baseline diagnosis (6-month-recency) in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA). We assessed the predictive performance of serum biomarkers, clinical, and self-report variables using receiver operating characteristics curves (ROC) and the area under the ROC curve (AUC). False-discovery-rate corrected logistic regression model selection of serum analytes and covariates identified an optimal predictive panel comprised of tetranectin and creatine kinase MB along with patient gender and scores from the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (IDS) rating scale. Combined, an AUC of 0.87 was reached for identifying the PD/PDA patients who developed a depressive disorder within 2 years (n = 44). The addition of biomarkers represented a significant (p = 0.010) improvement over using gender and IDS alone as predictors (AUC = 0.78). For the first time, we report on a combination of biological serum markers, clinical variables and self-report inventories that can detect PD/PDA patients at increased risk of developing subsequent depressive disorders with good predictive performance in a naturalistic cohort design. After an independent validation our proposed biomarkers could prove useful in the detection of at-risk PD/PDA patients, allowing for early therapeutic interventions and improving clinical outcome. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  4. Profiling of circulating microRNAs for prostate cancer biomarker discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Haldrup, Christa; Kosaka, Nobuyoshi; Ochiya, Takahiro

    2014-01-01

    Prostate cancer (PC) is the most frequent cancer in men in the Western world. Currently, serum prostate-specific antigen levels and digital rectal examinations are used to indicate the need for diagnostic prostate biopsy, but lack in specificity and sensitivity. Thus, many men undergo unnecessary...... performed genome-wide miRNA profiling of serum samples from 13 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) control patients and 31 PC patients. Furthermore, we carefully reviewed the literature on circulating miRNA biomarkers for PC. Our results confirmed the de-regulation of miR-141 and miR-375, two of the most...... well-documented candidate miRNA markers for PC. Moreover, we identified several new potential serum miRNA markers for PC and developed three novel and highly specific (100 %) miRNA candidate marker panels able to identify 84 % of all PC patients (miR-562/miR-210/miR-501-3p/miR-375/miR-551b), 80...

  5. Resonance Raman Spectroscopic Evaluation of Skin Carotenoids as a Biomarker of Carotenoid Status for Human Studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    Mayne, Susan T.; Cartmel, Brenda; Scarmo, Stephanie; Jahns, Lisa; Ermakov, Igor V.; Gellermann, Werner

    2013-01-01

    Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (RRS) is a non-invasive method that has been developed to assess carotenoid status in human tissues including human skin in vivo. Skin carotenoid status has been suggested as a promising biomarker for human studies. This manuscript describes research done relevant to the development of this biomarker, including its reproducibility, validity, feasibility for use in field settings, and factors that affect the biomarker such as diet, smoking, and adiposity. Recent studies have evaluated the response of the biomarker to controlled carotenoid interventions, both supplement-based and dietary [e.g., provision of a high-carotenoid fruit and vegetable (F/V)-enriched diet], demonstrating consistent response to intervention. The totality of evidence supports the use of skin carotenoid status as an objective biomarker of F/V intake, although in the cross-sectional setting, diet explains only some of the variation in this biomarker. However, this limitation is also a strength in that skin carotenoids may effectively serve as an integrated biomarker of health, with higher status reflecting greater F/V intake, lack of smoking, and lack of adiposity. Thus, this biomarker holds promise as both a health biomarker and an objective indicator of F/V intake, supporting its further development and utilization for medical and public health purposes. PMID:23823930

  6. Recommendations and Standardization of Biomarker Quantification Using NMR-based Metabolomics with Particular Focus on Urinary Analysis

    KAUST Repository

    Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.

    2016-01-08

    NMR-based metabolomics has shown considerable promise in disease diagnosis and biomarker discovery because it allows one to non-destructively identify and quantify large numbers of novel metabolite biomarkers in both biofluids and tissues. Indeed, precise metabolite quantification is a necessary prerequisite to move any chemical biomarker or biomarker panel from the lab into the clinic. Among the many biofluids (urine, serum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and saliva) commonly used for disease diagnosis and prognosis, urine has several advantages. It is abundant, sterile, easily obtained, needs little sample preparation and does not require any invasive medical procedures for collection. Furthermore, urine captures and concentrates many “unwanted” or “undesirable” compounds throughout the body, thereby providing a rich source of potentially useful disease biomarkers. However, the incredible variation in urine chemical concentrations due to effects such as gender, age, diet, life style, health conditions, and physical activity make the analysis of urine and the identification of useful urinary biomarkers by NMR quite challenging. In this review, we discuss a number of the most significant issues regarding NMR-based urinary metabolomics with a specific emphasis on metabolite quantification for disease biomarker applications. We also propose a number of data collection and instrumental recommendations regarding NMR pulse sequences, acceptable acquisition parameter ranges, relaxation effects on quantitation, proper handling of instrumental differences, as well as recommendations regarding sample preparation and biomarker assessment.

  7. Recommendations and Standardization of Biomarker Quantification Using NMR-based Metabolomics with Particular Focus on Urinary Analysis

    KAUST Repository

    Emwas, Abdul-Hamid M.; Roy, Raja; McKay, Ryan T.; Ryan, Danielle; Brennan, Lorraine; Tenori, Leonardo; Luchinat, Claudio; Gao, Xin; Zeri, Ana Carolina; Gowda, G. A. Nagana; Raftery, Daniel; Steinbeck, Christoph; Salek, Reza M; Wishart, David S.

    2016-01-01

    NMR-based metabolomics has shown considerable promise in disease diagnosis and biomarker discovery because it allows one to non-destructively identify and quantify large numbers of novel metabolite biomarkers in both biofluids and tissues. Indeed, precise metabolite quantification is a necessary prerequisite to move any chemical biomarker or biomarker panel from the lab into the clinic. Among the many biofluids (urine, serum, plasma, cerebrospinal fluid and saliva) commonly used for disease diagnosis and prognosis, urine has several advantages. It is abundant, sterile, easily obtained, needs little sample preparation and does not require any invasive medical procedures for collection. Furthermore, urine captures and concentrates many “unwanted” or “undesirable” compounds throughout the body, thereby providing a rich source of potentially useful disease biomarkers. However, the incredible variation in urine chemical concentrations due to effects such as gender, age, diet, life style, health conditions, and physical activity make the analysis of urine and the identification of useful urinary biomarkers by NMR quite challenging. In this review, we discuss a number of the most significant issues regarding NMR-based urinary metabolomics with a specific emphasis on metabolite quantification for disease biomarker applications. We also propose a number of data collection and instrumental recommendations regarding NMR pulse sequences, acceptable acquisition parameter ranges, relaxation effects on quantitation, proper handling of instrumental differences, as well as recommendations regarding sample preparation and biomarker assessment.

  8. Multiple Sclerosis Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gavin Giovannoni

    2006-01-01

    Full Text Available Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF is the body fluid closest to the pathology of multiple sclerosis (MS. For many candidate biomarkers CSF is the only fluid that can be investigated. Several factors need to be standardized when sampling CSF for biomarker research: time/volume of CSF collection, sample processing/storage, and the temporal relationship of sampling to clinical or MRI markers of disease activity. Assays used for biomarker detection must be validated so as to optimize the power of the studies. A formal method for establishing whether or not a particular biomarker can be used as a surrogate end-point needs to be adopted. This process is similar to that used in clinical trials, where the reporting of studies has to be done in a standardized way with sufficient detail to permit a critical review of the study and to enable others to reproduce the study design. A commitment must be made to report negative studies so as to prevent publication bias. Pre-defined consensus criteria need to be developed for MS-related prognostic biomarkers. Currently no candidate biomarker is suitable as a surrogate end-point. Bulk biomarkers of the neurodegenerative process such as glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP and neurofilaments (NF have advantages over intermittent inflammatory markers.

  9. Studying Scientific Discovery by Computer Simulation.

    Science.gov (United States)

    1983-03-30

    Mendel’s laws of inheritance, the law of Gay- Lussac for gaseous reactions, tile law of Dulong and Petit, the derivation of atomic weights by Avogadro...neceseary mid identify by block number) scientific discovery -ittri sic properties physical laws extensive terms data-driven heuristics intensive...terms theory-driven heuristics conservation laws 20. ABSTRACT (Continue on revere. side It necessary and identify by block number) Scientific discovery

  10. Biomarkers of Acute Stroke Etiology (BASE) Study Methodology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jauch, Edward C; Barreto, Andrew D; Broderick, Joseph P; Char, Doug M; Cucchiara, Brett L; Devlin, Thomas G; Haddock, Alison J; Hicks, William J; Hiestand, Brian C; Jickling, Glen C; June, Jeff; Liebeskind, David S; Lowenkopf, Ted J; Miller, Joseph B; O'Neill, John; Schoonover, Tim L; Sharp, Frank R; Peacock, W Frank

    2017-05-05

    Acute ischemic stroke affects over 800,000 US adults annually, with hundreds of thousands more experiencing a transient ischemic attack. Emergent evaluation, prompt acute treatment, and identification of stroke or TIA (transient ischemic attack) etiology for specific secondary prevention are critical for decreasing further morbidity and mortality of cerebrovascular disease. The Biomarkers of Acute Stroke Etiology (BASE) study is a multicenter observational study to identify serum markers defining the etiology of acute ischemic stroke. Observational trial of patients presenting to the hospital within 24 h of stroke onset. Blood samples are collected at arrival, 24, and 48 h later, and RNA gene expression is utilized to identify stroke etiology marker candidates. The BASE study began January 2014. At the time of writing, there are 22 recruiting sites. Enrollment is ongoing, expected to hit 1000 patients by March 2017. The BASE study could potentially aid in focusing the initial diagnostic evaluation to determine stroke etiology, with more rapidly initiated targeted evaluations and secondary prevention strategies.Clinical Trial Registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02014896 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02014896?term=biomarkers+of+acute+stroke+etiology&rank=1.

  11. A comparative study of biological and metabolic biomarkers between healthy individuals and patients with acne vulgaris: A cross-sectional study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Kim, Kyuseok; Ha, Injin; Kim, Eunok; Kim, Kyunglee

    2017-11-01

    Acne is a multifactorial dermatosis, which is influenced not only by hormones but also by the biochemical relationship between them and the pilosebaceous unit. Inflammatory cytokines, chemokines, active oxygen, and zinc are known to be associated with the development of acne. Further, steroid metabolism is known as one of the important factors related to sebum secretion and comedone formation in acne. However, there is a lack of studies comparing these human biomarkers between healthy individuals and patients with acne. In particular, no study has investigated the relationship between human biomarkers and patterns of acne yet.The purpose of this study is to investigate diagnostic human biomarkers in acne by comparing the biological and metabolic biomarkers between healthy individuals and patients with acne and identify the relationship between human biomarkers and patterns of acne.This study is a protocol for a cross-sectional study. Forty healthy participants and 60 patients with acne will be recruited at 1 center. We will collect their blood samples and analyze the molecular biological and metabolic biomarkers (cytokines, chemokines, reactive oxygen species, corticotropin-releasing hormone, zinc, amino acid, 1-carbon metabolite, lipid metabolite, etc.). Further, we will administer questionnaires regarding their diet, sleep, stress, and other factors relating to acne and measure their skin elasticity.The study protocol was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Oriental Medical Hospital at Kyung Hee Medical Center (KOMCIRB-161118-HR-062). Written informed consent will be obtained from all the participants. The trial was registered in the Clinical Research Information Service, Republic of Korea: KCT0002212.This trial will provide evidence regarding diagnostic human biomarkers in acne and the relationship between the human biomarkers and patterns of acne.

  12. The central biobank and virtual biobank of BiOMarKaPD: a resource for studies on neurodegenerative diseases

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Reijs, B.L.R.; Teunissen, C.E.; Goncharenko, N.; Betsou, F.; Blennow, K.; Baldeiras, I.; Brosseron, F.; Cavedo, E.; Fladby, T.; Froelich, L.; Gabryelewicz, T.; Gurvit, H.; Kapaki, E.; Koson, P.; Kulic, L.; Lehmann, S.; Lewczuk, P.; Lleo, A.; Maetzler, W.; de Mendonca, A.; Miller, A.M.; Molinuevo, J.L.; Mollenhauer, B.; Parnetti, L.; Rot, U.; Schneider, A.; Simonsen, A.H.; Tagliavini, F.; Tsolaki, M.; Verbeek, M.M.; Verhey, F. R. J.; Zboch, M.; Winblad, B.; Scheltens, P.; Zetterberg, H.; Visser, P.J.

    2015-01-01

    Biobanks are important resources for biomarker discovery and assay development. Biomarkers for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease (BIOMARKAPD) is a European multicenter study, funded by the EU Joint Programme-Neurodegenerative Disease Research, which aims to improve the clinical use of body fluid

  13. Chasing the effects of Pre-analytical Confounders - a Multicentre Study on CSF-AD biomarkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Maria Joao Leitao

    2015-07-01

    Full Text Available Core cerebrospinal fluid (CSF biomarkers-Aβ42, Tau and pTau–have been recently incorporated in the revised criteria for Alzheimer’s disease (AD. However, their widespread clinical application lacks standardization. Pre-analytical sample handling and storage play an important role in the reliable measurement of these biomarkers across laboratories. In this study, we aim to surpass the efforts from previous studies, by employing a multicentre approach to assess the impact of less studied CSF pre-analytical confounders in AD-biomarkers quantification. Four different centres participated in this study and followed the same established protocol. CSF samples were analysed for three biomarkers (Aβ42, Tau and pTau and tested for different spinning conditions (temperature: Room temperature (RT vs. 4oC; speed: 500g vs. 2000g vs. 3000g, storage volume variations (25%, 50% and 75% of tube total volume as well as freezing-thaw cycles (up to 5 cyles. The influence of sample routine parameters, inter-centre variability and relative value of each biomarker (reported as normal/abnormal, was analysed. Centrifugation conditions did not influence biomarkers levels, except for samples with a high CSF total protein content, where either non centrifugation or centrifugation at RT, compared to 4ºC, led to higher Aβ42 levels. Reducing CSF storage volume from 75% to 50% of total tube capacity, decreased Aβ42 concentration (within analytical CV of the assay, whereas no change in Tau or pTau was observed. Moreover, the concentration of Tau and pTau appears to be stable up to 5 freeze-thaw cycles, whereas Aβ42 levels decrease if CSF is freeze-thawed more than 3 times. This systematic study reinforces the need for CSF centrifugation at 4ºC prior to storage and highlights the influence of storage conditions in Aβ42 levels. This study contributes to the establishment of harmonized standard operating procedures that will help reducing inter-lab variability of CSF

  14. Integrative analysis of gene expression and DNA methylation using unsupervised feature extraction for detecting candidate cancer biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, Myungjin; Nakai, Kenta

    2018-04-01

    Currently, cancer biomarker discovery is one of the important research topics worldwide. In particular, detecting significant genes related to cancer is an important task for early diagnosis and treatment of cancer. Conventional studies mostly focus on genes that are differentially expressed in different states of cancer; however, noise in gene expression datasets and insufficient information in limited datasets impede precise analysis of novel candidate biomarkers. In this study, we propose an integrative analysis of gene expression and DNA methylation using normalization and unsupervised feature extractions to identify candidate biomarkers of cancer using renal cell carcinoma RNA-seq datasets. Gene expression and DNA methylation datasets are normalized by Box-Cox transformation and integrated into a one-dimensional dataset that retains the major characteristics of the original datasets by unsupervised feature extraction methods, and differentially expressed genes are selected from the integrated dataset. Use of the integrated dataset demonstrated improved performance as compared with conventional approaches that utilize gene expression or DNA methylation datasets alone. Validation based on the literature showed that a considerable number of top-ranked genes from the integrated dataset have known relationships with cancer, implying that novel candidate biomarkers can also be acquired from the proposed analysis method. Furthermore, we expect that the proposed method can be expanded for applications involving various types of multi-omics datasets.

  15. Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening and New Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer (PCa).

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stephan, Carsten; Rittenhouse, Harry; Hu, Xinhai; Cammann, Henning; Jung, Klaus

    2014-04-01

    PSA screening reduces PCa-mortality but the disadvantages overdiagnosis and overtreatment require multivariable risk-prediction tools to select appropriate treatment or active surveillance. This review explains the differences between the two largest screening trials and discusses the drawbacks of screening and its meta-analysisxs. The current American and European screening strategies are described. Nonetheless, PSA is one of the most widely used tumor markers and strongly correlates with the risk of harboring PCa. However, while PSA has limitations for PCa detection with its low specificity there are several potential biomarkers presented in this review with utility for PCa currently being studied. There is an urgent need for new biomarkers especially to detect clinically significant and aggressive PCa. From all PSA-based markers, the FDA-approved prostate health index (phi) shows improved specificity over percent free and total PSA. Another kallikrein panel, 4K, which includes KLK2 has recently shown promise in clinical research studies but has not yet undergone formal validation studies. In urine, prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) has also been validated and approved by the FDA for its utility to detect PCa. The potential correlation of PCA3 with cancer aggressiveness requires more clinical studies. The detection of the fusion of androgen-regulated genes with genes of the regulatory transcription factors in tissue of (~)50% of all PCa-patients is a milestone in PCa research. A combination of the urinary assays for TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion and PCA3 shows an improved accuracy for PCa detection. Overall, the field of PCa biomarker discovery is very exciting and prospective.

  16. Multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-profiling for biomarker discovery applied to human polycystic ovarian syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cordeiro, Fernanda B; Ferreira, Christina R; Sobreira, Tiago Jose P; Yannell, Karen E; Jarmusch, Alan K; Cedenho, Agnaldo P; Lo Turco, Edson G; Cooks, R Graham

    2017-09-15

    We describe multiple reaction monitoring (MRM)-profiling, which provides accelerated discovery of discriminating molecular features, and its application to human polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) diagnosis. The discovery phase of the MRM-profiling seeks molecular features based on some prior knowledge of the chemical functional groups likely to be present in the sample. It does this through use of a limited number of pre-chosen and chemically specific neutral loss and/or precursor ion MS/MS scans. The output of the discovery phase is a set of precursor/product transitions. In the screening phase these MRM transitions are used to interrogate multiple samples (hence the name MRM-profiling). MRM-profiling was applied to follicular fluid samples of 22 controls and 29 clinically diagnosed PCOS patients. Representative samples were delivered by flow injection to a triple quadrupole mass spectrometer set to perform a number of pre-chosen and chemically specific neutral loss and/or precursor ion MS/MS scans. The output of this discovery phase was a set of 1012 precursor/product transitions. In the screening phase each individual sample was interrogated for these MRM transitions. Principal component analysis (PCA) and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were used for statistical analysis. To evaluate the method's performance, half the samples were used to build a classification model (testing set) and half were blinded (validation set). Twenty transitions were used for the classification of the blind samples, most of them (N = 19) showed lower abundances in the PCOS group and corresponded to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) and phosphatidylserine (PS) lipids. Agreement of 73% with clinical diagnosis was found when classifying the 26 blind samples. MRM-profiling is a supervised method characterized by its simplicity, speed and the absence of chromatographic separation. It can be used to rapidly isolate discriminating molecules in healthy/disease conditions by

  17. Inflammatory biomarkers and academic performance in youth. The UP & DOWN Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Esteban-Cornejo, Irene; Martinez-Gomez, David; Gómez-Martínez, Sonia; Del Campo-Vecino, Juan; Fernández-Santos, Jorge; Castro-Piñero, Jose; Marcos, Ascensión; Veiga, Oscar L

    2016-05-01

    Inflammation influences cognitive development in infants and older adults, however, how inflammation may affect academic development during childhood and adolescence remains to be elucidated. This study aimed to examine the association between inflammatory biomarkers and academic performance in children and adolescents. A total of 494 youth (238 girls) aged 10.6 ± 3.4 years participated in the study. Four inflammatory biomarkers were selected: C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and white blood cell (WBC) count. An inflammatory index was created using the above mentioned biomarkers. Academic performance was assessed through schools records. Results showed that three of the four inflammatory biomarkers (CRP, IL-6 and WBC) and the inflammatory index were negatively associated with all academic indicators (β values ranging from -0.094 to -0.217, all Pacademic indicators compared with youth in the middle tertile (scores ranging from -0.578 to -0.344) and in the lowest tertile (scores ranging from -0.678 to -0.381). In conclusion, inflammation may impair academic performance independently of body fat levels in youth. Our results are of importance because the consequences of childhood and adolescence inflammation tend to continue into adulthood. Lifestyle interventions in youth may be promising in reducing levels of inflammation beyond the reduction in body fat in order to achieve cognitive benefits. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. [Collaborative projects with academia for regulatory science studies on biomarkers].

    Science.gov (United States)

    Saito, Yoshiro; Nakamura, Ryosuke; Maekawa, Keiko

    2014-01-01

    Biomarkers are useful tools to be utilized as indicators/predictors of disease severity and drug responsiveness/safety, and thus are expected to promote efficient drug development and to accelerate proper use of approved drugs. Many academic achievements have been reported, but only a small number of biomarkers are used in clinical trials and drug treatments. Regulatory sciences on biomarkers for their secure development and proper qualification are necessary to facilitate their practical application. We started to collaborate with Tohoku University and Nagoya City University for sample quality, biomarker identification, evaluation of their usage, and making guidances. In this short review, scheme and progress of these projects are introduced.

  19. How Nanotechnology and Biomedical Engineering Are Supporting the Identification of Predictive Biomarkers in Neuro-Oncology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ganau, Mario; Paris, Marco; Syrmos, Nikolaos; Ganau, Laura; Ligarotti, Gianfranco K I; Moghaddamjou, Ali; Prisco, Lara; Ambu, Rossano; Chibbaro, Salvatore

    2018-02-26

    The field of neuro-oncology is rapidly progressing and internalizing many of the recent discoveries coming from research conducted in basic science laboratories worldwide. This systematic review aims to summarize the impact of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering in defining clinically meaningful predictive biomarkers with a potential application in the management of patients with brain tumors. Data were collected through a review of the existing English literature performed on Scopus, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in Process, EMBASE, and/or Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials: all available basic science and clinical papers relevant to address the above-stated research question were included and analyzed in this study. Based on the results of this systematic review we can conclude that: (1) the advances in nanotechnology and bioengineering are supporting tremendous efforts in optimizing the methods for genomic, epigenomic and proteomic profiling; (2) a successful translational approach is attempting to identify a growing number of biomarkers, some of which appear to be promising candidates in many areas of neuro-oncology; (3) the designing of Randomized Controlled Trials will be warranted to better define the prognostic value of those biomarkers and biosignatures.

  20. How Nanotechnology and Biomedical Engineering Are Supporting the Identification of Predictive Biomarkers in Neuro-Oncology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Ganau

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available The field of neuro-oncology is rapidly progressing and internalizing many of the recent discoveries coming from research conducted in basic science laboratories worldwide. This systematic review aims to summarize the impact of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering in defining clinically meaningful predictive biomarkers with a potential application in the management of patients with brain tumors. Data were collected through a review of the existing English literature performed on Scopus, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in Process, EMBASE, and/or Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials: all available basic science and clinical papers relevant to address the above-stated research question were included and analyzed in this study. Based on the results of this systematic review we can conclude that: (1 the advances in nanotechnology and bioengineering are supporting tremendous efforts in optimizing the methods for genomic, epigenomic and proteomic profiling; (2 a successful translational approach is attempting to identify a growing number of biomarkers, some of which appear to be promising candidates in many areas of neuro-oncology; (3 the designing of Randomized Controlled Trials will be warranted to better define the prognostic value of those biomarkers and biosignatures.

  1. Integrated Detection of Pathogens and Host Biomarkers for Wounds

    Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

    Jaing, C

    2012-03-19

    The increasing incidence and complications arising from combat wounds has necessitated a reassessment of methods for effective treatment. Infection, excessive inflammation, and incidence of drug-resistant organisms all contribute toward negative outcomes for afflicted individuals. The organisms and host processes involved in wound progression, however, are incompletely understood. We therefore set out, using our unique technical resources, to construct a profile of combat wounds which did or did not successfully resolve. We employed the Lawrence Livermore Microbial Detection Array and identified a number of nosocomial pathogens present in wound samples. Some of these identities corresponded with bacterial isolates previously cultured, while others were not obtained via standard microbiology. Further, we optimized proteomics protocols for the identification of host biomarkers indicative of various stages in wound progression. In combination with our pathogen data, our biomarker discovery efforts will provide a profile corresponding to wound complications, and will assist significantly in treatment of these complex cases.

  2. Combined serum and EPS-urine proteomic analysis using iTRAQ technology for discovery of potential prostate cancer biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Mo; Chen, Lizhu; Yuan, Zhengwei; Yang, Zeyu; Li, Yue; Shan, Liping; Yin, Bo; Fei, Xiang; Miao, Jianing; Song, Yongsheng

    2016-11-01

    Prostate cancer (PCa) is one of the most common malignant tumors and a major cause of cancer-related death for men worldwide. The aim of our study was to identify potential non-invasive serum and expressed prostatic secretion (EPS)-urine biomarkers for accurate diagnosis of PCa. Here, we performed a combined isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantification (iTRAQ) proteomic analysis to compare protein profiles using pooled serum and EPS-urine samples from 4 groups of patients: benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), high grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), localized PCa and metastatic PCa. The differentially expressed proteins were rigorously selected and further validated in a large and independent cohort using classical ELISA and Western blot assays. Finally, we established a multiplex biomarker panel consisting of 3 proteins (serum PF4V1, PSA, and urinary CRISP3) with an excellent diagnostic capacity to differentiate PCa from BPH [area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of 0.941], which showed an evidently greater discriminatory ability than PSA alone (AUC, 0.757) (P<0.001). Importantly, even when PSA level was in the gray zone (4-10 ng/mL), a combination of PF4V1 and CRISP3 could achieve a relatively high diagnostic efficacy (AUC, 0.895). Furthermore, their combination also had the potential to distinguish PCa from HGPIN (AUC, 0.934). Our results demonstrated that the combined application of serum and EPS-urine biomarkers can improve the diagnosis of PCa and provide a new prospect for non-invasive PCa detection.

  3. Biomarker kinetics in the prediction of VAP diagnosis: results from the BioVAP study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Póvoa, Pedro; Martin-Loeches, Ignacio; Ramirez, Paula; Bos, Lieuwe D.; Esperatti, Mariano; Silvestre, Joana; Gili, Gisela; Goma, Gema; Berlanga, Eugenio; Espasa, Mateu; Gonçalves, Elsa; Torres, Antoni; Artigas, Antonio

    2016-01-01

    Prediction of diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) remains difficult. Our aim was to assess the value of biomarker kinetics in VAP prediction. We performed a prospective, multicenter, observational study to evaluate predictive accuracy of biomarker kinetics, namely C-reactive protein

  4. Circulating microRNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Infectious Disease

    Science.gov (United States)

    Correia, Carolina N.; Nalpas, Nicolas C.; McLoughlin, Kirsten E.; Browne, John A.; Gordon, Stephen V.; MacHugh, David E.; Shaughnessy, Ronan G.

    2017-01-01

    microRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding endogenous RNA molecules that regulate a wide range of biological processes by post-transcriptionally regulating gene expression. Thousands of these molecules have been discovered to date, and multiple miRNAs have been shown to coordinately fine-tune cellular processes key to organismal development, homeostasis, neurobiology, immunobiology, and control of infection. The fundamental regulatory role of miRNAs in a variety of biological processes suggests that differential expression of these transcripts may be exploited as a novel source of molecular biomarkers for many different disease pathologies or abnormalities. This has been emphasized by the recent discovery of remarkably stable miRNAs in mammalian biofluids, which may originate from intracellular processes elsewhere in the body. The potential of circulating miRNAs as biomarkers of disease has mainly been demonstrated for various types of cancer. More recently, however, attention has focused on the use of circulating miRNAs as diagnostic/prognostic biomarkers of infectious disease; for example, human tuberculosis caused by infection with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, sepsis caused by multiple infectious agents, and viral hepatitis. Here, we review these developments and discuss prospects and challenges for translating circulating miRNA into novel diagnostics for infectious disease. PMID:28261201

  5. Recommendations for adaptation and validation of commercial kits for biomarker quantification in drug development.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Masood U; Bowsher, Ronald R; Cameron, Mark; Devanarayan, Viswanath; Keller, Steve; King, Lindsay; Lee, Jean; Morimoto, Alyssa; Rhyne, Paul; Stephen, Laurie; Wu, Yuling; Wyant, Timothy; Lachno, D Richard

    2015-01-01

    Increasingly, commercial immunoassay kits are used to support drug discovery and development. Longitudinally consistent kit performance is crucial, but the degree to which kits and reagents are characterized by manufacturers is not standardized, nor are the approaches by users to adapt them and evaluate their performance through validation prior to use. These factors can negatively impact data quality. This paper offers a systematic approach to assessment, method adaptation and validation of commercial immunoassay kits for quantification of biomarkers in drug development, expanding upon previous publications and guidance. These recommendations aim to standardize and harmonize user practices, contributing to reliable biomarker data from commercial immunoassays, thus, enabling properly informed decisions during drug development.

  6. Application of a high throughput method of biomarker discovery to improvement of the EarlyCDT(®-Lung Test.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Isabel K Macdonald

    Full Text Available BACKGROUND: The National Lung Screening Trial showed that CT screening for lung cancer led to a 20% reduction in mortality. However, CT screening has a number of disadvantages including low specificity. A validated autoantibody assay is available commercially (EarlyCDT®-Lung to aid in the early detection of lung cancer and risk stratification in patients with pulmonary nodules detected by CT. Recent advances in high throughput (HTP cloning and expression methods have been developed into a discovery pipeline to identify biomarkers that detect autoantibodies. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the successful clinical application of this strategy to add to the EarlyCDT-Lung panel in order to improve its sensitivity and specificity (and hence positive predictive value, (PPV. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Serum from two matched independent cohorts of lung cancer patients were used (n = 100 and n = 165. Sixty nine proteins were initially screened on an abridged HTP version of the autoantibody ELISA using protein prepared on small scale by a HTP expression and purification screen. Promising leads were produced in shake flask culture and tested on the full assay. These results were analyzed in combination with those from the EarlyCDT-Lung panel in order to provide a set of re-optimized cut-offs. Five proteins that still displayed cancer/normal differentiation were tested for reproducibility and validation on a second batch of protein and a separate patient cohort. Addition of these proteins resulted in an improvement in the sensitivity and specificity of the test from 38% and 86% to 49% and 93% respectively (PPV improvement from 1 in 16 to 1 in 7. CONCLUSION: This is a practical example of the value of investing resources to develop a HTP technology. Such technology may lead to improvement in the clinical utility of the EarlyCDT--Lung test, and so further aid the early detection of lung cancer.

  7. Biomarker candidate discovery in Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua) continuously exposed to North Sea produced water from egg to fry

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Bohne-Kjersem, Anneli; Bache, Nicolai; Meier, Sonnich

    2010-01-01

    were able to compare the induced changes by PW to the mode of action of oestrogens. Changes in the proteome in response to exposure in whole cod fry (approximately 80 days post-hatching, dph) were detected by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and image analysis and identified by MALDI-ToF-ToF mass...... spectrometry, using a newly developed cod EST database and the NCBI database. Many of the protein changes occurred at low levels (0.01% and 0.1% PW) of exposure, indicating putative biological responses at lower levels than previously detected. Using discriminant analysis, we identified a set of protein...... changes that may be useful as biomarker candidates of produced water (PW) and oestradiol exposure in Atlantic cod fry. The biomarker candidates discovered in this study may, following validation, prove effective as diagnostic tools in monitoring exposure and effects of discharges from the petroleum...

  8. Hemostasis biomarkers and incident cognitive impairment: the REGARDS study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gillett, S R; McClure, L A; Callas, P W; Thacker, E L; Unverzagt, F W; Wadley, V G; Letter, A J; Cushman, M

    2018-05-07

    Vascular risk factors are associated with cognitive impairment, a condition with substantial public health burden. We hypothesized that hemostasis biomarkers related to vascular disease would be associated with risk of incident cognitive impairment. We performed a nested case control study including 1,082 participants with 3.5 years of follow-up in the Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a longitudinal cohort study of 30,239 black and white Americans ≥45 years old. Participants were free of stroke or cognitive impairment at baseline. Baseline D-dimer, fibrinogen, factor VIII, and protein C were measured in 495 cases who developed cognitive impairment during follow-up (based on abnormal scores on ≥2 of 3 cognitive tests) and 587 controls. Unadjusted ORs for incident cognitive impairment were 1.32 (95% CI 1.02, 1.70) for D-dimer >0.50 μg/mL, 1.83 (CI 1.24, 2.71) for fibrinogen >90 th percentile, 1.63 (CI 1.11, 2.38) for factor VIII >90 th percentile and 1.10 (CI 0.73, 1.65) for protein C impairment, with an adjusted OR 1.73 (CI 1.10, 2.69). Elevated D-dimer, fibrinogen, and factor VIII were not associated with occurrence of cognitive impairment after multivariable adjustment; however, having at least 2 abnormal biomarkers was associated, suggesting the burden of these biomarkers is relevant. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  9. Biomarkers in Prostate Cancer Epidemiology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mudit Verma

    2011-09-01

    Full Text Available Understanding the etiology of a disease such as prostate cancer may help in identifying populations at high risk, timely intervention of the disease, and proper treatment. Biomarkers, along with exposure history and clinical data, are useful tools to achieve these goals. Individual risk and population incidence of prostate cancer result from the intervention of genetic susceptibility and exposure. Biochemical, epigenetic, genetic, and imaging biomarkers are used to identify people at high risk for developing prostate cancer. In cancer epidemiology, epigenetic biomarkers offer advantages over other types of biomarkers because they are expressed against a person’s genetic background and environmental exposure, and because abnormal events occur early in cancer development, which includes several epigenetic alterations in cancer cells. This article describes different biomarkers that have potential use in studying the epidemiology of prostate cancer. We also discuss the characteristics of an ideal biomarker for prostate cancer, and technologies utilized for biomarker assays. Among epigenetic biomarkers, most reports indicate GSTP1 hypermethylation as the diagnostic marker for prostate cancer; however, NKX2-5, CLSTN1, SPOCK2, SLC16A12, DPYS, and NSE1 also have been reported to be regulated by methylation mechanisms in prostate cancer. Current challenges in utilization of biomarkers in prostate cancer diagnosis and epidemiologic studies and potential solutions also are discussed.

  10. Addressing small sample size bias in multiple-biomarker trials: Inclusion of biomarker-negative patients and Firth correction.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Habermehl, Christina; Benner, Axel; Kopp-Schneider, Annette

    2018-03-01

    In recent years, numerous approaches for biomarker-based clinical trials have been developed. One of these developments are multiple-biomarker trials, which aim to investigate multiple biomarkers simultaneously in independent subtrials. For low-prevalence biomarkers, small sample sizes within the subtrials have to be expected, as well as many biomarker-negative patients at the screening stage. The small sample sizes may make it unfeasible to analyze the subtrials individually. This imposes the need to develop new approaches for the analysis of such trials. With an expected large group of biomarker-negative patients, it seems reasonable to explore options to benefit from including them in such trials. We consider advantages and disadvantages of the inclusion of biomarker-negative patients in a multiple-biomarker trial with a survival endpoint. We discuss design options that include biomarker-negative patients in the study and address the issue of small sample size bias in such trials. We carry out a simulation study for a design where biomarker-negative patients are kept in the study and are treated with standard of care. We compare three different analysis approaches based on the Cox model to examine if the inclusion of biomarker-negative patients can provide a benefit with respect to bias and variance of the treatment effect estimates. We apply the Firth correction to reduce the small sample size bias. The results of the simulation study suggest that for small sample situations, the Firth correction should be applied to adjust for the small sample size bias. Additional to the Firth penalty, the inclusion of biomarker-negative patients in the analysis can lead to further but small improvements in bias and standard deviation of the estimates. © 2017 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  11. Multiplexed LC-MS/MS analysis of horse plasma proteins to study doping in sport.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Barton, Chris; Beck, Paul; Kay, Richard; Teale, Phil; Roberts, Jane

    2009-06-01

    The development of protein biomarkers for the indirect detection of doping in horse is a potential solution to doping threats such as gene and protein doping. A method for biomarker candidate discovery in horse plasma is presented using targeted analysis of proteotypic peptides from horse proteins. These peptides were first identified in a novel list of the abundant proteins in horse plasma. To monitor these peptides, an LC-MS/MS method using multiple reaction monitoring was developed to study the quantity of 49 proteins in horse plasma in a single run. The method was optimised and validated, and then applied to a population of race-horses to study protein variance within a population. The method was finally applied to longitudinal time courses of horse plasma collected after administration of an anabolic steroid to demonstrate utility for hypothesis-driven discovery of doping biomarker candidates.

  12. Data Mining Approaches for Genomic Biomarker Development: Applications Using Drug Screening Data from the Cancer Genome Project and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David G Covell

    Full Text Available Developing reliable biomarkers of tumor cell drug sensitivity and resistance can guide hypothesis-driven basic science research and influence pre-therapy clinical decisions. A popular strategy for developing biomarkers uses characterizations of human tumor samples against a range of cancer drug responses that correlate with genomic change; developed largely from the efforts of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE and Sanger Cancer Genome Project (CGP. The purpose of this study is to provide an independent analysis of this data that aims to vet existing and add novel perspectives to biomarker discoveries and applications. Existing and alternative data mining and statistical methods will be used to a evaluate drug responses of compounds with similar mechanism of action (MOA, b examine measures of gene expression (GE, copy number (CN and mutation status (MUT biomarkers, combined with gene set enrichment analysis (GSEA, for hypothesizing biological processes important for drug response, c conduct global comparisons of GE, CN and MUT as biomarkers across all drugs screened in the CGP dataset, and d assess the positive predictive power of CGP-derived GE biomarkers as predictors of drug response in CCLE tumor cells. The perspectives derived from individual and global examinations of GEs, MUTs and CNs confirm existing and reveal unique and shared roles for these biomarkers in tumor cell drug sensitivity and resistance. Applications of CGP-derived genomic biomarkers to predict the drug response of CCLE tumor cells finds a highly significant ROC, with a positive predictive power of 0.78. The results of this study expand the available data mining and analysis methods for genomic biomarker development and provide additional support for using biomarkers to guide hypothesis-driven basic science research and pre-therapy clinical decisions.

  13. Mycotoxin exposure in rural residents in northern Nigeria: a pilot study using multi-urinary biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ezekiel, Chibundu N; Warth, Benedikt; Ogara, Isaac M; Abia, Wilfred A; Ezekiel, Victoria C; Atehnkeng, Joseph; Sulyok, Michael; Turner, Paul C; Tayo, Grace O; Krska, Rudolf; Bandyopadhyay, Ranajit

    2014-05-01

    A pilot, cross-sectional, correlational study was conducted in eight rural communities in northern Nigeria to investigate mycotoxin exposures in 120 volunteers (19 children, 20 adolescents and 81 adults) using a modern LC-MS/MS based multi-biomarker approach. First morning urine samples were analyzed and urinary biomarker levels correlated with mycotoxin levels in foods consumed the day before urine collection. A total of eight analytes were detected in 61/120 (50.8%) of studied urine samples, with ochratoxin A, aflatoxin M1 and fumonisin B1 being the most frequently occurring biomarkers of exposure. These mycotoxin biomarkers were present in samples from all age categories, suggestive of chronic (lifetime) exposures. Rough estimates of mycotoxin intake suggested some exposures were higher than the tolerable daily intake. Overall, rural consumer populations from Nasarawa were more exposed to several mixtures of mycotoxins in their diets relative to those from Kaduna as shown by food and urine biomarker data. This study has shown that mycotoxin co-exposure may be a major public health challenge in rural Nigeria; this calls for urgent intervention. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  14. The MURDOCK Study: a long-term initiative for disease reclassification through advanced biomarker discovery and integration with electronic health records

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tenenbaum, Jessica D; Christian, Victoria; Cornish, Melissa A; Dolor, Rowena J; Dunham, Ashley A; Ginsburg, Geoffrey S; Kraus, Virginia B; McHutchison, John G; Nahm, Meredith L; Newby, L Kristin; Svetkey, Laura P; Udayakumar, Krishna; Califf, Robert M

    2012-01-01

    Background Facing critically low return per dollar invested on clinical research and clinical care, the American biomedical enterprise is in need of a significant transformation. A confluence of high-throughput “omic” technologies and increasing adoption of the electronic health record has fueled excitement for a new paradigm for biomedical research and practice. The ability to simultaneously measure thousands of molecular variables and assess their relationships with clinical data collected during the course of care could enable reclassification of disease not only by gross phenotypic observation but according to underlying molecular mechanism and influence of social determinants.In turn, this reclassification could enable development of targeted therapeutic interventions as well as disease prevention strategies at the individual and population levels. Methods/Design The MURDOCK Study consists of distinct project “horizons” or stages. Horizon 1 entailed the generation and analysis of molecular data for existing large,clinically well-annotated cohorts in four disease areas. Horizon 1.5 involves creating and maintaining a 50,000-person,community volunteer registry for biomarker signature validation and prospective studies, including integration of environmental and social data. Horizon 2 leverages and prospectively recruits Horizon 1.5 volunteers, and extends the study to additional disease areas of interest. Horizon 3 will expand the study through regional, national,and international partnerships. Discussion The MURDOCK Study embodies a new model of team science investigation and represents a significant resource for translational research. The study team invites inquiries to form new collaborations to exploit the rich resources provided by these biospecimens and associated study data. PMID:22937207

  15. Storage Time and Urine Biomarker Levels in the ASSESS-AKI Study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kathleen D Liu

    Full Text Available Although stored urine samples are often used in biomarker studies focused on acute and chronic kidney disease, how storage time impacts biomarker levels is not well understood.866 subjects enrolled in the NIDDK-sponsored ASsessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae in Acute Kidney Injury (ASSESS-AKI Study were included. Samples were processed under standard conditions and stored at -70°C until analyzed. Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1, neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL, interleukin-18 (IL-18, and liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP were measured in urine samples collected during the index hospitalization or an outpatient visit 3 months later. Mixed effects models were used to determine the effect of storage time on biomarker levels and stratified by visit.Median storage was 17.8 months (25-75% IQR 10.6-23.7 for samples from the index hospitalization and 14.6 months (IQR 7.3-20.4 for outpatient samples. In the mixed effects models, the only significant association between storage time and biomarker concentration was for KIM-1 in outpatient samples, where each month of storage was associated with a 1.7% decrease (95% CI -3% to -0.3%. There was no relationship between storage time and KIM-1 levels in samples from the index hospitalization.There was no significant impact of storage time over a median of 18 months on urine KIM-1, NGAL, IL-18 or L-FABP in hospitalized samples; a statistically significant effect towards a decrease over time was noted for KIM-1 in outpatient samples. Additional studies are needed to determine whether longer periods of storage at -70°C systematically impact levels of these analytes.

  16. Zebrafish whole-adult-organism chemogenomics for large-scale predictive and discovery chemical biology.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Siew Hong Lam

    2008-07-01

    Full Text Available The ability to perform large-scale, expression-based chemogenomics on whole adult organisms, as in invertebrate models (worm and fly, is highly desirable for a vertebrate model but its feasibility and potential has not been demonstrated. We performed expression-based chemogenomics on the whole adult organism of a vertebrate model, the zebrafish, and demonstrated its potential for large-scale predictive and discovery chemical biology. Focusing on two classes of compounds with wide implications to human health, polycyclic (halogenated aromatic hydrocarbons [P(HAHs] and estrogenic compounds (ECs, we generated robust prediction models that can discriminate compounds of the same class from those of different classes in two large independent experiments. The robust expression signatures led to the identification of biomarkers for potent aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR and estrogen receptor (ER agonists, respectively, and were validated in multiple targeted tissues. Knowledge-based data mining of human homologs of zebrafish genes revealed highly conserved chemical-induced biological responses/effects, health risks, and novel biological insights associated with AHR and ER that could be inferred to humans. Thus, our study presents an effective, high-throughput strategy of capturing molecular snapshots of chemical-induced biological states of a whole adult vertebrate that provides information on biomarkers of effects, deregulated signaling pathways, and possible affected biological functions, perturbed physiological systems, and increased health risks. These findings place zebrafish in a strategic position to bridge the wide gap between cell-based and rodent models in chemogenomics research and applications, especially in preclinical drug discovery and toxicology.

  17. Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Screening and New Biomarkers for Prostate Cancer (PCa)

    Science.gov (United States)

    Rittenhouse, Harry; Hu, Xinhai; Cammann, Henning; Jung, Klaus

    2014-01-01

    Abstract PSA screening reduces PCa-mortality but the disadvantages overdiagnosis and overtreatment require multivariable risk-prediction tools to select appropriate treatment or active surveillance. This review explains the differences between the two largest screening trials and discusses the drawbacks of screening and its meta-analysisxs. The current American and European screening strategies are described. Nonetheless, PSA is one of the most widely used tumor markers and strongly correlates with the risk of harboring PCa. However, while PSA has limitations for PCa detection with its low specificity there are several potential biomarkers presented in this review with utility for PCa currently being studied. There is an urgent need for new biomarkers especially to detect clinically significant and aggressive PCa. From all PSA-based markers, the FDA-approved prostate health index (phi) shows improved specificity over percent free and total PSA. Another kallikrein panel, 4K, which includes KLK2 has recently shown promise in clinical research studies but has not yet undergone formal validation studies. In urine, prostate cancer gene 3 (PCA3) has also been validated and approved by the FDA for its utility to detect PCa. The potential correlation of PCA3 with cancer aggressiveness requires more clinical studies. The detection of the fusion of androgen-regulated genes with genes of the regulatory transcription factors in tissue of ~50% of all PCa-patients is a milestone in PCa research. A combination of the urinary assays for TMPRSS2:ERG gene fusion and PCA3 shows an improved accuracy for PCa detection. Overall, the field of PCa biomarker discovery is very exciting and prospective. PMID:27683457

  18. Application of bio-marker to study on tumor radiosensitivity

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Guo Wanfeng; Ding Guirong; Han Liangfu

    2001-01-01

    To definite tumor radiosensitivity is important for applying the schedules of individualization of patient radiotherapy. Many laboratories were carrying on the research which predict the tumor radiosensitivity with one bio-marker or/and multi-bio-marker in various levels. At present has not witnessed the specific bio-marker, but it provides an excellent model for predicting tumor radiosensitivity

  19. Definitions and validation criteria for biomarkers and surrogate endpoints: development and testing of a quantitative hierarchical levels of evidence schema.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lassere, Marissa N; Johnson, Kent R; Boers, Maarten; Tugwell, Peter; Brooks, Peter; Simon, Lee; Strand, Vibeke; Conaghan, Philip G; Ostergaard, Mikkel; Maksymowych, Walter P; Landewe, Robert; Bresnihan, Barry; Tak, Paul-Peter; Wakefield, Richard; Mease, Philip; Bingham, Clifton O; Hughes, Michael; Altman, Doug; Buyse, Marc; Galbraith, Sally; Wells, George

    2007-03-01

    There are clear advantages to using biomarkers and surrogate endpoints, but concerns about clinical and statistical validity and systematic methods to evaluate these aspects hinder their efficient application. Our objective was to review the literature on biomarkers and surrogates to develop a hierarchical schema that systematically evaluates and ranks the surrogacy status of biomarkers and surrogates; and to obtain feedback from stakeholders. After a systematic search of Medline and Embase on biomarkers, surrogate (outcomes, endpoints, markers, indicators), intermediate endpoints, and leading indicators, a quantitative surrogate validation schema was developed and subsequently evaluated at a stakeholder workshop. The search identified several classification schema and definitions. Components of these were incorporated into a new quantitative surrogate validation level of evidence schema that evaluates biomarkers along 4 domains: Target, Study Design, Statistical Strength, and Penalties. Scores derived from 3 domains the Target that the marker is being substituted for, the Design of the (best) evidence, and the Statistical strength are additive. Penalties are then applied if there is serious counterevidence. A total score (0 to 15) determines the level of evidence, with Level 1 the strongest and Level 5 the weakest. It was proposed that the term "surrogate" be restricted to markers attaining Levels 1 or 2 only. Most stakeholders agreed that this operationalization of the National Institutes of Health definitions of biomarker, surrogate endpoint, and clinical endpoint was useful. Further development and application of this schema provides incentives and guidance for effective biomarker and surrogate endpoint research, and more efficient drug discovery, development, and approval.

  20. Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid biomarkers and coronary heart disease: Pooling project of 19 cohort studies

    Science.gov (United States)

    The role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids for primary prevention of coronary heart disease (CHD) remains controversial. Most prior longitudinal studies evaluated self-reported consumption rather than biomarkers. This study sought to evaluate biomarkers of seafood-derived eicosapentaenoic acid ...

  1. Overlap of proteomics biomarkers between women with pre-eclampsia and PCOS: a systematic review and biomarker database integration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khan, Gulafshana Hafeez; Galazis, Nicolas; Docheva, Nikolina; Layfield, Robert; Atiomo, William

    2015-01-01

    Do any proteomic biomarkers previously identified for pre-eclampsia (PE) overlap with those identified in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Five previously identified proteomic biomarkers were found to be common in women with PE and PCOS when compared with controls. Various studies have indicated an association between PCOS and PE; however, the pathophysiological mechanisms supporting this association are not known. A systematic review and update of our PCOS proteomic biomarker database was performed, along with a parallel review of PE biomarkers. The study included papers from 1980 to December 2013. In all the studies analysed, there were a total of 1423 patients and controls. The number of proteomic biomarkers that were catalogued for PE was 192. Five proteomic biomarkers were shown to be differentially expressed in women with PE and PCOS when compared with controls: transferrin, fibrinogen α, β and γ chain variants, kininogen-1, annexin 2 and peroxiredoxin 2. In PE, the biomarkers were identified in serum, plasma and placenta and in PCOS, the biomarkers were identified in serum, follicular fluid, and ovarian and omental biopsies. The techniques employed to detect proteomics have limited ability in identifying proteins that are of low abundance, some of which may have a diagnostic potential. The sample sizes and number of biomarkers identified from these studies do not exclude the risk of false positives, a limitation of all biomarker studies. The biomarkers common to PE and PCOS were identified from proteomic analyses of different tissues. This data amalgamation of the proteomic studies in PE and in PCOS, for the first time, discovered a panel of five biomarkers for PE which are common to women with PCOS, including transferrin, fibrinogen α, β and γ chain variants, kininogen-1, annexin 2 and peroxiredoxin 2. If validated, these biomarkers could provide a useful framework for the knowledge infrastructure in this area. To accomplish this goal, a

  2. Pairwise protein expression classifier for candidate biomarker discovery for early detection of human disease prognosis

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kaur Parminder

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background An approach to molecular classification based on the comparative expression of protein pairs is presented. The method overcomes some of the present limitations in using peptide intensity data for class prediction for problems such as the detection of a disease, disease prognosis, or for predicting treatment response. Data analysis is particularly challenging in these situations due to sample size (typically tens being much smaller than the large number of peptides (typically thousands. Methods based upon high dimensional statistical models, machine learning or other complex classifiers generate decisions which may be very accurate but can be complex and difficult to interpret in simple or biologically meaningful terms. A classification scheme, called ProtPair, is presented that generates simple decision rules leading to accurate classification which is based on measurement of very few proteins and requires only relative expression values, providing specific targeted hypotheses suitable for straightforward validation. Results ProtPair has been tested against clinical data from 21 patients following a bone marrow transplant, 13 of which progress to idiopathic pneumonia syndrome (IPS. The approach combines multiple peptide pairs originating from the same set of proteins, with each unique peptide pair providing an independent measure of discriminatory power. The prediction rate of the ProtPair for IPS study as measured by leave-one-out CV is 69.1%, which can be very beneficial for clinical diagnosis as it may flag patients in need of closer monitoring. The “top ranked” proteins provided by ProtPair are known to be associated with the biological processes and pathways intimately associated with known IPS biology based on mouse models. Conclusions An approach to biomarker discovery, called ProtPair, is presented. ProtPair is based on the differential expression of pairs of peptides and the associated proteins. Using mass

  3. Biomarkers for acute kidney injury in decompensated cirrhosis: A Prospective Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jaques, David A; Spahr, Laurent; Berra, Gregory; Poffet, Vincent; Lescuyer, Pierre; Gerstel, Eric; Garin, Nicolas; Martin, Pierre-Yves; Ponte, Belen

    2018-01-25

    Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a frequent complication in cirrhotic patients. As serum creatinine is a poor marker of renal function in this population, we aimed to study the utility of several biomarkers in this context. A prospective study was conducted in hospitalized patients with decompensated cirrhosis. Serum creatinine (SCr), Cystatin C (CystC), NGAL and urinary NGAL, KIM-1, protein, albumin and sodium were measured on three separate occasions. Renal resistive index (RRI) was obtained. We analyzed the value of these biomarkers to determine the presence of AKI, its etiology [prerenal, acute tubular necrosis (ATN), or hepatorenal (HRS)], its severity and a composite clinical outcome at 30 days (death, dialysis and intensive care admission). We included 105 patients, of which 55 had AKI. SCr, CystC, NGAL (plasma and urinary), urinary sodium and RRI at inclusion were independently associated with the presence of AKI. SCr, CystC and plasma NGAL were able to predict the subsequent development of AKI. Pre-renal state showed lower levels of SCr, NGAL (plasma and urinary) and RRI. ATN patients had high levels of NGAL (plasma and urinary) as well as urinary protein and sodium. HRS patients presented an intermediate pattern. All biomarkers paralleled the severity of AKI. SCr, CystC and plasma NGAL predicted the development of the composite clinical outcome with the same performance as the MELD score. In patients with decompensated cirrhosis, early measurement of renal biomarkers provides valuable information on AKI etiology. It could also improve AKI diagnosis and prognosis. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  4. Adipokines: a treasure trove for the discovery of biomarkers for metabolic disorders.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lehr, Stefan; Hartwig, Sonja; Sell, Henrike

    2012-01-01

    Adipose tissue is a major endocrine organ, releasing signaling and mediator proteins, termed adipokines, via which adipose tissue communicates with other organs. Expansion of adipose tissue in obesity alters adipokine secretion which may contribute to the development of metabolic diseases. Consequently, this correlation has emphasized the importance to further characterize the adipocyte secretion profile, and several attempts have been made to characterize the complex nature of the adipose tissue secretome by utilizing diverse proteomic profiling approaches. Although the entirety of human adipokines is still incompletely characterized, to date more than 600 potentially secretory proteins were identified providing a rich source to identify putative novel biomarkers associated with metabolic diseases. Copyright © 2012 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

  5. Fluid biomarkers in multiple system atrophy

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Laurens, Brice; Constantinescu, Radu; Freeman, Roy

    2015-01-01

    Despite growing research efforts, no reliable biomarker currently exists for the diagnosis and prognosis of multiple system atrophy (MSA). Such biomarkers are urgently needed to improve diagnostic accuracy, prognostic guidance and also to serve as efficacy measures or surrogates of target...... engagement for future clinical trials. We here review candidate fluid biomarkers for MSA and provide considerations for further developments and harmonization of standard operating procedures. A PubMed search was performed until April 24, 2015 to review the literature with regard to candidate blood...... and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers for MSA. Abstracts of 1760 studies were retrieved and screened for eligibility. The final list included 60 studies assessing fluid biomarkers in patients with MSA. Most studies have focused on alpha-synuclein, markers of axonal degeneration or catecholamines. Their results...

  6. ACE inhibition with perindopril and biomarkers of atherosclerosis and thrombosis : Results from the PERTINENT study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Ceconi, C.; Fox, K.M.; Remme, W.J.; Simoons, M.L.; Deckers, J.W.; Bertrand, M.; Parrinello, G.; Kluft, C.; Blann, A.; Cokkinos, D.; Ferrari, R.

    2009-01-01

    The PERTINENT study measured biomarkers of atherosclerosis and thrombosis in a stable coronary artery disease population from EUROPA receiving ACE inhibition with perindopril 8 mg/day or placebo. Biomarkers of inflammation, C-reactive protein (CRP), fibrinogen, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha

  7. A new approach towards biomarker selection in estimation of human exposure to chiral chemicals: a case study of mephedrone.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Castrignanò, Erika; Mardal, Marie; Rydevik, Axel; Miserez, Bram; Ramsey, John; Shine, Trevor; Pantoș, G Dan; Meyer, Markus R; Kasprzyk-Hordern, Barbara

    2017-11-02

    Wastewater-based epidemiology is an innovative approach to estimate public health status using biomarker analysis in wastewater. A new compound detected in wastewater can be a potential biomarker of an emerging trend in public health. However, it is currently difficult to select new biomarkers mainly due to limited human metabolism data. This manuscript presents a new framework, which enables the identification and selection of new biomarkers of human exposure to drugs with scarce or unknown human metabolism data. Mephedrone was targeted to elucidate the assessment of biomarkers for emerging drugs of abuse using a four-step analytical procedure. This framework consists of: (i) identification of possible metabolic biomarkers present in wastewater using an in-vivo study; (ii) verification of chiral signature of the target compound; (iii) confirmation of human metabolic residues in in-vivo/vitro studies and (iv) verification of stability of biomarkers in wastewater. Mephedrone was selected as a suitable biomarker due to its high stability profile in wastewater. Its enantiomeric profiling was studied for the first time in biological and environmental matrices, showing stereoselective metabolism of mephedrone in humans. Further biomarker candidates were also proposed for future investigation: 4'-carboxy-mephedrone, 4'-carboxy-normephedrone, 1-dihydro-mephedrone, 1-dihydro-normephedrone and 4'-hydroxy-normephedrone.

  8. Prognostic biomarkers in osteoarthritis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Attur, Mukundan; Krasnokutsky-Samuels, Svetlana; Samuels, Jonathan; Abramson, Steven B.

    2013-01-01

    Purpose of review Identification of patients at risk for incident disease or disease progression in osteoarthritis remains challenging, as radiography is an insensitive reflection of molecular changes that presage cartilage and bone abnormalities. Thus there is a widely appreciated need for biochemical and imaging biomarkers. We describe recent developments with such biomarkers to identify osteoarthritis patients who are at risk for disease progression. Recent findings The biochemical markers currently under evaluation include anabolic, catabolic, and inflammatory molecules representing diverse biological pathways. A few promising cartilage and bone degradation and synthesis biomarkers are in various stages of development, awaiting further validation in larger populations. A number of studies have shown elevated expression levels of inflammatory biomarkers, both locally (synovial fluid) and systemically (serum and plasma). These chemical biomarkers are under evaluation in combination with imaging biomarkers to predict early onset and the burden of disease. Summary Prognostic biomarkers may be used in clinical knee osteoarthritis to identify subgroups in whom the disease progresses at different rates. This could facilitate our understanding of the pathogenesis and allow us to differentiate phenotypes within a heterogeneous knee osteoarthritis population. Ultimately, such findings may help facilitate the development of disease-modifying osteoarthritis drugs (DMOADs). PMID:23169101

  9. 76 FR 82306 - Draft Guidance for Industry on Use of Histology in Biomarker Qualification Studies; Availability

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-12-30

    ...] Draft Guidance for Industry on Use of Histology in Biomarker Qualification Studies; Availability AGENCY... announcing the availability of a draft guidance for industry entitled ``Use of Histology in Biomarker... studies for which histology is a reference standard. This guidance discusses the processes that should be...

  10. Storage Time and Urine Biomarker Levels in the ASSESS-AKI Study

    Science.gov (United States)

    Liu, Kathleen D.; Siew, Edward D.; Reeves, W. Brian; Himmelfarb, Jonathan; Go, Alan S.; Hsu, Chi-yuan; Bennett, Michael R.; Devarajan, Prasad; Ikizler, T. Alp; Kaufman, James S.; Kimmel, Paul L.; Chinchilli, Vernon M.; Parikh, Chirag R.

    2016-01-01

    Background Although stored urine samples are often used in biomarker studies focused on acute and chronic kidney disease, how storage time impacts biomarker levels is not well understood. Methods 866 subjects enrolled in the NIDDK-sponsored ASsessment, Serial Evaluation, and Subsequent Sequelae in Acute Kidney Injury (ASSESS-AKI) Study were included. Samples were processed under standard conditions and stored at -70°C until analyzed. Kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM-1), neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL), interleukin-18 (IL-18), and liver fatty acid binding protein (L-FABP) were measured in urine samples collected during the index hospitalization or an outpatient visit 3 months later. Mixed effects models were used to determine the effect of storage time on biomarker levels and stratified by visit. Results Median storage was 17.8 months (25–75% IQR 10.6–23.7) for samples from the index hospitalization and 14.6 months (IQR 7.3–20.4) for outpatient samples. In the mixed effects models, the only significant association between storage time and biomarker concentration was for KIM-1 in outpatient samples, where each month of storage was associated with a 1.7% decrease (95% CI -3% to -0.3%). There was no relationship between storage time and KIM-1 levels in samples from the index hospitalization. Conclusion There was no significant impact of storage time over a median of 18 months on urine KIM-1, NGAL, IL-18 or L-FABP in hospitalized samples; a statistically significant effect towards a decrease over time was noted for KIM-1 in outpatient samples. Additional studies are needed to determine whether longer periods of storage at -70°C systematically impact levels of these analytes. PMID:27788160

  11. The study of protein biomarkers to understand the biochemical processes underlying beef color development in young bulls.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gagaoua, Mohammed; Terlouw, E M Claudia; Picard, Brigitte

    2017-12-01

    This study investigates relationships between 21 biomarkers and meat color traits of Longissimus thoracis muscles of young Aberdeen Angus and Limousin bulls. The relationships found allowed to propose metabolic processes underlying meat color. The color coordinates were related with several biomarkers. The relationships were in some cases breed-dependent and the variability explained in the regression models varied between 31 and 56%. The correlations between biomarkers and color parameters were sometimes opposite between breeds. The PCA using the 21 biomarkers and the instrumental color coordinates showed that these variables discriminated efficiently between the two studied breeds. Results are coherent with earlier studies on other beef breeds showing that several proteins belonging to different but partly related biological pathways involved in muscle contraction, metabolism, heat stress and apoptosis are related to beef color. The results suggest that in future, biomarkers may be used to classify meat cuts sampled early post-mortem according to their forthcoming color. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. A glycogene mutation map for discovery of diseases of glycosylation

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Hansen, Lars; Lind-Thomsen, Allan; Joshi, Hiren J

    2015-01-01

    homologous families. However, Genome-Wide-Association Studies (GWAS) have identified such isoenzyme genes as candidates for different diseases, but validation is not straightforward without biomarkers. Large-scale whole exome sequencing (WES) provides access to mutations in e.g. glycosyltransferase genes...... in populations, which can be used to predict and/or analyze functional deleterious mutations. Here, we constructed a draft of a Functional Mutational Map of glycogenes, GlyMAP, from WES of a rather homogenous population of 2,000 Danes. We catalogued all missense mutations and used prediction algorithms, manual...... inspection, and in case of CAZy family GT27 experimental analysis of mutations to map deleterious mutations. GlyMAP provides a first global view of the genetic stability of the glycogenome and should serve as a tool for discovery of novel CDGs....

  13. UPLC-based metabonomic applications for discovering biomarkers of diseases in clinical chemistry.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Ying-Yong; Cheng, Xian-Long; Vaziri, Nosratola D; Liu, Shuman; Lin, Rui-Chao

    2014-10-01

    Metabonomics is a powerful and promising analytic tool that allows assessment of global low-molecular-weight metabolites in biological systems. It has a great potential for identifying useful biomarkers for early diagnosis, prognosis and assessment of therapeutic interventions in clinical practice. The aim of this review is to provide a brief summary of the recent advances in UPLC-based metabonomic approach for biomarker discovery in a variety of diseases, and to discuss their significance in clinical chemistry. All the available information on UPLC-based metabonomic applications for discovering biomarkers of diseases were collected via a library and electronic search (using Web of Science, Pubmed, ScienceDirect, Springer, Google Scholar, etc.). Metabonomics has been used in clinical chemistry to identify and evaluate potential biomarkers and therapeutic targets in various diseases affecting the liver (hepatocarcinoma and liver cirrhosis), lung (lung cancer and pneumonia), gastrointestinal tract (colorectal cancer) and urogenital tract (prostate cancer, ovarian cancer and chronic kidney disease), as well as metabolic diseases (diabetes) and neuropsychiatric disorders (Alzheimer's disease and schizophrenia), etc. The information provided highlights the potential value of determination of endogenous low-molecular-weight metabolites and the advantages and potential drawbacks of the application of UPLC-based metabonomics in clinical setting. Copyright © 2014 The Canadian Society of Clinical Chemists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  14. Biomarkers for Detecting Mitochondrial Disorders

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Josef Finsterer

    2018-01-01

    Full Text Available (1 Objectives: Mitochondrial disorders (MIDs are a genetically and phenotypically heterogeneous group of slowly or rapidly progressive disorders with onset from birth to senescence. Because of their variegated clinical presentation, MIDs are difficult to diagnose and are frequently missed in their early and late stages. This is why there is a need to provide biomarkers, which can be easily obtained in the case of suspecting a MID to initiate the further diagnostic work-up. (2 Methods: Literature review. (3 Results: Biomarkers for diagnostic purposes are used to confirm a suspected diagnosis and to facilitate and speed up the diagnostic work-up. For diagnosing MIDs, a number of dry and wet biomarkers have been proposed. Dry biomarkers for MIDs include the history and clinical neurological exam and structural and functional imaging studies of the brain, muscle, or myocardium by ultrasound, computed tomography (CT, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, MR-spectroscopy (MRS, positron emission tomography (PET, or functional MRI. Wet biomarkers from blood, urine, saliva, or cerebrospinal fluid (CSF for diagnosing MIDs include lactate, creatine-kinase, pyruvate, organic acids, amino acids, carnitines, oxidative stress markers, and circulating cytokines. The role of microRNAs, cutaneous respirometry, biopsy, exercise tests, and small molecule reporters as possible biomarkers is unsolved. (4 Conclusions: The disadvantages of most putative biomarkers for MIDs are that they hardly meet the criteria for being acceptable as a biomarker (missing longitudinal studies, not validated, not easily feasible, not cheap, not ubiquitously available and that not all MIDs manifest in the brain, muscle, or myocardium. There is currently a lack of validated biomarkers for diagnosing MIDs.

  15. The Role of Proteomics in Biomarker Development for Improved Patient Diagnosis and Clinical Decision Making in Prostate Cancer.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Tonry, Claire L

    2016-07-18

    Prostate Cancer (PCa) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide. Although increased expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) is an effective indicator for the recurrence of PCa, its intended use as a screening marker for PCa is of considerable controversy. Recent research efforts in the field of PCa biomarkers have focused on the identification of tissue and fluid-based biomarkers that would be better able to stratify those individuals diagnosed with PCa who (i) might best receive no treatment (active surveillance of the disease); (ii) would benefit from existing treatments; or (iii) those who are likely to succumb to disease recurrence and\\/or have aggressive disease. The growing demand for better prostate cancer biomarkers has coincided with the development of improved discovery and evaluation technologies for multiplexed measurement of proteins in bio-fluids and tissues. This review aims to (i) provide an overview of these technologies as well as describe some of the candidate PCa protein biomarkers that have been discovered using them; (ii) address some of the general limitations in the clinical evaluation and validation of protein biomarkers; and (iii) make recommendations for strategies that could be adopted to improve the successful development of protein biomarkers to deliver improvements in personalized PCa patient decision making.

  16. The Role of Proteomics in Biomarker Development for Improved Patient Diagnosis and Clinical Decision Making in Prostate Cancer

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Claire L. Tonry

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Prostate Cancer (PCa is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in men worldwide. Although increased expression of prostate-specific antigen (PSA is an effective indicator for the recurrence of PCa, its intended use as a screening marker for PCa is of considerable controversy. Recent research efforts in the field of PCa biomarkers have focused on the identification of tissue and fluid-based biomarkers that would be better able to stratify those individuals diagnosed with PCa who (i might best receive no treatment (active surveillance of the disease; (ii would benefit from existing treatments; or (iii those who are likely to succumb to disease recurrence and/or have aggressive disease. The growing demand for better prostate cancer biomarkers has coincided with the development of improved discovery and evaluation technologies for multiplexed measurement of proteins in bio-fluids and tissues. This review aims to (i provide an overview of these technologies as well as describe some of the candidate PCa protein biomarkers that have been discovered using them; (ii address some of the general limitations in the clinical evaluation and validation of protein biomarkers; and (iii make recommendations for strategies that could be adopted to improve the successful development of protein biomarkers to deliver improvements in personalized PCa patient decision making.

  17. Sex-specific associations between particulate matter exposure and gene expression in independent discovery and validation cohorts of middle-aged men and women

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Vrijens, Karen; Winckelmans, Ellen; Tsamou, Maria

    2017-01-01

    Background: Particulate matter (PM) exposure leads to premature death, mainly due to respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Objectives: Identification of transcriptomic biomarkers of air pollution exposure and effect in a healthy adult population. Methods: Microarray analyses were performed in 98...... healthy volunteers (48 men, 50 women). The expression of eight sex-specific candidate biomarker genes (significantly associated with PM10 in the discovery cohort and with a reported link to air pollution-related disease) was measured with qPCR in an independent validation cohort (75 men, 94 women...

  18. Biomarkers of the Dementia

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mikio Shoji

    2011-01-01

    Full Text Available Recent advances in biomarker studies on dementia are summarized here. CSF Aβ40, Aβ42, total tau, and phosphorylated tau are the most sensitive biomarkers for diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease (AD and prediction of onset of AD from mild cognitive impairment (MCI. Based on this progress, new diagnostic criteria for AD, MCI, and preclinical AD were proposed by National Institute of Aging (NIA and Alzheimer's Association in August 2010. In these new criteria, progress in biomarker identification and amyloid imaging studies in the past 10 years have added critical information. Huge contributions of basic and clinical studies have established clinical evidence supporting these markers. Based on this progress, essential therapy for cure of AD is urgently expected.

  19. Bio-mining for biomarkers with a multi-resolution block chain

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jenkins, Jeffrey; Kopf, Jarad; Tran, Binh Q.; Frenchi, Christopher; Szu, Harold

    2015-05-01

    In this paper, we discuss a framework for bridging the gap between security and medical Large Data Analysis (LDA) with functional- biomarkers. Unsupervised Learning for individual e-IQ & IQ relying on memory eliciting (i.e. scent, grandmother images) and IQ baseline profiles could further enhance the ability to uniquely identify and properly diagnose individuals. Sub-threshold changes in a common/probable biomedical biomarker (disorders) means that an individual remains healthy, while a martingale would require further investigation and more measurements taken to determine credibility. Empirical measurements of human actions can discover anomalies hidden in data, which point to biomarkers revealed through stimulus response. We review the approach for forming a single-user baseline having 1-d devices and a scale-invariant representation for N users each (i) having N*d(i) total devices. Such a fractal representation of human-centric data provides self-similar levels information and relationships which are useful for diagnosis and identification causality anywhere from a mental disorder to a DNA match. Biomarkers from biomedical devices offer a robust way to collect data. Biometrics could be envisioned as enhanced and personalized biomedical devices (e.g. typing fist), but used for security. As long as the devices have a shared context origin, useful information can be found by coupling the sensors. In the case of the electroencephalogram (EEG), known patterns have emerged in low frequency Delta Theta Alpha Beta-Gamma (DTAB-G) waves when an individual views a familiar picture in the visual cortex which is shown on EEGs as a sharp peak. Using brainwaves as a functional biomarker for security can lead the industry to create more secure sessions by allowing not only passwords but also visual stimuli and/or keystrokes coupled with EEG to capture and stay informed about real time user e-IQ/IQ data changes. This holistic Computer Science (CS) Knowledge Discovery in

  20. Circulating miRNAs as Putative Biomarkers of Exercise Adaptation in Endurance Horses

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Katia Cappelli

    2018-04-01

    Full Text Available Endurance exercise induces metabolic adaptations and has recently been reported associated with the modulation of a particular class of small noncoding RNAs, microRNAs, that act as post-transcriptional regulators of gene expression. Released into body fluids, they termed circulating miRNAs, and they have been recognized as more effective and accurate biomarkers than classical serum markers. This study examined serum profile of miRNAs through massive parallel sequencing in response to prolonged endurance exercise in samples obtained from four competitive Arabian horses before and 2 h after the end of competition. MicroRNA identification, differential gene expression (DGE analysis and a protein-protein interaction (PPI network showing significantly enriched pathways of target gene clusters, were assessed and explored. Our results show modulation of more than 100 miRNAs probably arising from tissues involved in exercise responses and indicating the modulation of correlated processes as muscle remodeling, immune and inflammatory responses. Circulating miRNA high-throughput sequencing is a promising approach for sports medicine for the discovery of putative biomarkers for predicting risks related to prolonged activity and monitoring metabolic adaptations.

  1. Biomarker selection for determining bone biocompatibility of pure magnesium processed by equal channel angular pressing (ECAP) using immunohistochemistry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Handayani, Lisa; Sulistyani, Lilies Dwi; Supriadi, Sugeng; Priosoeryanto, Bambang Pontjo; Latief, Benny Syariefsyah

    2018-02-01

    Since grain refinement is proved to be favorable to improve mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, a new conceptual metal forming process, equal channel angular pressing (ECAP), has been carried out on magnesium, a very promising biodegradable material in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery. The popularity of immunohisto-chemistry (IHC) has been rising following the discovery of biomarker. In the meantime, more antibodies being produced for research have been continuously rising and becoming more varied. This review provides a conceptual framework to understand the roles of IHC on determination of bone biocompatibility to ECAP magnesium by selecting biomarker and point needed to either select or make an antibody to the target. From the review, it has been concluded that the most suitable biomarkers for biocompatibility test of bone implanted with ECAP magnesium are collagen-1, osteocalcin, smooth muscle actin, and CD68.

  2. Annual Research Review: Discovery science strategies in studies of the pathophysiology of child and adolescent psychiatric disorders--promises and limitations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhao, Yihong; Castellanos, F Xavier

    2016-03-01

    Psychiatric science remains descriptive, with a categorical nosology intended to enhance interobserver reliability. Increased awareness of the mismatch between categorical classifications and the complexity of biological systems drives the search for novel frameworks including discovery science in Big Data. In this review, we provide an overview of incipient approaches, primarily focused on classically categorical diagnoses such as schizophrenia (SZ), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but also reference convincing, if focal, advances in cancer biology, to describe the challenges of Big Data and discovery science, and outline approaches being formulated to overcome existing obstacles. A paradigm shift from categorical diagnoses to a domain/structure-based nosology and from linear causal chains to complex causal network models of brain-behavior relationship is ongoing. This (r)evolution involves appreciating the complexity, dimensionality, and heterogeneity of neuropsychiatric data collected from multiple sources ('broad' data) along with data obtained at multiple levels of analysis, ranging from genes to molecules, cells, circuits, and behaviors ('deep' data). Both of these types of Big Data landscapes require the use and development of robust and powerful informatics and statistical approaches. Thus, we describe Big Data analysis pipelines and the promise and potential limitations in using Big Data approaches to study psychiatric disorders. We highlight key resources available for psychopathological studies and call for the application and development of Big Data approaches to dissect the causes and mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders and identify corresponding biomarkers for early diagnosis. © 2016 Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health.

  3. High-Throughput Analysis and Automation for Glycomics Studies

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Shubhakar, A.; Reiding, K.R.; Gardner, R.A.; Spencer, D.I.R.; Fernandes, D.L.; Wuhrer, M.

    2015-01-01

    This review covers advances in analytical technologies for high-throughput (HTP) glycomics. Our focus is on structural studies of glycoprotein glycosylation to support biopharmaceutical realization and the discovery of glycan biomarkers for human disease. For biopharmaceuticals, there is increasing

  4. Utility of CSF biomarkers in psychiatric disorders: a national multicentre prospective study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Paquet, Claire; Magnin, Eloi; Wallon, David; Troussière, Anne-Cécile; Dumurgier, Julien; Jager, Alain; Bellivier, Frank; Bouaziz-Amar, Elodie; Blanc, Frédéric; Beaufils, Emilie; Miguet-Alfonsi, Carole; Quillard, Muriel; Schraen, Susanna; Pasquier, Florence; Hannequin, Didier; Robert, Philippe; Hugon, Jacques; Mouton-Liger, François

    2016-06-13

    Affective and psychotic disorders are mental or behavioural patterns resulting in an inability to cope with life's ordinary demands and routines. These conditions can be a prodromal event of Alzheimer's disease (AD). The prevalence of underlying AD lesions in psychiatric diseases is unknown, and it would be helpful to determine them in patients. AD cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers (amyloid β, tau and phosphorylated tau) have high diagnostic accuracy, both for AD with dementia and to predict incipient AD (mild cognitive impairment due to AD), and they are sometimes used to discriminate psychiatric diseases from AD. Our objective in the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of CSF biomarkers in a group of patients with psychiatric disease as the main diagnosis. In a multicentre prospective study, clinicians filled out an anonymous questionnaire about all of their patients who had undergone CSF biomarker evaluation. Before and after CSF biomarker results were obtained, clinicians provided a diagnosis with their level of confidence and information about the treatment. We included patients with a psychiatric disorder as the initial diagnosis. In a second part of the study conducted retrospectively in a followed subgroup, clinicians detailed the psychiatric history and we classified patients into three categories: (1) psychiatric symptoms associated with AD, (2) dual diagnosis and (3) cognitive decline not linked to a neurodegenerative disorder. Of 957 patients, 69 had an initial diagnosis of a psychiatric disorder. Among these 69 patients, 14 (20.2 %) had a CSF AD profile, 5 (7.2 %) presented with an intermediate CSF profile and 50 (72.4 %) had a non-AD CSF profile. Ultimately, 13 (18.8 %) patients were diagnosed with AD. We show that in the AD group psychiatric symptoms occurred later and the delay between the first psychiatric symptoms and the cognitive decline was shorter. This study revealed that about 20 % of patients with a primary

  5. Semi-automated literature mining to identify putative biomarkers of disease from multiple biofluids

    Science.gov (United States)

    2014-01-01

    Background Computational methods for mining of biomedical literature can be useful in augmenting manual searches of the literature using keywords for disease-specific biomarker discovery from biofluids. In this work, we develop and apply a semi-automated literature mining method to mine abstracts obtained from PubMed to discover putative biomarkers of breast and lung cancers in specific biofluids. Methodology A positive set of abstracts was defined by the terms ‘breast cancer’ and ‘lung cancer’ in conjunction with 14 separate ‘biofluids’ (bile, blood, breastmilk, cerebrospinal fluid, mucus, plasma, saliva, semen, serum, synovial fluid, stool, sweat, tears, and urine), while a negative set of abstracts was defined by the terms ‘(biofluid) NOT breast cancer’ or ‘(biofluid) NOT lung cancer.’ More than 5.3 million total abstracts were obtained from PubMed and examined for biomarker-disease-biofluid associations (34,296 positive and 2,653,396 negative for breast cancer; 28,355 positive and 2,595,034 negative for lung cancer). Biological entities such as genes and proteins were tagged using ABNER, and processed using Python scripts to produce a list of putative biomarkers. Z-scores were calculated, ranked, and used to determine significance of putative biomarkers found. Manual verification of relevant abstracts was performed to assess our method’s performance. Results Biofluid-specific markers were identified from the literature, assigned relevance scores based on frequency of occurrence, and validated using known biomarker lists and/or databases for lung and breast cancer [NCBI’s On-line Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM), Cancer Gene annotation server for cancer genomics (CAGE), NCBI’s Genes & Disease, NCI’s Early Detection Research Network (EDRN), and others]. The specificity of each marker for a given biofluid was calculated, and the performance of our semi-automated literature mining method assessed for breast and lung cancer

  6. Quantitative imaging biomarkers: the application of advanced image processing and analysis to clinical and preclinical decision making.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prescott, Jeffrey William

    2013-02-01

    The importance of medical imaging for clinical decision making has been steadily increasing over the last four decades. Recently, there has also been an emphasis on medical imaging for preclinical decision making, i.e., for use in pharamaceutical and medical device development. There is also a drive towards quantification of imaging findings by using quantitative imaging biomarkers, which can improve sensitivity, specificity, accuracy and reproducibility of imaged characteristics used for diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. An important component of the discovery, characterization, validation and application of quantitative imaging biomarkers is the extraction of information and meaning from images through image processing and subsequent analysis. However, many advanced image processing and analysis methods are not applied directly to questions of clinical interest, i.e., for diagnostic and therapeutic decision making, which is a consideration that should be closely linked to the development of such algorithms. This article is meant to address these concerns. First, quantitative imaging biomarkers are introduced by providing definitions and concepts. Then, potential applications of advanced image processing and analysis to areas of quantitative imaging biomarker research are described; specifically, research into osteoarthritis (OA), Alzheimer's disease (AD) and cancer is presented. Then, challenges in quantitative imaging biomarker research are discussed. Finally, a conceptual framework for integrating clinical and preclinical considerations into the development of quantitative imaging biomarkers and their computer-assisted methods of extraction is presented.

  7. The conifer biomarkers dehydroabietic and abietic acids are widespread in Cyanobacteria

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa, Maria Sofia; Rego, Adriana; Ramos, Vitor; Afonso, Tiago B.; Freitas, Sara; Preto, Marco; Lopes, Viviana; Vasconcelos, Vitor; Magalhães, Catarina; Leão, Pedro N.

    2016-01-01

    Terpenes, a large family of natural products with important applications, are commonly associated with plants and fungi. The diterpenoids dehydroabietic and abietic acids are defense metabolites abundant in resin, and are used as biomarkers for conifer plants. We report here for the first time that the two diterpenoid acids are produced by members of several genera of cyanobacteria. Dehydroabietic acid was isolated from two cyanobacterial strains and its identity was confirmed spectroscopically. One or both of the diterpenoids were detected in the cells of phylogenetically diverse cyanobacteria belonging to four cyanobacterial ‘botanical orders’, from marine, estuarine and inland environments. Dehydroabietic acid was additionally found in culture supernatants. We investigated the natural role of the two resin acids in cyanobacteria using ecologically-relevant bioassays and found that the compounds inhibited the growth of a small coccoid cyanobacterium. The unexpected discovery of dehydroabietic and abietic acids in a wide range of cyanobacteria has implications for their use as plant biomarkers. PMID:26996104

  8. MicroRNA hsa-miR-134 is a circulating biomarker for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Simoni H Avansini

    Full Text Available Epilepsy is misdiagnosed in up to 25% of patients, leading to serious and long-lasting consequences. Recently, circulating microRNAs have emerged as potential biomarkers in a number of clinical scenarios. The purpose of this study was to identify and to validate circulating microRNAs that could be used as biomarkers in the diagnosis of epilepsy. Quantitative real-time PCR was used to measure plasma levels of three candidate microRNAs in two phases of study: an initial discovery phase with 14 patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE, 13 with focal cortical dysplasia (FCD and 16 controls; and a validation cohort constituted of an independent cohort of 65 patients with MTLE and 83 controls. We found hsa-miR-134 downregulated in patients with MTLE (p = 0.018 but not in patients with FCD, when compared to controls. Furthermore, hsa-miR-134 expression could be used to discriminate MTLE patients with an area under the curve (AUC of 0.75. To further assess the robustness of hsa-miR-134 as a biomarker for MTLE, we studied an independent cohort of 65 patients with MTLE, 27 of whom MTLE patients were responsive to pharmacotherapy, and 38 patients were pharmacoresistant and 83 controls. We confirmed that hsa-miR-134 was significantly downregulated in the plasma of patients with MTLE when compared with controls (p < 0.001. In addition, hsa-miR-134 identified patients with MTLE regardless of their response to pharmacotherapy or the presence of MRI signs of hippocampal sclerosis. We revealed that decreased expression of hsa-miR-134 could be a potential non-invasive biomarker to support the diagnosis of patients with MTLE.

  9. Circulating Long Noncoding RNAs as Potential Biomarkers of Sepsis: A Preliminary Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dai, Yu; Liang, Zhixin; Li, Yulin; Li, Chunsun; Chen, Liangan

    2017-11-01

    Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are becoming promising biomarker candidates in various diseases as assessed via sequencing technologies. Sepsis is a life-threatening disease without ideal biomarkers. The aim of this study was to investigate the expression profile of lncRNAs in the peripheral blood of sepsis patients and to find potential biomarkers of sepsis. A lncRNA expression profile was performed using peripheral blood from three sepsis patients and three healthy volunteers using microarray screening. The differentially expressed lncRNAs were validated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) in a further set of 22 sepsis patients and 22 healthy volunteers. Among 1316 differentially expressed lncRNAs, 771 were downregulated and 545 were upregulated. Results of the qRT-PCR were consistent with the microarray data. lncRNA ENST00000452391.1, uc001vji.1, and uc021zxw.1 were significantly differentially expressed between sepsis patients and healthy volunteers. Moreover, lncRNA ENST00000504301.1 and ENST00000452391.1 were significantly differentially expressed between sepsis survivors and nonsurvivors. The lncRNA expression profile in the peripheral blood of sepsis patients significantly differed from that of healthy volunteers. Circulating lncRNAs may be good candidates for sepsis biomarkers.

  10. Urinary Metabolomic Profiling to Identify Potential Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Behcet’s Disease by Gas Chromatography/Time-of-Flight−Mass Spectrometry

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Joong Kyong Ahn

    2017-11-01

    Full Text Available Diagnosing Behcet’s disease (BD is challenging because of the lack of a diagnostic biomarker. The purposes of this study were to investigate distinctive metabolic changes in urine samples of BD patients and to identify urinary metabolic biomarkers for diagnosis of BD using gas chromatography/time-of-flight–mass spectrometry (GC/TOF−MS. Metabolomic profiling of urine samples from 44 BD patients and 41 healthy controls (HC were assessed using GC/TOF−MS, in conjunction with multivariate statistical analysis. A total of 110 urinary metabolites were identified. The urine metabolite profiles obtained from GC/TOF−MS analysis could distinguish BD patients from the HC group in the discovery set. The parameter values of the orthogonal partial least squared-discrimination analysis (OPLS-DA model were R2X of 0.231, R2Y of 0.804, and Q2 of 0.598. A biomarker panel composed of guanine, pyrrole-2-carboxylate, 3-hydroxypyridine, mannose, l-citrulline, galactonate, isothreonate, sedoheptuloses, hypoxanthine, and gluconic acid lactone were selected and adequately validated as putative biomarkers of BD (sensitivity 96.7%, specificity 93.3%, area under the curve 0.974. OPLS-DA showed clear discrimination of BD and HC groups by a biomarker panel of ten metabolites in the independent set (accuracy 88%. We demonstrated characteristic urinary metabolic profiles and potential urinary metabolite biomarkers that have clinical value in the diagnosis of BD using GC/TOF−MS.

  11. Multimodal lung cancer screening using the ITALUNG biomarker panel and low dose computed tomography. Results of the ITALUNG biomarker study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Carozzi, Francesca Maria; Bisanzi, Simonetta; Carrozzi, Laura; Falaschi, Fabio; Lopes Pegna, Andrea; Mascalchi, Mario; Picozzi, Giulia; Peluso, Marco; Sani, Cristina; Greco, Luana; Ocello, Cristina; Paci, Eugenio

    2017-07-01

    Asymptomatic high-risk subjects, randomized in the intervention arm of the ITALUNG trial (1,406 screened for lung cancer), were enrolled for the ITALUNG biomarker study (n = 1,356), in which samples of blood and sputum were analyzed for plasma DNA quantification (cut off 5 ng/ml), loss of heterozygosity and microsatellite instability. The ITALUNG biomarker panel (IBP) was considered positive if at least one of the two biomarkers included in the panel was positive. Subjects with and without lung cancer diagnosis at the end of the screening cycle with LDCT (n = 517) were evaluated. Out of 18 baseline screen detected lung cancer cases, 17 were IBP positive (94%). Repeat screen-detected lung cancer cases were 18 and 12 of them positive at baseline IBP test (66%). Interval cancer cases (2-years) and biomarker tests after a suspect Non Calcific Nodule follow-up were investigated. The single test versus multimodal screening measures of accuracy were compared in a simulation within the screened ITALUNG intervention arm, considering screen-detected and interval cancer cases. Sensitivity was 90% at baseline screening. Specificity was 71 and 61% for LDCT and IBP as baseline single test, and improved at 89% with multimodal, combined screening. The positive predictive value was 4.3% for LDCT at baseline and 10.6% for multimodal screening. Multimodal screening could improve the screening efficiency at baseline and strategies for future implementation are discussed. If IBP was used as primary screening test, the LDCT burden might decrease of about 60%. © 2017 UICC.

  12. Research strategies and the use of nutrient biomarkers in studies of diet and chronic disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Prentice, Ross L; Sugar, Elizabeth; Wang, C Y; Neuhouser, Marian; Patterson, Ruth

    2002-12-01

    To provide an account of the state of diet and chronic disease research designs and methods; to discuss the role and potential of aggregate and analytical observational studies and randomised controlled intervention trials; and to propose strategies for strengthening each type of study, with particular emphasis on the use of nutrient biomarkers in cohort study settings. Observations from diet and disease studies conducted over the past 25 years are used to identify the strengths and weaknesses of various study designs that have been used to associate nutrient consumption with chronic disease risk. It is argued that a varied research programme, employing multiple study designs, is needed in response to the widely different biases and constraints that attend aggregate and analytical epidemiological studies and controlled intervention trials. Study design modifications are considered that may be able to enhance the reliability of aggregate and analytical nutritional epidemiological studies. Specifically, the potential of nutrient biomarker measurements that provide an objective assessment of nutrient consumption to enhance analytical study reliability is emphasised. A statistical model for combining nutrient biomarker data with self-report nutrient consumption estimates is described, and related ongoing work on odds ratio parameter estimation is outlined briefly. Finally, a recently completed nutritional biomarker study among 102 postmenopausal women in Seattle is mentioned. The statistical model will be applied to biomarker data on energy expenditure, urinary nitrogen, selected blood fatty acid measurements and various blood micronutrient concentrations, and food frequency self-report data, to identify study subject characteristics, such as body mass, age or socio-economic status, that may be associated with the measurement properties of food frequency nutrient consumption estimates. This information will be crucial for the design of a potential larger nutrient

  13. BIOMarkers for occupational diesel exhaust exposure monitoring (BIOMODEM) - a study in underground mining

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Scheepers, P.T.J.; Coggon, D.; Knudsen, Lisbeth E.

    2002-01-01

    Methods for the assessment of exposures to diesel exhaust were evaluated, including various biomarkers of internal exposure and early biological effects. The impact of possible biomarkers of susceptibility was also explored. Underground workers (drivers of diesel-powered excavators) at an oil sha...... bulky DNA adducts determined by 32P-postlabelling, or in DNA damage. The study indicated that smoking, diet and residential indoor air pollution are important non-occupational factors to consider when interpreting biomonitoring results....

  14. Metabolite Profiling in the Pursuit of Biomarkers for IVF Outcome: The Case for Metabolomics Studies

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    C. McRae

    2013-01-01

    Full Text Available Background. This paper presents the literature on biomarkers of in vitro fertilisation (IVF outcome, demonstrating the progression of these studies towards metabolite profiling, specifically metabolomics. The need for more, and improved, metabolomics studies in the field of assisted conception is discussed. Methods. Searches were performed on ISI Web of Knowledge SM for literature associated with biomarkers of oocyte and embryo quality, and biomarkers of IVF outcome in embryo culture medium, follicular fluid (FF, and blood plasma in female mammals. Results. Metabolomics in the field of female reproduction is still in its infancy. Metabolomics investigations of embryo culture medium for embryo selection have been the most common, but only within the last five years. Only in 2012 has the first metabolomics investigation of FF for biomarkers of oocyte quality been reported. The only metabolomics studies of human blood plasma in this context have been aimed at identifying women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS. Conclusions. Metabolomics is becoming more established in the field of assisted conception, but the studies performed so far have been preliminary and not all potential applications have yet been explored. With further improved metabolomics studies, the possibility of identifying a method for predicting IVF outcome may become a reality.

  15. Novel TIA biomarkers identified by mass spectrometry-based proteomics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    George, Paul M; Mlynash, Michael; Adams, Christopher M; Kuo, Calvin J; Albers, Gregory W; Olivot, Jean-Marc

    2015-12-01

    Transient ischemic attacks remain a clinical diagnosis with significant variability between physicians. Finding reliable biomarkers to identify transient ischemic attacks would improve patient care and optimize treatment. Our aim is to identify novel serum TIA biomarkers through the use of mass spectroscopy-based proteomics. Patients with transient neurologic symptoms were prospectively enrolled. Mass spectrometry-based proteomics, an unbiased method to identify candidate proteins, was used to test the serum of the patients for biomarkers of cerebral ischemia. Three candidate proteins were found, and serum concentrations of these proteins were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in a second cohort of prospectively enrolled patients. The Student's t-test was used for comparison. The Benjamini-Hochberg false discovery rate controlling procedure for multiple comparison adjustments determined significance for the proteomic screen. Patients with transient ischemic attacks (n = 20), minor strokes (n = 15), and controls (i.e. migraine, seizure, n = 12) were enrolled in the first cohort. Ceruloplasmin, complement component C8 gamma (C8γ), and platelet basic protein were significantly different between the ischemic group (transient ischemic attack and minor stroke) and the controls (P = 0·0001, P = 0·00027, P = 0·00105, respectively). A second cohort of patients with transient ischemic attack (n = 22), minor stroke (n = 20), and controls' (n = 12) serum was enrolled. Platelet basic protein serum concentrations were increased in the ischemic samples compared with control (for transient ischemic attack alone, P = 0·019, for the ischemic group, P = 0·046). Ceruloplasmin trended towards increased concentrations in the ischemic group (P = 0·127); no significant difference in C8γ (P = 0·44) was found. Utilizing mass spectrometry-based proteomics, platelet basic protein has been identified as a candidate serum

  16. A Japanese cross-sectional multicentre study of biomarkers associated with cardiovascular disease in smokers and non-smokers

    OpenAIRE

    L?dicke, Frank; Magnette, John; Baker, Gizelle; Weitkunat, Rolf

    2015-01-01

    Abstract We performed a cross-sectional, multicentre study in Japan to detect the differences in biomarkers of exposure and cardiovascular biomarkers between smokers and non-smokers. Several clinically relevant cardiovascular biomarkers differed significantly between smokers and non-smokers, including lipid metabolism (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentrations ? lower in smokers), inflammation (fibrinogen and white blood cell count ? both higher in smokers), oxidative stress (8-epi-...

  17. SELDI-TOF MS-based discovery of a biomarker in Cucumis sativus seeds exposed to CuO nanoparticles.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Moon, Young-Sun; Park, Eun-Sil; Kim, Tae-Oh; Lee, Hoi-Seon; Lee, Sung-Eun

    2014-11-01

    Metal oxide nanoparticles (NPs) can inhibit plant seed germination and root elongation via the release of metal ions. In the present study, two acute phytotoxicity tests, seed germination and root elongation tests, were conducted on cucumber seeds (Cucumis sativus) treated with bulk copper oxide (CuO) and CuO NPs. Two concentrations of bulk CuO and CuO NPs, 200 and 600ppm, were used to test the inhibition rate of root germination; both concentrations of bulk CuO weakly inhibited seed germination, whereas CuO NPs significantly inhibited germination, showing a low germination rate of 23.3% at 600ppm. Root elongation tests demonstrated that CuO NPs were much stronger inhibitors than bulk CuO. SELDI-TOF MS analysis showed that 34 proteins were differentially expressed in cucumber seeds after exposure to CuO NPs, with the expression patterns of at least 9 proteins highly differing from those in seeds treated with bulk CuO and in control plants. Therefore, these 9 proteins were used to identify CuO NP-specific biomarkers in cucumber plants exposed to CuO NPs. A 5977-m/z protein was the most distinguishable biomarker for determining phytotoxicity by CuO NPs. Principal component analysis (PCA) of the SELDI-TOF MS results showed variability in the modes of inhibitory action on cucumber seeds and roots. To our knowledge, this is the first study to demonstrate that the phytotoxic effect of metal oxide NPs on plants is not caused by the same mode of action as other toxins. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  18. Diagnostic and prognostic epigenetic biomarkers in cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Costa-Pinheiro, Pedro; Montezuma, Diana; Henrique, Rui; Jerónimo, Carmen

    2015-01-01

    Growing cancer incidence and mortality worldwide demands development of accurate biomarkers to perfect detection, diagnosis, prognostication and monitoring. Urologic (prostate, bladder, kidney), lung, breast and colorectal cancers are the most common and despite major advances in their characterization, this has seldom translated into biomarkers amenable for clinical practice. Epigenetic alterations are innovative cancer biomarkers owing to stability, frequency, reversibility and accessibility in body fluids, entailing great potential of assay development to assist in patient management. Several studies identified putative epigenetic cancer biomarkers, some of which have been commercialized. However, large multicenter validation studies are required to foster translation to the clinics. Herein we review the most promising epigenetic detection, diagnostic, prognostic and predictive biomarkers for the most common cancers.

  19. Validation of biomarkers for the study of environmental carcinogens: a review

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gallo, Valentina; Khan, Aneire; Gonzales, Carlos

    2008-01-01

    There is a need for validation of biomarkers. Our aim is to review published work on the validation of selected biomarkers: bulky DNA adducts, N-nitroso compounds, 1-hydroxypyrene, and oxidative damage to DNA. A systematic literature search in PubMed was performed. Information on the variability...... and reliability of the laboratory tests used for biomarkers measurements was collected. For the evaluation of the evidence on validation we referred to the ACCE criteria. Little is known about intraindividual variation of DNA adduct measurements, but measurements have a good repeatability irrespective...... of the technique used for their identification; reproducibility improved after the correction for a laboratory factor. A high-sensitivity method is available for the measurement of 1-hydroxypyrene in urine. There is consensus on validation of biomarkers of oxidative damage DNA based on the comet assay...

  20. Atacama Rover Astrobiology Drilling Studies: Roving to Find Subsurface Preserved Biomarkers

    Science.gov (United States)

    Glass, B.; Davila, A.; Parro, V.; Quinn, R.; Willis, P.; Brinckerhoff, W.; DiRuggiero, J.; Williams, M.; Bergman, D.; Stoker, C.

    2016-05-01

    The ARADS project is a NASA PSTAR that will drill into a Mars analog site in search of biomarkers. Leading to a field test of an integrated rover-drill system with four prototype in-situ instruments for biomarker detection and analysis.

  1. Personalized Herbal Medicine? A Roadmap for Convergence of Herbal and Precision Medicine Biomarker Innovations.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Thomford, Nicholas Ekow; Dzobo, Kevin; Chimusa, Emile; Andrae-Marobela, Kerstin; Chirikure, Shadreck; Wonkam, Ambroise; Dandara, Collet

    2018-06-01

    While drugs remain the cornerstone of medicine, herbal medicine is an important comedication worldwide. Thus, precision medicine ought to face this clinical reality and develop "companion diagnostics" for drugs as well as herbal medicines. Yet, many are in denial with respect to the extent of use of traditional/herbal medicines, overlooking that a considerable number of contemporary therapeutic drugs trace their discovery from herbal medicines. This expert review underscores that absent such appropriate attention on both classical drug therapy and herbal medicines, precision medicine biomarkers will likely not stand the full test of clinical practice while patients continue to use both drugs and herbal medicines and, yet the biomarker research and applications focus only (or mostly) on drug therapy. This asymmetry in biomarker innovation strategy needs urgent attention from a wide range of innovation actors worldwide, including governments, research funders, scientists, community leaders, civil society organizations, herbal, pharmaceutical, and insurance industries, policymakers, and social/political scientists. We discuss the various dimensions of a future convergence map between herbal and conventional medicine, and conclude with a set of concrete strategies on how best to integrate biomarker research in a realm of both herbal and drug treatment. Africa, by virtue of its vast experience and exposure in herbal medicine and a "pregnant" life sciences innovation ecosystem, could play a game-changing role for the "birth" of biomarker-informed personalized herbal medicine in the near future. At this critical juncture when precision medicine initiatives are being rolled out worldwide, precision/personalized herbal medicine is both timely and essential for modern therapeutics, not to mention biomarker innovations that stand the test of real-life practices and implementation in the clinic and society.

  2. Proteomic biomarkers for ovarian cancer risk in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a systematic review and biomarker database integration.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Galazis, Nicolas; Olaleye, Olalekan; Haoula, Zeina; Layfield, Robert; Atiomo, William

    2012-12-01

    To review and identify possible biomarkers for ovarian cancer (OC) in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Systematic literature searches of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane using the search terms "proteomics," "proteomic," and "ovarian cancer" or "ovarian carcinoma." Proteomic biomarkers for OC were then integrated with an updated previously published database of all proteomic biomarkers identified to date in patients with PCOS. Academic department of obstetrics and gynecology in the United Kingdom. A total of 180 women identified in the six studies. Tissue samples from women with OC vs. tissue samples from women without OC. Proteomic biomarkers, proteomic technique used, and methodologic quality score. A panel of six biomarkers was overexpressed both in women with OC and in women with PCOS. These biomarkers include calreticulin, fibrinogen-γ, superoxide dismutase, vimentin, malate dehydrogenase, and lamin B2. These biomarkers could help improve our understanding of the links between PCOS and OC and could potentially be used to identify subgroups of women with PCOS at increased risk of OC. More studies are required to further evaluate the role these biomarkers play in women with PCOS and OC. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Reproductive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. Clinical usefulness of a biomarker-based diagnostic test for acute stroke: the Biomarker Rapid Assessment in Ischemic Injury (BRAIN) study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Laskowitz, Daniel T; Kasner, Scott E; Saver, Jeffrey; Remmel, Kerri S; Jauch, Edward C

    2009-01-01

    One of the significant limitations in the evaluation and management of patients with suspected acute cerebral ischemia is the absence of a widely available, rapid, and sensitive diagnostic test. The objective of the current study was to assess whether a test using a panel of biomarkers might provide useful diagnostic information in the early evaluation of stroke by differentiating patients with cerebral ischemia from other causes of acute neurological deficit. A total of 1146 patients presenting with neurological symptoms consistent with possible stroke were prospectively enrolled at 17 different sites. Timed blood samples were assayed for matrix metalloproteinase 9, brain natriuretic factor, d-dimer, and protein S100beta. A separate cohort of 343 patients was independently enrolled to validate the multiple biomarker model approach. A diagnostic tool incorporating the values of matrix metalloproteinase 9, brain natriuretic factor, d-dimer, and S-100beta into a composite score was sensitive for acute cerebral ischemia. The multivariate model demonstrated modest discriminative capabilities with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.76 for hemorrhagic stroke and 0.69 for all stroke (likelihood test P<0.001). When the threshold for the logistic model was set at the first quartile, this resulted in a sensitivity of 86% for detecting all stroke and a sensitivity of 94% for detecting hemorrhagic stroke. Moreover, results were reproducible in a separate cohort tested on a point-of-care platform. These results suggest that a biomarker panel may add valuable and time-sensitive diagnostic information in the early evaluation of stroke. Such an approach is feasible on a point-of-care platform. The rapid identification of patients with suspected stroke would expand the availability of time-limited treatment strategies. Although the diagnostic accuracy of the current panel is clearly imperfect, this study demonstrates the feasibility of incorporating a

  4. Towards a routine application of Top-Down approaches for label-free discovery workflows.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Schmit, Pierre-Olivier; Vialaret, Jerome; Wessels, Hans J C T; van Gool, Alain J; Lehmann, Sylvain; Gabelle, Audrey; Wood, Jason; Bern, Marshall; Paape, Rainer; Suckau, Detlev; Kruppa, Gary; Hirtz, Christophe

    2018-03-20

    Thanks to proteomics investigations, our vision of the role of different protein isoforms in the pathophysiology of diseases has largely evolved. The idea that protein biomarkers like tau, amyloid peptides, ApoE, cystatin, or neurogranin are represented in body fluids as single species is obviously over-simplified, as most proteins are present in different isoforms and subjected to numerous processing and post-translational modifications. Measuring the intact mass of proteins by MS has the advantage to provide information on the presence and relative amount of the different proteoforms. Such Top-Down approaches typically require a high degree of sample pre-fractionation to allow the MS system to deliver optimal performance in terms of dynamic range, mass accuracy and resolution. In clinical studies, however, the requirements for pre-analytical robustness and sample size large enough for statistical power restrict the routine use of a high degree of sample pre-fractionation. In this study, we have investigated the capacities of current-generation Ultra-High Resolution Q-Tof systems to deal with high complexity intact protein samples and have evaluated the approach on a cohort of patients suffering from neurodegenerative disease. Statistical analysis has shown that several proteoforms can be used to distinguish Alzheimer disease patients from patients suffering from other neurodegenerative disease. Top-down approaches have an extremely high biological relevance, especially when it comes to biomarker discovery, but the necessary pre-fractionation constraints are not easily compatible with the robustness requirements and the size of clinical sample cohorts. We have demonstrated that intact protein profiling studies could be run on UHR-Q-ToF with limited pre-fractionation. The proteoforms that have been identified as candidate biomarkers in the-proof-of concept study are derived from proteins known to play a role in the pathophysiology process of Alzheimer disease

  5. Combination of biomarkers

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Thurfjell, Lennart; Lötjönen, Jyrki; Lundqvist, Roger

    2012-01-01

    The New National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease (AD) incorporate biomarkers in the diagnostic criteria and suggest division of biomarkers into two categories: Aβ accumulation and neuronal degeneration or injury.......The New National Institute on Aging-Alzheimer's Association diagnostic guidelines for Alzheimer's disease (AD) incorporate biomarkers in the diagnostic criteria and suggest division of biomarkers into two categories: Aβ accumulation and neuronal degeneration or injury....

  6. Cardiovascular drug discovery in the academic setting: building infrastructure, harnessing strengths, and seeking synergies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Gardell, Stephen J; Roth, Gregory P; Kelly, Daniel P

    2010-10-01

    The flow of innovative, effective, and safe new drugs from pharmaceutical laboratories for the treatment and prevention of cardiovascular disease has slowed to a trickle. While the need for breakthrough cardiovascular disease drugs is still paramount, the incentive to develop these agents has been blunted by burgeoning clinical development costs coupled with a heightened risk of failure due to the unprecedented nature of the emerging drug targets and increasingly challenging regulatory environment. A fuller understanding of the drug targets and employing novel biomarker strategies in clinical trials should serve to mitigate the risk. In any event, these current challenges have evoked changing trends in the pharmaceutical industry, which have created an opportunity for non-profit biomedical research institutions to play a pivotal partnering role in early stage drug discovery. The obvious strengths of academic research institutions is the breadth of their scientific programs and the ability and motivation to "go deep" to identify and characterize new target pathways that unlock the specific mysteries of cardiovascular diseases--leading to a bounty of novel therapeutic targets and prescient biomarkers. However, success in the drug discovery arena within the academic environment is contingent upon assembling the requisite infrastructure, annexing the talent to interrogate and validate the drug targets, and building translational bridges with pharmaceutical organizations and patient-oriented researchers.

  7. Proteomic Biomarkers for Spontaneous Preterm Birth

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kacerovsky, Marian; Lenco, Juraj; Musilova, Ivana

    2014-01-01

    This review aimed to identify, synthesize, and analyze the findings of studies on proteomic biomarkers for spontaneous preterm birth (PTB). Three electronic databases (Medline, Embase, and Scopus) were searched for studies in any language reporting the use of proteomic biomarkers for PTB published...

  8. A resource for discovering specific and universal biomarkers for distributed stem cells.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Minsoo Noh

    Full Text Available Specific and universal biomarkers for distributed stem cells (DSCs have been elusive. A major barrier to discovery of such ideal DSC biomarkers is difficulty in obtaining DSCs in sufficient quantity and purity. To solve this problem, we used cell lines genetically engineered for conditional asymmetric self-renewal, the defining DSC property. In gene microarray analyses, we identified 85 genes whose expression is tightly asymmetric self-renewal associated (ASRA. The ASRA gene signature prescribed DSCs to undergo asymmetric self-renewal to a greater extent than committed progenitor cells, embryonic stem cells, or induced pluripotent stem cells. This delineation has several significant implications. These include: 1 providing experimental evidence that DSCs in vivo undergo asymmetric self-renewal as individual cells; 2 providing an explanation why earlier attempts to define a common gene expression signature for DSCs were unsuccessful; and 3 predicting that some ASRA proteins may be ideal biomarkers for DSCs. Indeed, two ASRA proteins, CXCR6 and BTG2, and two other related self-renewal pattern associated (SRPA proteins identified in this gene resource, LGR5 and H2A.Z, display unique asymmetric patterns of expression that have a high potential for universal and specific DSC identification.

  9. miR-758-3p: a blood-based biomarker that's influence on the expression of CERP/ABCA1 may contribute to the progression of obesity to metabolic syndrome.

    Science.gov (United States)

    O'Neill, Sadhbh; Larsen, Mette Bohl; Gregersen, Søren; Hermansen, Kjeld; O'Driscoll, Lorraine

    2018-02-06

    Due to increasing prevalence of obesity, a simple method or methods for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome are urgently required to reduce the risk of associated cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. This study aimed to identify a miRNA biomarker that may distinguish metabolic syndrome from obesity and to investigate if such a miRNA may have functional relevance for metabolic syndrome. 52 adults with clinical obesity (n=26) or metabolic syndrome (n=26) were recruited. Plasma specimens were procured from all and were randomly designated to discovery and validation cohorts. miRNA discovery profiling was performed, using array technology, on plasma RNA. Validation was performed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The functional effect of miR-758-3p on its predicted target, cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter, was investigated using HepG2 liver cells. Custom miRNA profiling of 25 miRNAs in the discovery cohort found miR-758-3p to be detected in the obese cohort but undetected in the metabolic syndrome cohort. miR-758-3p was subsequently validated as a potential biomarker for metabolic syndrome by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Bioinformatics analysis identified cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter as miR-758-3p's predicted target. Specifically, mimicking miR-758-3p in HepG2 cells suppressed cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter protein expression; conversely, inhibiting miR-758-3p increased cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter protein expression. miR-758-3p holds potential as a blood-based biomarker for distinguishing progression from obesity to metabolic syndrome and as a driver in controlling cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter expression, indicating it potential role in cholesterol control in metabolic syndrome.

  10. Towards Precision Medicine in the Clinic: From Biomarker Discovery to Novel Therapeutics.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Collins, Dearbhaile C; Sundar, Raghav; Lim, Joline S J; Yap, Timothy A

    2017-01-01

    Precision medicine continues to be the benchmark to which we strive in cancer research. Seeking out actionable aberrations that can be selectively targeted by drug compounds promises to optimize treatment efficacy and minimize toxicity. Utilizing these different targeted agents in combination or in sequence may further delay resistance to treatments and prolong antitumor responses. Remarkable progress in the field of immunotherapy adds another layer of complexity to the management of cancer patients. Corresponding advances in companion biomarker development, novel methods of serial tumor assessments, and innovative trial designs act synergistically to further precision medicine. Ongoing hurdles such as clonal evolution, intra- and intertumor heterogeneity, and varied mechanisms of drug resistance continue to be challenges to overcome. Large-scale data-sharing and collaborative networks using next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms promise to take us further into the cancer 'ome' than ever before, with the goal of achieving successful precision medicine. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Current and Future Applications of Biomedical Engineering for Proteomic Profiling: Predictive Biomarkers in Neuro-Traumatology

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mario Ganau

    2018-02-01

    Full Text Available This systematic review aims to summarize the impact of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering in defining clinically meaningful predictive biomarkers in patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI, a critical worldwide health problem with an estimated 10 billion people affected annually worldwide. Data were collected through a review of the existing English literature performed on Scopus, MEDLINE, MEDLINE in Process, EMBASE, and/or Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. Only experimental articles revolving around the management of TBI, in which the role of new devices based on innovative discoveries coming from the field of nanotechnology and biomedical engineering were highlighted, have been included and analyzed in this study. Based on theresults gathered from this research on innovative methods for genomics, epigenomics, and proteomics, their future application in this field seems promising. Despite the outstanding technical challenges of identifying reliable biosignatures for TBI and the mixed nature of studies herein described (single cells proteomics, biofilms, sensors, etc., the clinical implementation of those discoveries will allow us to gain confidence in the use of advanced neuromonitoring modalities with a potential dramatic improvement in the management of those patients.

  12. Biomarkers in DILI: one more step forward

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mercedes Robles-Díaz

    2016-08-01

    Full Text Available Despite being relatively rare, drug-induced liver injury (DILI is a serious condition, both for the individual patient due to the risk of acute liver failure, and for the drug development industry and regulatory agencies due to associations with drug development attritions, black box warnings and postmarketing withdrawals. A major limitation in DILI diagnosis and prediction is the current lack of specific biomarkers. Despite refined usage of traditional liver biomarkers in DILI, reliable disease outcome predictions are still difficult to make. These limitations have driven the growing interest in developing new more sensitive and specific DILI biomarkers, which can improve early DILI prediction, diagnosis and course of action. Several promising DILI biomarker candidates have been discovered to date, including mechanistic-based biomarker candidates such as glutamate dehydrogenase, high-mobility group box 1 protein and keratin-18, which can also provide information on the injury mechanism of different causative agents. Furthermore, microRNAs have received much attention lately as potential non-invasive DILI biomarker candidates, in particular miR-122. Advances in omics technologies offer a new approach for biomarker exploration studies. The ability to screen a large number of molecules (for example metabolites, proteins or DNA simultaneously enables the identification of ‘toxicity signatures’, which may be used to enhance preclinical safety assessments and disease diagnostics. Omics-based studies can also provide information on the underlying mechanisms of distinct forms of DILI that may further facilitate the identification of early diagnostic biomarkers and safer implementation of personalized medicine. In this review we summarize recent advances in the area of DILI biomarker studies.

  13. Telomere length and advanced diffusion MRI as biomarkers for repetitive mild traumatic brain injury in adolescent rats

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    David K. Wright

    Full Text Available Mild traumatic brain injuries (mTBI are of worldwide concern in adolescents of both sexes, and repeated mTBI (RmTBI may have serious long-term neurological consequences. As such, the study of RmTBI and discovery of objective biomarkers that can help guide medical decisions is an important undertaking. Diffusion-weighted MRI (DWI, which provides markers of axonal injury, and telomere length (TL are two clinically relevant biomarkers that have been implicated in a number of neurological conditions, and may also be affected by RmTBI. Therefore, this study utilized the lateral impact injury model of RmTBI to investigate changes in diffusion MRI and TL, and how these changes relate to each other. Adolescent male and female rats received either three mTBIs or three sham injuries. The first injury was given on postnatal day 30 (P30, with the repeated injuries separated by four days each. Seven days after the final injury, a sample of ear tissue was collected for TL analysis. Rats were then euthanized and whole brains were collected and fixated for MRI analyses that included diffusion and high-resolution structural sequences. Compared to the sham-injured group, RmTBI rats had significantly shorter TL at seven days post-injury. Analysis of advanced DWI measures found that RmTBI rats had abnormalities in the corpus callosum and cortex at seven days post-injury. Notably, many of the DWI changes were correlated with TL. These findings demonstrate that TL and DWI measurements are changed by RmTBI and may represent clinically applicable biomarkers for this. Keywords: Biomarker, Concussion, Track weighted imaging, Animal model, Diffusion tensor imaging, MRI

  14. miR-758-3p: a blood-based biomarker that’s influence on the expression of CERP/ABCA1 may contribute to the progression of obesity to metabolic syndrome

    Science.gov (United States)

    O’Neill, Sadhbh; Larsen, Mette Bohl; Gregersen, Søren; Hermansen, Kjeld; O’Driscoll, Lorraine

    2018-01-01

    Due to increasing prevalence of obesity, a simple method or methods for the diagnosis of metabolic syndrome are urgently required to reduce the risk of associated cardiovascular disease, diabetes and cancer. This study aimed to identify a miRNA biomarker that may distinguish metabolic syndrome from obesity and to investigate if such a miRNA may have functional relevance for metabolic syndrome. 52 adults with clinical obesity (n=26) or metabolic syndrome (n=26) were recruited. Plasma specimens were procured from all and were randomly designated to discovery and validation cohorts. miRNA discovery profiling was performed, using array technology, on plasma RNA. Validation was performed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. The functional effect of miR-758-3p on its predicted target, cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter, was investigated using HepG2 liver cells. Custom miRNA profiling of 25 miRNAs in the discovery cohort found miR-758-3p to be detected in the obese cohort but undetected in the metabolic syndrome cohort. miR-758-3p was subsequently validated as a potential biomarker for metabolic syndrome by quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Bioinformatics analysis identified cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter as miR-758-3p’s predicted target. Specifically, mimicking miR-758-3p in HepG2 cells suppressed cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter protein expression; conversely, inhibiting miR-758-3p increased cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter protein expression. miR-758-3p holds potential as a blood-based biomarker for distinguishing progression from obesity to metabolic syndrome and as a driver in controlling cholesterol efflux regulatory protein/ATP-binding cassette transporter expression, indicating it potential role in cholesterol control in metabolic syndrome. PMID:29507696

  15. voomDDA: discovery of diagnostic biomarkers and classification of RNA-seq data

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Gokmen Zararsiz

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available RNA-Seq is a recent and efficient technique that uses the capabilities of next-generation sequencing technology for characterizing and quantifying transcriptomes. One important task using gene-expression data is to identify a small subset of genes that can be used to build diagnostic classifiers particularly for cancer diseases. Microarray based classifiers are not directly applicable to RNA-Seq data due to its discrete nature. Overdispersion is another problem that requires careful modeling of mean and variance relationship of the RNA-Seq data. In this study, we present voomDDA classifiers: variance modeling at the observational level (voom extensions of the nearest shrunken centroids (NSC and the diagonal discriminant classifiers. VoomNSC is one of these classifiers and brings voom and NSC approaches together for the purpose of gene-expression based classification. For this purpose, we propose weighted statistics and put these weighted statistics into the NSC algorithm. The VoomNSC is a sparse classifier that models the mean-variance relationship using the voom method and incorporates voom’s precision weights into the NSC classifier via weighted statistics. A comprehensive simulation study was designed and four real datasets are used for performance assessment. The overall results indicate that voomNSC performs as the sparsest classifier. It also provides the most accurate results together with power-transformed Poisson linear discriminant analysis, rlog transformed support vector machines and random forests algorithms. In addition to prediction purposes, the voomNSC classifier can be used to identify the potential diagnostic biomarkers for a condition of interest. Through this work, statistical learning methods proposed for microarrays can be reused for RNA-Seq data. An interactive web application is freely available at http://www.biosoft.hacettepe.edu.tr/voomDDA/.

  16. voomDDA: discovery of diagnostic biomarkers and classification of RNA-seq data.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zararsiz, Gokmen; Goksuluk, Dincer; Klaus, Bernd; Korkmaz, Selcuk; Eldem, Vahap; Karabulut, Erdem; Ozturk, Ahmet

    2017-01-01

    RNA-Seq is a recent and efficient technique that uses the capabilities of next-generation sequencing technology for characterizing and quantifying transcriptomes. One important task using gene-expression data is to identify a small subset of genes that can be used to build diagnostic classifiers particularly for cancer diseases. Microarray based classifiers are not directly applicable to RNA-Seq data due to its discrete nature. Overdispersion is another problem that requires careful modeling of mean and variance relationship of the RNA-Seq data. In this study, we present voomDDA classifiers: variance modeling at the observational level (voom) extensions of the nearest shrunken centroids (NSC) and the diagonal discriminant classifiers. VoomNSC is one of these classifiers and brings voom and NSC approaches together for the purpose of gene-expression based classification. For this purpose, we propose weighted statistics and put these weighted statistics into the NSC algorithm. The VoomNSC is a sparse classifier that models the mean-variance relationship using the voom method and incorporates voom's precision weights into the NSC classifier via weighted statistics. A comprehensive simulation study was designed and four real datasets are used for performance assessment. The overall results indicate that voomNSC performs as the sparsest classifier. It also provides the most accurate results together with power-transformed Poisson linear discriminant analysis, rlog transformed support vector machines and random forests algorithms. In addition to prediction purposes, the voomNSC classifier can be used to identify the potential diagnostic biomarkers for a condition of interest. Through this work, statistical learning methods proposed for microarrays can be reused for RNA-Seq data. An interactive web application is freely available at http://www.biosoft.hacettepe.edu.tr/voomDDA/.

  17. Sedentary leisure time behavior, snacking habits and cardiovascular biomarkers: the Inter99 Study

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Frydenlund, Gitte; Jørgensen, Torben; Toft, Ulla

    2011-01-01

    Aim: To explore the association between sedentary leisure time behavior (SLTB) and cardiovascular biomarkers, taking into account snacking habits, alcohol intake and physical activity level. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Study participants were recruited from the 5-year follow-up of a populat......Aim: To explore the association between sedentary leisure time behavior (SLTB) and cardiovascular biomarkers, taking into account snacking habits, alcohol intake and physical activity level. Design: Cross-sectional. Methods: Study participants were recruited from the 5-year follow...... non-significant in men (ß = 0.9924, [0.9839; 1.0011]) and women (ß = 0.9932, [0.8605; 1.0014]). Conclusion: SLTB appears to be an independent CVD risk factor, regardless of snacking habits and physical activity....

  18. Evaluation of miR-122 as a Serum Biomarker for Hepatotoxicity in Investigative Rat Toxicology Studies.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Sharapova, T; Devanarayan, V; LeRoy, B; Liguori, M J; Blomme, E; Buck, W; Maher, J

    2016-01-01

    MicroRNAs are short noncoding RNAs involved in regulation of gene expression. Certain microRNAs, including miR-122, seem to have ideal properties as biomarkers due to good stability, high tissue specificity, and ease of detection across multiple species. Recent reports have indicated that miR-122 is a highly liver-specific marker detectable in serum after liver injury. The purpose of the current study was to assess the performance of miR-122 as a serum biomarker for hepatotoxicity in short-term (5-28 days) repeat-dose rat toxicology studies when benchmarked against routine clinical chemistry and histopathology. A total of 23 studies with multiple dose levels of experimental compounds were examined, and they included animals with or without liver injury and with various hepatic histopathologic changes. Serum miR-122 levels were quantified by reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Increases in circulating miR-122 levels highly correlated with serum elevations of liver enzymes, such as alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and glutamate dehydrogenase (GLDH). Statistical analysis showed that miR-122 outperformed ALT as a biomarker for histopathologically confirmed liver toxicity and was equivalent in performance to AST and GLDH. Additionally, an increase of 4% in predictive accuracy was obtained using a multiparameter approach incorporating miR-122 with ALT, AST, and GLDH. In conclusion, serum miR-122 levels can be utilized as a biomarker of hepatotoxicity in acute and subacute rat toxicology studies, and its performance can rival or exceed those of standard enzyme biomarkers such as the liver transaminases. © The Author(s) 2015.

  19. Plasma soluble prion protein, a potential biomarker for sport-related concussions: a pilot study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pham, Nam; Akonasu, Hungbo; Shishkin, Rhonda; Taghibiglou, Changiz

    2015-01-01

    Sport-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) or concussion is a significant health concern to athletes with potential long-term consequences. The diagnosis of sport concussion and return to sport decision making is one of the greatest challenges facing health care clinicians working in sports. Blood biomarkers have recently demonstrated their potential in assisting the detection of brain injury particularly, in those cases with no obvious physical injury. We have recently discovered plasma soluble cellular prion protein (PrP(C)) as a potential reliable biomarker for blast induced TBI (bTBI) in a rodent animal model. In order to explore the application of this novel TBI biomarker to sport-related concussion, we conducted a pilot study at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S) by recruiting athlete and non-athlete 18 to 30 year-old students. Using a modified quantitative ELISA method, we first established normal values for the plasma soluble PrP(C) in male and female students. The measured plasma soluble PrP(C) in confirmed concussion cases demonstrated a significant elevation of this analyte in post-concussion samples. Data collected from our pilot study indicates that the plasma soluble PrP(C) is a potential biomarker for sport-related concussion, which may be further developed into a clinical diagnostic tool to assist clinicians in the assessment of sport concussion and return-to-play decision making.

  20. A Customized Quantitative PCR MicroRNA Panel Provides a Technically Robust Context for Studying Neurodegenerative Disease Biomarkers and Indicates a High Correlation Between Cerebrospinal Fluid and Choroid Plexus MicroRNA Expression.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Wang, Wang-Xia; Fardo, David W; Jicha, Gregory A; Nelson, Peter T

    2017-12-01

    MicroRNA (miRNA) expression varies in association with different tissue types and in diseases. Having been found in body fluids including blood and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), miRNAs constitute potential biomarkers. CSF miRNAs have been proposed as biomarkers for neurodegenerative diseases; however, there is a lack of consensus about the best candidate miRNA biomarkers and there has been variability in results from different research centers, perhaps due to technical factors. Here, we sought to optimize technical parameters for CSF miRNA studies. We examined different RNA isolation methods and performed miRNA expression profiling with TaqMan® miRNA Arrays. More specifically, we developed a customized CSF-miRNA low-density array (TLDA) panel that contains 47 targets: miRNAs shown previously to be relevant to neurodegenerative disease, miRNAs that are abundant in CSF, data normalizers, and controls for potential blood and tissue contamination. The advantages of using this CSF-miRNA TLDA panel include specificity, sensitivity, fast processing and data analysis, and cost effectiveness. We optimized technical parameters for this assay. Further, the TLDA panel can be tailored to other specific purposes. We tested whether the profile of miRNAs in the CSF resembled miRNAs isolated from brain tissue (hippocampus or cerebellum), blood, or the choroid plexus. We found that the CSF miRNA expression profile most closely resembles that of choroid plexus tissue, underscoring the potential importance of choroid plexus-derived signaling through CSF miRNAs. In summary, the TLDA miRNA array panel will enable evaluation and discovery of CSF miRNA biomarkers and can potentially be utilized in clinical diagnosis and disease stage monitoring.

  1. Guidelines for uniform reporting of body fluid biomarker studies in neurologic disorders

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Gnanapavan, Sharmilee; Hegen, Harald; Khalil, Michael

    2014-01-01

    , there are concerns over the high attrition rate of promising candidate biomarkers at later phases of development. METHODS: BioMS-eu consortium, a collaborative network working toward improving the quality of biomarker research in neurologic disorders, discussed the merits of standardizing the reporting of body fluid...... biomarker research. A checklist of items integrating the results of other published guidances, literature, conferences, regulatory opinion, and personal expertise was created to ultimately form a structured summary guidance incorporating the key features. RESULTS: The summary guidance is comprised of a 10......-point uniform reporting format ranging from introduction, materials and methods, through to results and discussion. Each item is discussed in detail in the guidance report. CONCLUSIONS: To enhance the future development of body fluid biomarkers, it will be important to standardize the reporting...

  2. A Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies Which Measure Alzheimer's Disease Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Lawrence, Emma; Vegvari, Carolin; Ower, Alison; Hadjichrysanthou, Christoforos; De Wolf, Frank; Anderson, Roy M

    2017-01-01

    Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative disease, with no effective treatment or cure. A gold standard therapy would be treatment to slow or halt disease progression; however, knowledge of causation in the early stages of AD is very limited. In order to determine effective endpoints for possible therapies, a number of quantitative surrogate markers of disease progression have been suggested, including biochemical and imaging biomarkers. The dynamics of these various surrogate markers over time, particularly in relation to disease development, are, however, not well characterized. We reviewed the literature for studies that measured cerebrospinal fluid or plasma amyloid-β and tau, or took magnetic resonance image or fluorodeoxyglucose/Pittsburgh compound B-positron electron tomography scans, in longitudinal cohort studies. We summarized the properties of the major cohort studies in various countries, commonly used diagnosis methods and study designs. We have concluded that additional studies with repeat measures over time in a representative population cohort are needed to address the gap in knowledge of AD progression. Based on our analysis, we suggest directions in which research could move in order to advance our understanding of this complex disease, including repeat biomarker measurements, standardization and increased sample sizes.

  3. A study of the discovery process in 802.11 networks

    OpenAIRE

    Castignani , German; Arcia Moret , Andres Emilio; Montavont , Nicolas

    2011-01-01

    International audience; Today wireless communications are a synonym of mobility and resource sharing. These characteristics, proper of both infrastructure and ad-hoc networks, heavily relies on a general resource discovery process. The discovery process, being an unavoidable procedure, has to be fast and reliable to mitigate the effect of network disruptions. In this article, by means of simulations and a real testbed, our contribution is twofold. First we assess the discovery process focusin...

  4. Biomarker-guided repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy: a novel strategy in drug development

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Jan eStenvang

    2013-12-01

    Full Text Available Cancer is a leading cause of mortality worldwide and matters are only set to worsen as its incidence continues to rise. Traditional approaches to combat cancer include improved prevention, early diagnosis, optimized surgery, development of novel drugs and honing regimens of existing anti-cancer drugs. Although discovery and development of novel and effective anti-cancer drugs is a major research area, it is well known that oncology drug development is a lengthy process, extremely costly and with high attrition rates. Furthermore, those drugs that do make it through the drug development mill are often quite expensive, laden with severe side-effects and, unfortunately, to date, have only demonstrated minimal increases in overall survival. Therefore, a strong interest has emerged to identify approved non-cancer drugs that possess anti-cancer activity, thus shortcutting the development process. This research strategy is commonly known as drug repurposing or drug repositioning and provides a faster path to the clinics. We have developed and implemented a modification of the standard drug repurposing strategy that we review here; rather than investigating target-promiscuous non-cancer drugs for possible anti-cancer activity, we focus on the discovery of novel cancer indications for already approved chemotherapeutic anti-cancer drugs. Clinical implementation of this strategy is normally commenced at clinical phase II trials and includes pre-treated patients. As the response rates to any non-standard chemotherapeutic drug will be relatively low in such a patient cohort it is a pre-requisite that such testing is based on predictive biomarkers. This review describes our strategy of biomarker-guided repurposing of chemotherapeutic drugs for cancer therapy, taking the repurposing of topoisomerase I inhibitors and topoisomerase I as a potential predictive biomarker as case in point.

  5. Increasing the predictive accuracy of amyloid-β blood-borne biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Watt, Andrew D; Perez, Keyla A; Faux, Noel G; Pike, Kerryn E; Rowe, Christopher C; Bourgeat, Pierrick; Salvado, Olivier; Masters, Colin L; Villemagne, Victor L; Barnham, Kevin J

    2011-01-01

    Diagnostic measures for Alzheimer's disease (AD) commonly rely on evaluating the levels of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides within the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of affected individuals. These levels are often combined with levels of an additional non-Aβ marker to increase predictive accuracy. Recent efforts to overcome the invasive nature of CSF collection led to the observation of Aβ species within the blood cellular fraction, however, little is known of what additional biomarkers may be found in this membranous fraction. The current study aimed to undertake a discovery-based proteomic investigation of the blood cellular fraction from AD patients (n = 18) and healthy controls (HC; n = 15) using copper immobilized metal affinity capture and Surface Enhanced Laser Desorption/Ionisation Time-Of-Flight Mass Spectrometry. Three candidate biomarkers were observed which could differentiate AD patients from HC (ROC AUC > 0.8). Bivariate pairwise comparisons revealed significant correlations between these markers and measures of AD severity including; MMSE, composite memory, brain amyloid burden, and hippocampal volume. A partial least squares regression model was generated using the three candidate markers along with blood levels of Aβ. This model was able to distinguish AD from HC with high specificity (90%) and sensitivity (77%) and was able to separate individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) who converted to AD from MCI non-converters. While requiring further characterization, these candidate biomarkers reaffirm the potential efficacy of blood-based investigations into neurodegenerative conditions. Furthermore, the findings indicate that the incorporation of non-amyloid markers into predictive models, function to increase the accuracy of the diagnostic potential of Aβ.

  6. Identification and localization of trauma-related biomarkers using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry

    Science.gov (United States)

    Jones, Kirstin; Reilly, Matthew A.; Glickman, Randolph D.

    2017-02-01

    Current treatments for ocular and optic nerve trauma are largely ineffective and may have adverse side effects; therefore, new approaches are needed to understand trauma mechanisms. Identification of trauma-related biomarkers may yield insights into the molecular aspects of tissue trauma that can contribute to the development of better diagnostics and treatments. The conventional approach for protein biomarker measurement largely relies on immunoaffinity methods that typically can only be applied to analytes for which antibodies or other targeting means are available. Matrix assisted laser-assisted desorption/ionization imaging mass spectrometry (MALDI-IMS) is a specialized application of mass spectrometry that not only is well suited to the discovery of novel or unanticipated biomarkers, but also provides information about the spatial localization of biomarkers in tissue. We have been using MALDI-IMS to find traumarelated protein biomarkers in retina and optic nerve tissue from animal models subjected to ocular injury produced by either blast overpressure or mechanical torsion. Work to date by our group, using MALDI-IMS, found that the pattern of protein expression is modified in the injured ocular tissue as soon as 24 hr post-injury, compared to controls. Specific proteins may be up- or down-regulated by trauma, suggesting different tissue responses to a given injury. Ongoing work is directed at identifying the proteins affected and mapping their expression in the ocular tissue, anticipating that systematic analysis can be used to identify targets for prospective therapies for ocular trauma.

  7. Metabolism and Biomarkers of Heterocyclic Aromatic Amines in Molecular Epidemiology Studies: Lessons Learned from Aromatic Amines

    Science.gov (United States)

    2011-01-01

    Aromatic amines and heterocyclic aromatic amines (HAAs) are structurally related classes of carcinogens that are formed during the combustion of tobacco or during the high-temperature cooking of meats. Both classes of procarcinogens undergo metabolic activation by N-hydroxylation of the exocyclic amine group, to produce a common proposed intermediate, the arylnitrenium ion, which is the critical metabolite implicated in toxicity and DNA damage. However, the biochemistry and chemical properties of these compounds are distinct and different biomarkers of aromatic amines and HAAs have been developed for human biomonitoring studies. Hemoglobin adducts have been extensively used as biomarkers to monitor occupational and environmental exposures to a number of aromatic amines; however, HAAs do not form hemoglobin adducts at appreciable levels and other biomarkers have been sought. A number of epidemiologic studies that have investigated dietary consumption of well-done meat in relation to various tumor sites reported a positive association between cancer risk and well-done meat consumption, although some studies have shown no associations between well-done meat and cancer risk. A major limiting factor in most epidemiological studies is the uncertainty in quantitative estimates of chronic exposure to HAAs and, thus, the association of HAAs formed in cooked meat and cancer risk has been difficult to establish. There is a critical need to establish long-term biomarkers of HAAs that can be implemented in molecular epidemioIogy studies. In this review article, we highlight and contrast the biochemistry of several prototypical carcinogenic aromatic amines and HAAs to which humans are chronically exposed. The biochemical properties and the impact of polymorphisms of the major xenobiotic-metabolizing enzymes on the biological effects of these chemicals are examined. Lastly, the analytical approaches that have been successfully employed to biomonitor aromatic amines and HAAs, and

  8. Resting-State Functional Connectivity-Based Biomarkers and Functional MRI-Based Neurofeedback for Psychiatric Disorders: A Challenge for Developing Theranostic Biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yamada, Takashi; Hashimoto, Ryu-Ichiro; Yahata, Noriaki; Ichikawa, Naho; Yoshihara, Yujiro; Okamoto, Yasumasa; Kato, Nobumasa; Takahashi, Hidehiko; Kawato, Mitsuo

    2017-10-01

    Psychiatric research has been hampered by an explanatory gap between psychiatric symptoms and their neural underpinnings, which has resulted in poor treatment outcomes. This situation has prompted us to shift from symptom-based diagnosis to data-driven diagnosis, aiming to redefine psychiatric disorders as disorders of neural circuitry. Promising candidates for data-driven diagnosis include resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI)-based biomarkers. Although biomarkers have been developed with the aim of diagnosing patients and predicting the efficacy of therapy, the focus has shifted to the identification of biomarkers that represent therapeutic targets, which would allow for more personalized treatment approaches. This type of biomarker (i.e., "theranostic biomarker") is expected to elucidate the disease mechanism of psychiatric conditions and to offer an individualized neural circuit-based therapeutic target based on the neural cause of a condition. To this end, researchers have developed rs-fcMRI-based biomarkers and investigated a causal relationship between potential biomarkers and disease-specific behavior using functional MRI (fMRI)-based neurofeedback on functional connectivity. In this review, we introduce a recent approach for creating a theranostic biomarker, which consists mainly of 2 parts: (1) developing an rs-fcMRI-based biomarker that can predict diagnosis and/or symptoms with high accuracy, and (2) the introduction of a proof-of-concept study investigating the relationship between normalizing the biomarker and symptom changes using fMRI-based neurofeedback. In parallel with the introduction of recent studies, we review rs-fcMRI-based biomarker and fMRI-based neurofeedback, focusing on the technological improvements and limitations associated with clinical use. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of CINP.

  9. Have biomarkers made their mark? A brief review of dental biomarkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Mohammed Kaleem Sultan

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Biomarkers are substances that are released into the human body by tumor cells or by other cells in response to tumor. A high level of a tumor marker is considered a sign of certain cancer, which makes biomarker the subject of many testing methods for the diagnosis of cancers. In recent times, these biomarkers have been successfully isolated to diagnose dental-related tumors, benign and malignant conditions. This article is a brief review of literature for various biomarkers used in the field of dentistry.

  10. Monitoring Progression of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Using Ultrasound Morpho-Textural Muscle Biomarkers: A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Martínez-Payá, Jacinto J; Ríos-Díaz, José; Medina-Mirapeix, Francesc; Vázquez-Costa, Juan F; Del Baño-Aledo, María Elena

    2018-01-01

    The need is increasing for progression biomarkers that allow the loss of motor neurons in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) to be monitored in clinical trials. In this prospective longitudinal study, muscle thickness, echointensity, echovariation and gray level co-occurrence matrix textural features are examined as possible progression ultrasound biomarkers in ALS patients during a 5-mo follow-up period. We subjected 13 patients to 3 measurements for 20 wk. They showed a significant loss of muscle, an evident tendency to loss of thickness and increased echointensity and echovariation. In regard to textural parameters, muscle heterogeneity tended to increase as a result of the neoformation of non-contractile tissue through denervation. Considering some limitations of the study, the quantitative muscle ultrasound biomarkers evaluated showed a promising ability to monitor patients affected by ALS. Copyright © 2018 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  11. Advances in Biomarkers in Critical Ill Polytrauma Patients.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Papurica, Marius; Rogobete, Alexandru F; Sandesc, Dorel; Dumache, Raluca; Cradigati, Carmen A; Sarandan, Mirela; Nartita, Radu; Popovici, Sonia E; Bedreag, Ovidiu H

    2016-01-01

    The complexity of the cases of critically ill polytrauma patients is given by both the primary, as well as the secondary, post-traumatic injuries. The severe injuries of organ systems, the major biochemical and physiological disequilibrium, and the molecular chaos lead to a high rate of morbidity and mortality in this type of patient. The 'gold goal' in the intensive therapy of such patients resides in the continuous evaluation and monitoring of their clinical status. Moreover, optimizing the therapy based on the expression of certain biomarkers with high specificity and sensitivity is extremely important because of the clinical course of the critically ill polytrauma patient. In this paper we wish to summarize the recent studies of biomarkers useful for the intensive care unit (ICU) physician. For this study the available literature on specific databases such as PubMed and Scopus was thoroughly analyzed. Each article was carefully reviewed and useful information for this study extracted. The keywords used to select the relevant articles were "sepsis biomarker", "traumatic brain injury biomarker" "spinal cord injury biomarker", "inflammation biomarker", "microRNAs biomarker", "trauma biomarker", and "critically ill patients". For this study to be carried out 556 original type articles were analyzed, as well as case reports and reviews. For this review, 89 articles with relevant topics for the present paper were selected. The critically ill polytrauma patient, because of the clinical complexity the case presents with, needs a series of evaluations and specific monitoring. Recent studies show a series of either tissue-specific or circulating biomarkers that are useful in the clinical status evaluation of these patients. The biomarkers existing today, with regard to the critically ill polytrauma patient, can bring a significant contribution to increasing the survival rate, by adapting the therapy according to their expressions. Nevertheless, the necessity remains to

  12. A simulation study on estimating biomarker-treatment interaction effects in randomized trials with prognostic variables.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Haller, Bernhard; Ulm, Kurt

    2018-02-20

    To individualize treatment decisions based on patient characteristics, identification of an interaction between a biomarker and treatment is necessary. Often such potential interactions are analysed using data from randomized clinical trials intended for comparison of two treatments. Tests of interactions are often lacking statistical power and we investigated if and how a consideration of further prognostic variables can improve power and decrease the bias of estimated biomarker-treatment interactions in randomized clinical trials with time-to-event outcomes. A simulation study was performed to assess how prognostic factors affect the estimate of the biomarker-treatment interaction for a time-to-event outcome, when different approaches, like ignoring other prognostic factors, including all available covariates or using variable selection strategies, are applied. Different scenarios regarding the proportion of censored observations, the correlation structure between the covariate of interest and further potential prognostic variables, and the strength of the interaction were considered. The simulation study revealed that in a regression model for estimating a biomarker-treatment interaction, the probability of detecting a biomarker-treatment interaction can be increased by including prognostic variables that are associated with the outcome, and that the interaction estimate is biased when relevant prognostic variables are not considered. However, the probability of a false-positive finding increases if too many potential predictors are included or if variable selection is performed inadequately. We recommend undertaking an adequate literature search before data analysis to derive information about potential prognostic variables and to gain power for detecting true interaction effects and pre-specifying analyses to avoid selective reporting and increased false-positive rates.

  13. miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21 as Biomarkers for the Detection of Oral Tongue Squamous Cell Carcinoma

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Zujian Chen

    2017-01-01

    Full Text Available Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (TSCC is a complex disease with extensive genetic and epigenetic defects, including microRNA deregulation. The aims of the present study were to test the feasibility of performing the microRNA profiling analysis on archived TSCC specimens and to assess the potential diagnostic utility of the identified microRNA biomarkers for the detection of TSCC. TaqMan array-based microRNA profiling analysis was performed on 10 archived TSCC samples and their matching normal tissues. A panel of 12 differentially expressed microRNAs was identified. Eight of these differentially expressed microRNAs were validated in an independent sample set. A random forest (RF classification model was built with miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21, and it was able to detect TSCC with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 86.7% (overall error rate = 6.7%. As such, this study demonstrated the utility of the archived clinical specimens for microRNA biomarker discovery. The feasibility of using microRNA biomarkers (miR-486-3p, miR-139-5p, and miR-21 for the detection of TSCC was confirmed.

  14. More Accurate Oral Cancer Screening with Fewer Salivary Biomarkers

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    James Michael Menke

    2017-10-01

    Full Text Available Signal detection and Bayesian inferential tools were applied to salivary biomarkers to improve screening accuracy and efficiency in detecting oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC. Potential cancer biomarkers are identified by significant differences in assay concentrations, receiver operating characteristic areas under the curve (AUCs, sensitivity, and specificity. However, the end goal is to report to individual patients their risk of having disease given positive or negative test results. Likelihood ratios (LRs and Bayes factors (BFs estimate evidential support and compile biomarker information to optimize screening accuracy. In total, 26 of 77 biomarkers were mentioned as having been tested at least twice in 137 studies and published in 16 summary papers through 2014. Studies represented 10 212 OSCC and 25 645 healthy patients. The measure of biomarker and panel information value was number of biomarkers needed to approximate 100% positive predictive value (PPV. As few as 5 biomarkers could achieve nearly 100% PPV for a disease prevalence of 0.2% when biomarkers were ordered from highest to lowest LR. When sequentially interpreting biomarker tests, high specificity was more important than test sensitivity in achieving rapid convergence toward a high PPV. Biomarkers ranked from highest to lowest LR were more informative and easier to interpret than AUC or Youden index. The proposed method should be applied to more recently published biomarker data to test its screening value.

  15. Multiple inflammatory biomarker detection in a prospective cohort study: a cross-validation between well-established single-biomarker techniques and electrochemiluminescense-based multi-array platform

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Bussel, van B.C.T.; Ferreira, I.; Waarenburg, M.P.H.; Greevenbroek, van M.M.J.; Kallen, van der C.J.H.; Henry, R.M.A.; Feskens, E.J.M.; Stehouwer, C.D.A.; Schalkwijk, C.G.

    2013-01-01

    Background - In terms of time, effort and quality, multiplex technology is an attractive alternative for well-established single-biomarker measurements in clinical studies. However, limited data comparing these methods are available. Methods - We measured, in a large ongoing cohort study (n = 574),

  16. Plasma soluble prion protein, a potential biomarker for sport-related concussions: a pilot study.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Nam Pham

    Full Text Available Sport-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI or concussion is a significant health concern to athletes with potential long-term consequences. The diagnosis of sport concussion and return to sport decision making is one of the greatest challenges facing health care clinicians working in sports. Blood biomarkers have recently demonstrated their potential in assisting the detection of brain injury particularly, in those cases with no obvious physical injury. We have recently discovered plasma soluble cellular prion protein (PrP(C as a potential reliable biomarker for blast induced TBI (bTBI in a rodent animal model. In order to explore the application of this novel TBI biomarker to sport-related concussion, we conducted a pilot study at the University of Saskatchewan (U of S by recruiting athlete and non-athlete 18 to 30 year-old students. Using a modified quantitative ELISA method, we first established normal values for the plasma soluble PrP(C in male and female students. The measured plasma soluble PrP(C in confirmed concussion cases demonstrated a significant elevation of this analyte in post-concussion samples. Data collected from our pilot study indicates that the plasma soluble PrP(C is a potential biomarker for sport-related concussion, which may be further developed into a clinical diagnostic tool to assist clinicians in the assessment of sport concussion and return-to-play decision making.

  17. mHealth Visual Discovery Dashboard.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fang, Dezhi; Hohman, Fred; Polack, Peter; Sarker, Hillol; Kahng, Minsuk; Sharmin, Moushumi; al'Absi, Mustafa; Chau, Duen Horng

    2017-09-01

    We present Discovery Dashboard, a visual analytics system for exploring large volumes of time series data from mobile medical field studies. Discovery Dashboard offers interactive exploration tools and a data mining motif discovery algorithm to help researchers formulate hypotheses, discover trends and patterns, and ultimately gain a deeper understanding of their data. Discovery Dashboard emphasizes user freedom and flexibility during the data exploration process and enables researchers to do things previously challenging or impossible to do - in the web-browser and in real time. We demonstrate our system visualizing data from a mobile sensor study conducted at the University of Minnesota that included 52 participants who were trying to quit smoking.

  18. Connective tissue-activating peptide III: a novel blood biomarker for early lung cancer detection.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Yee, John; Sadar, Marianne D; Sin, Don D; Kuzyk, Michael; Xing, Li; Kondra, Jennifer; McWilliams, Annette; Man, S F Paul; Lam, Stephen

    2009-06-10

    There are no reliable blood biomarkers to detect early lung cancer. We used a novel strategy that allows discovery of differentially present proteins against a complex and variable background. Mass spectrometry analyses of paired pulmonary venous-radial arterial blood from 16 lung cancer patients were applied to identify plasma proteins potentially derived from the tumor microenvironment. Two differentially expressed proteins were confirmed in 64 paired venous-arterial blood samples using an immunoassay. Twenty-eight pre- and postsurgical resection peripheral blood samples and two independent, blinded sets of plasma from 149 participants in a lung cancer screening study (49 lung cancers and 100 controls) and 266 participants from the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Lung Health Study (45 lung cancer and 221 matched controls) determined the accuracy of the two protein markers to detect subclinical lung cancer. Connective tissue-activating peptide III (CTAP III)/ neutrophil activating protein-2 (NAP-2) and haptoglobin were identified to be significantly higher in venous than in arterial blood. CTAP III/NAP-2 levels decreased after tumor resection (P = .01). In two independent population cohorts, CTAP III/NAP-2 was significantly associated with lung cancer and improved the accuracy of a lung cancer risk prediction model that included age, smoking, lung function (FEV(1)), and an interaction term between FEV(1) and CTAP III/NAP-2 (area under the curve, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.77 to 0.91) compared to CAPIII/NAP-2 alone. We identified CTAP III/NAP-2 as a novel biomarker to detect preclinical lung cancer. The study underscores the importance of applying blood biomarkers as part of a multimodal lung cancer risk prediction model instead of as stand-alone tests.

  19. Prognostic and predictive potential molecular biomarkers in colon cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nastase, A; Pâslaru, L; Niculescu, A M; Ionescu, M; Dumitraşcu, T; Herlea, V; Dima, S; Gheorghe, C; Lazar, V; Popescu, I

    2011-01-01

    An important objective in nowadays research is the discovery of new biomarkers that can detect colon tumours in early stages and indicate with accuracy the status of the disease. The aim of our study was to identify potential biomarkers for colon cancer onset and progression. We assessed gene expression profiles of a list of 10 candidate genes (MMP-1, MMP-3, MMP-7, DEFA 1, DEFA-5, DEFA-6, IL-8, CXCL-1, SPP-1, CTHRC-1) by quantitative real time PCR in triplets of colonic mucosa (normal, adenoma, tumoral tissue) collected from the same patient during surgery for a group of 20 patients. Additionally we performed immunohistochemistry for DEFA1-3 and SPP1. We remarked that DEFA5 and DEFA6 are key factors in adenoma formation (p<0.05). MMP7 is important in the transition from a benign to a malignant status (p <0.01) and further in metastasis being a prognostic indicator for tumor transformation and for the metastatic potential of cancer cells. IL8, irrespective of tumor stage, has a high mRNA level in adenocarcinoma (p< 0.05). The level of expression for SPP1 is correlated with tumor level. We suggest that high levels of DEFAS, DEFA6 (key elements in adenoma formation), MMP7 (marker of colon cancer onset and progression to metastasis), SPP1 (marker of progression) and IL8 could be used to diagnose an early stage colon cancer and to evaluate the prognostic of progression for colon tumors. Further, if DEFA5 and DEFA6 level of expression are low but MMP7, SPP1 and IL8 level are high we could point out that the transition from adenoma to adenocarcinoma had already occurred. Thus, DEFA5, DEFA6, MMP7, IL8 and SPP1 consist in a valuable panel of biomarkers, whose detection can be used in early detection and progressive disease and also in prognostic of colon cancer.

  20. Diagnostic and economic evaluation of new biomarkers for Alzheimer’s disease: the research protocol of a prospective cohort study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Handels Ron LH

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background New research criteria for the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD have recently been developed to enable an early diagnosis of AD pathophysiology by relying on emerging biomarkers. To enable efficient allocation of health care resources, evidence is needed to support decision makers on the adoption of emerging biomarkers in clinical practice. The research goals are to 1 assess the diagnostic test accuracy of current clinical diagnostic work-up and emerging biomarkers in MRI, PET and CSF, 2 perform a cost-consequence analysis and 3 assess long-term cost-effectiveness by an economic model. Methods/design In a cohort design 241 consecutive patients suspected of having a primary neurodegenerative disease are approached in four academic memory clinics and followed for two years. Clinical data and data on quality of life, costs and emerging biomarkers are gathered. Diagnostic test accuracy is determined by relating the clinical practice and new research criteria diagnoses to a reference diagnosis. The clinical practice diagnosis at baseline is reflected by a consensus procedure among experts using clinical information only (no biomarkers. The diagnosis based on the new research criteria is reflected by decision rules that combine clinical and biomarker information. The reference diagnosis is determined by a consensus procedure among experts based on clinical information on the course of symptoms over a two-year time period. A decision analytic model is built combining available evidence from different resources among which (accuracy results from the study, literature and expert opinion to assess long-term cost-effectiveness of the emerging biomarkers. Discussion Several other multi-centre trials study the relative value of new biomarkers for early evaluation of AD and related disorders. The uniqueness of this study is the assessment of resource utilization and quality of life to enable an economic evaluation. The study results

  1. Volatility Discovery

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Dias, Gustavo Fruet; Scherrer, Cristina; Papailias, Fotis

    The price discovery literature investigates how homogenous securities traded on different markets incorporate information into prices. We take this literature one step further and investigate how these markets contribute to stochastic volatility (volatility discovery). We formally show...... that the realized measures from homogenous securities share a fractional stochastic trend, which is a combination of the price and volatility discovery measures. Furthermore, we show that volatility discovery is associated with the way that market participants process information arrival (market sensitivity......). Finally, we compute volatility discovery for 30 actively traded stocks in the U.S. and report that Nyse and Arca dominate Nasdaq....

  2. Robust prediction of anti-cancer drug sensitivity and sensitivity-specific biomarker.

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Heewon Park

    Full Text Available The personal genomics era has attracted a large amount of attention for anti-cancer therapy by patient-specific analysis. Patient-specific analysis enables discovery of individual genomic characteristics for each patient, and thus we can effectively predict individual genetic risk of disease and perform personalized anti-cancer therapy. Although the existing methods for patient-specific analysis have successfully uncovered crucial biomarkers, their performance takes a sudden turn for the worst in the presence of outliers, since the methods are based on non-robust manners. In practice, clinical and genomic alterations datasets usually contain outliers from various sources (e.g., experiment error, coding error, etc. and the outliers may significantly affect the result of patient-specific analysis. We propose a robust methodology for patient-specific analysis in line with the NetwrokProfiler. In the proposed method, outliers in high dimensional gene expression levels and drug response datasets are simultaneously controlled by robust Mahalanobis distance in robust principal component space. Thus, we can effectively perform for predicting anti-cancer drug sensitivity and identifying sensitivity-specific biomarkers for individual patients. We observe through Monte Carlo simulations that the proposed robust method produces outstanding performances for predicting response variable in the presence of outliers. We also apply the proposed methodology to the Sanger dataset in order to uncover cancer biomarkers and predict anti-cancer drug sensitivity, and show the effectiveness of our method.

  3. Complementary biomarker-based methods for characterising Arctic sea ice conditions: A case study comparison between multivariate analysis and the PIP25 index

    Science.gov (United States)

    Köseoğlu, Denizcan; Belt, Simon T.; Smik, Lukas; Yao, Haoyi; Panieri, Giuliana; Knies, Jochen

    2018-02-01

    The discovery of IP25 as a qualitative biomarker proxy for Arctic sea ice and subsequent introduction of the so-called PIP25 index for semi-quantitative descriptions of sea ice conditions has significantly advanced our understanding of long-term paleo Arctic sea ice conditions over the past decade. We investigated the potential for classification tree (CT) models to provide a further approach to paleo Arctic sea ice reconstruction through analysis of a suite of highly branched isoprenoid (HBI) biomarkers in ca. 200 surface sediments from the Barents Sea. Four CT models constructed using different HBI assemblages revealed IP25 and an HBI triene as the most appropriate classifiers of sea ice conditions, achieving a >90% cross-validated classification rate. Additionally, lower model performance for locations in the Marginal Ice Zone (MIZ) highlighted difficulties in characterisation of this climatically-sensitive region. CT model classification and semi-quantitative PIP25-derived estimates of spring sea ice concentration (SpSIC) for four downcore records from the region were consistent, although agreement between proxy and satellite/observational records was weaker for a core from the west Svalbard margin, likely due to the highly variable sea ice conditions. The automatic selection of appropriate biomarkers for description of sea ice conditions, quantitative model assessment, and insensitivity to the c-factor used in the calculation of the PIP25 index are key attributes of the CT approach, and we provide an initial comparative assessment between these potentially complementary methods. The CT model should be capable of generating longer-term temporal shifts in sea ice conditions for the climatically sensitive Barents Sea.

  4. Flow Injection/Sequential Injection Analysis Systems: Potential Use as Tools for Rapid Liver Diseases Biomarker Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Supaporn Kradtap Hartwell

    2012-01-01

    Full Text Available Flow injection/sequential injection analysis (FIA/SIA systems are suitable for carrying out automatic wet chemical/biochemical reactions with reduced volume and time consumption. Various parts of the system such as pump, valve, and reactor may be built or adapted from available materials. Therefore the systems can be at lower cost as compared to other instrumentation-based analysis systems. Their applications for determination of biomarkers for liver diseases have been demonstrated in various formats of operation but only a few and limited types of biomarkers have been used as model analytes. This paper summarizes these applications for different types of reactions as a guide for using flow-based systems in more biomarker and/or multibiomarker studies.

  5. A broken promise: microbiome differential abundance methods do not control the false discovery rate.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hawinkel, Stijn; Mattiello, Federico; Bijnens, Luc; Thas, Olivier

    2017-08-22

    High-throughput sequencing technologies allow easy characterization of the human microbiome, but the statistical methods to analyze microbiome data are still in their infancy. Differential abundance methods aim at detecting associations between the abundances of bacterial species and subject grouping factors. The results of such methods are important to identify the microbiome as a prognostic or diagnostic biomarker or to demonstrate efficacy of prodrug or antibiotic drugs. Because of a lack of benchmarking studies in the microbiome field, no consensus exists on the performance of the statistical methods. We have compared a large number of popular methods through extensive parametric and nonparametric simulation as well as real data shuffling algorithms. The results are consistent over the different approaches and all point to an alarming excess of false discoveries. This raises great doubts about the reliability of discoveries in past studies and imperils reproducibility of microbiome experiments. To further improve method benchmarking, we introduce a new simulation tool that allows to generate correlated count data following any univariate count distribution; the correlation structure may be inferred from real data. Most simulation studies discard the correlation between species, but our results indicate that this correlation can negatively affect the performance of statistical methods. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  6. Diagnostic and prognostic stratification in the emergency department using urinary biomarkers of nephron damage: a multicenter prospective cohort study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Nickolas, Thomas L; Schmidt-Ott, Kai M; Canetta, Pietro; Forster, Catherine; Singer, Eugenia; Sise, Meghan; Elger, Antje; Maarouf, Omar; Sola-Del Valle, David Antonio; O'Rourke, Matthew; Sherman, Evan; Lee, Peter; Geara, Abdallah; Imus, Philip; Guddati, Achuta; Polland, Allison; Rahman, Wasiq; Elitok, Saban; Malik, Nasir; Giglio, James; El-Sayegh, Suzanne; Devarajan, Prasad; Hebbar, Sudarshan; Saggi, Subodh J; Hahn, Barry; Kettritz, Ralph; Luft, Friedrich C; Barasch, Jonathan

    2012-01-17

    This study aimed to determine the diagnostic and prognostic value of urinary biomarkers of intrinsic acute kidney injury (AKI) when patients were triaged in the emergency department. Intrinsic AKI is associated with nephron injury and results in poor clinical outcomes. Several urinary biomarkers have been proposed to detect and measure intrinsic AKI. In a multicenter prospective cohort study, 5 urinary biomarkers (urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin, kidney injury molecule-1, urinary liver-type fatty acid binding protein, urinary interleukin-18, and cystatin C) were measured in 1,635 unselected emergency department patients at the time of hospital admission. We determined whether the biomarkers diagnosed intrinsic AKI and predicted adverse outcomes during hospitalization. All biomarkers were elevated in intrinsic AKI, but urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin was most useful (81% specificity, 68% sensitivity at a 104-ng/ml cutoff) and predictive of the severity and duration of AKI. Intrinsic AKI was strongly associated with adverse in-hospital outcomes. Urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin and urinary kidney injury molecule 1 predicted a composite outcome of dialysis initiation or death during hospitalization, and both improved the net risk classification compared with conventional assessments. These biomarkers also identified a substantial subpopulation with low serum creatinine at hospital admission, but who were at risk of adverse events. Urinary biomarkers of nephron damage enable prospective diagnostic and prognostic stratification in the emergency department. Copyright © 2012 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  7. Identification of proteomic biomarkers predicting prostate cancer aggressiveness and lethality despite biopsy-sampling error.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Shipitsin, M; Small, C; Choudhury, S; Giladi, E; Friedlander, S; Nardone, J; Hussain, S; Hurley, A D; Ernst, C; Huang, Y E; Chang, H; Nifong, T P; Rimm, D L; Dunyak, J; Loda, M; Berman, D M; Blume-Jensen, P

    2014-09-09

    Key challenges of biopsy-based determination of prostate cancer aggressiveness include tumour heterogeneity, biopsy-sampling error, and variations in biopsy interpretation. The resulting uncertainty in risk assessment leads to significant overtreatment, with associated costs and morbidity. We developed a performance-based strategy to identify protein biomarkers predictive of prostate cancer aggressiveness and lethality regardless of biopsy-sampling variation. Prostatectomy samples from a large patient cohort with long follow-up were blindly assessed by expert pathologists who identified the tissue regions with the highest and lowest Gleason grade from each patient. To simulate biopsy-sampling error, a core from a high- and a low-Gleason area from each patient sample was used to generate a 'high' and a 'low' tumour microarray, respectively. Using a quantitative proteomics approach, we identified from 160 candidates 12 biomarkers that predicted prostate cancer aggressiveness (surgical Gleason and TNM stage) and lethal outcome robustly in both high- and low-Gleason areas. Conversely, a previously reported lethal outcome-predictive marker signature for prostatectomy tissue was unable to perform under circumstances of maximal sampling error. Our results have important implications for cancer biomarker discovery in general and development of a sampling error-resistant clinical biopsy test for prediction of prostate cancer aggressiveness.

  8. The current status of biomarkers for predicting toxicity

    Science.gov (United States)

    Campion, Sarah; Aubrecht, Jiri; Boekelheide, Kim; Brewster, David W; Vaidya, Vishal S; Anderson, Linnea; Burt, Deborah; Dere, Edward; Hwang, Kathleen; Pacheco, Sara; Saikumar, Janani; Schomaker, Shelli; Sigman, Mark; Goodsaid, Federico

    2013-01-01

    Introduction There are significant rates of attrition in drug development. A number of compounds fail to progress past preclinical development due to limited tools that accurately monitor toxicity in preclinical studies and in the clinic. Research has focused on improving tools for the detection of organ-specific toxicity through the identification and characterization of biomarkers of toxicity. Areas covered This article reviews what we know about emerging biomarkers in toxicology, with a focus on the 2012 Northeast Society of Toxicology meeting titled ‘Translational Biomarkers in Toxicology.’ The areas covered in this meeting are summarized and include biomarkers of testicular injury and dysfunction, emerging biomarkers of kidney injury and translation of emerging biomarkers from preclinical species to human populations. The authors also provide a discussion about the biomarker qualification process and possible improvements to this process. Expert opinion There is currently a gap between the scientific work in the development and qualification of novel biomarkers for nonclinical drug safety assessment and how these biomarkers are actually used in drug safety assessment. A clear and efficient path to regulatory acceptance is needed so that breakthroughs in the biomarker toolkit for nonclinical drug safety assessment can be utilized to aid in the drug development process. PMID:23961847

  9. Breath biomarkers in toxicology.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Pleil, Joachim D

    2016-11-01

    Exhaled breath has joined blood and urine as a valuable resource for sampling and analyzing biomarkers in human media for assessing exposure, uptake metabolism, and elimination of toxic chemicals. This article focuses current use of exhaled gas, aerosols, and vapor in human breath, the methods for collection, and ultimately the use of the resulting data. Some advantages of breath are the noninvasive and self-administered nature of collection, the essentially inexhaustible supply, and that breath sampling does not produce potentially infectious waste such as needles, wipes, bandages, and glassware. In contrast to blood and urine, breath samples can be collected on demand in rapid succession and so allow toxicokinetic observations of uptake and elimination in any time frame. Furthermore, new technologies now allow capturing condensed breath vapor directly, or just the aerosol fraction alone, to gain access to inorganic species, lung pH, proteins and protein fragments, cellular DNA, and whole microorganisms from the pulmonary microbiome. Future applications are discussed, especially the use of isotopically labeled probes, non-targeted (discovery) analysis, cellular level toxicity testing, and ultimately assessing "crowd breath" of groups of people and the relation to dose of airborne and other environmental chemicals at the population level.

  10. Biomarkers in Czech workers exposed to 1,3-butadiene: a transitional epidemiologic study

    NARCIS (Netherlands)

    Albertini, Richard J.; Srám, Radim J.; Vacek, Pamela M.; Lynch, Jeremiah; Nicklas, Janice A.; van Sittert, Nico J.; Boogaard, Peter J.; Henderson, Rogene F.; Swenberg, James A.; Tates, Ad D.; Ward, Jonathan B.; Wright, Michael; Ammenheuser, Marinel M.; Binkova, Blanka; Blackwell, Walter; de Zwart, Franz A.; Krako, Dean; Krone, Jennifer; Megens, Hendricus; Musilová, Petra; Rajská, Gabriela; Ranasinghe, Asoka; Rosenblatt, Judah I.; Rössner, Pavel; Rubes, Jiri; Sullivan, Linda; Upton, Patricia; Zwinderman, Ailko H.

    2003-01-01

    A multiinstitutional, transitional epidemiologic study was conducted with a worker population in the Czech Republic to evaluate the utility of a continuum of non-disease biological responses as biomarkers of exposure to 1,3-butadiene (BD)* in an industrial setting. The study site included two BD

  11. Urinary collagen IV and πGST: potential biomarkers for detecting localized kidney injury in diabetes--a pilot study.

    LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

    Cawood, T J

    2010-01-01

    Urinary biomarkers can identify damage to specific parts of the nephron. We performed a cross-sectional study to characterise the pattern of diabetic nephropathy using urinary biomarkers of glomerular fibrosis (collagen IV), proximal tubular damage (α-glutathione-S-transferase, GST) and distal tubular damage (πGST).

  12. Thrombelastography and biomarker profiles in acute coagulopathy of trauma: a prospective study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Larsen Claus F

    2011-10-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Severe injury induces an acute coagulopathy associated with increased mortality. This study compared the Thrombelastography (TEG and biomarker profiles upon admission in trauma patients. Methods Prospective observational study of 80 trauma patients admitted to a Level I Trauma Centre. Data on demography, biochemistry including standard coagulation tests, hematology, transfusions, Injury Severity Score (ISS and TEG were recorded. Retrospective analysis of thawed plasma/serum for biomarkers reflecting tissue injury (histone-complexed DNA fragments, sympathoadrenal activation (adrenaline, noradrenaline, coagulation activation/inhibition and fibrinolysis (sCD40L, protein C, activated Protein C, tissue-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, D-dimer, prothrombinfragment 1+2, plasmin/α2-antiplasmin complex, thrombin/antithrombin complex, tissue factor pathway inhibitor, antithrombin, von willebrand factor, factor XIII. Comparison of patients stratified according to ISS/TEG maximum clot strength. Linear regression analysis of variables associated with clot strength. Results Trauma patients had normal (86%, hypercoagulable (11% or hypocoagulable (1% TEG clot strength; one had primary hyperfibrinolysis. Hypercoagulable patients had higher age, fibrinogen and platelet count (all p 10 red blood cells the initial 24 h. Patients with normal or hypercoagulable TEG clot strength had comparable biomarker profiles, but the few patients with hypocoagulable TEG clot strength and/or hyperfibrinolysis had very different biomarker profiles. Increasing ISS was associated with higher levels of catecholamines, histone-complexed DNA fragments, sCD40L, activated protein C and D-dimer and reduced levels of non-activated protein C, antithrombin, fibrinogen and factor XIII (all p 26. In patients with ISS > 26, adrenaline and sCD40L were independently negatively associated with clot strength. Conclusions Trauma patients displayed

  13. Proteomic identification of host and parasite biomarkers in saliva from patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Huang Honglei

    2012-05-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Malaria cases attributed to Plasmodium falciparum account for approximately 600,000 deaths yearly, mainly in African children. The gold standard method to diagnose malaria requires the visualization of the parasite in blood. The role of non-invasive diagnostic methods to diagnose malaria remains unclear. Methods A protocol was optimized to deplete highly abundant proteins from saliva to improve the dynamic range of the proteins identified and assess their suitability as candidate biomarkers of malaria infection. A starch-based amylase depletion strategy was used in combination with four different lectins to deplete glycoproteins (Concanavalin A and Aleuria aurantia for N-linked glycoproteins; jacalin and peanut agglutinin for O-linked glycoproteins. A proteomic analysis of depleted saliva samples was performed in 17 children with fever and a positive–malaria slide and compared with that of 17 malaria-negative children with fever. Results The proteomic signature of malaria-positive patients revealed a strong up-regulation of erythrocyte-derived and inflammatory proteins. Three P. falciparum proteins, PFL0480w, PF08_0054 and PFI0875w, were identified in malaria patients and not in controls. Aleuria aurantia and jacalin showed the best results for parasite protein identification. Conclusions This study shows that saliva is a suitable clinical specimen for biomarker discovery. Parasite proteins and several potential biomarkers were identified in patients with malaria but not in patients with other causes of fever. The diagnostic performance of these markers should be addressed prospectively.

  14. Serum biomarkers for the early diagnosis of TIA: The MIND-TIA study protocol.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Dolmans, L Servaas; Rutten, Frans H; El Bartelink, Marie-Louise; Seppenwoolde, Gerdien; van Delft, Sanne; Kappelle, L Jaap; Hoes, Arno W

    2015-07-28

    A Transient Ischaemic Attack (TIA) bears a high risk of a subsequent ischaemic stroke. Adequate diagnosis of a TIA should be followed immediately by the start of appropriate preventive therapy, including antiplatelets. The diagnosis of a TIA based on symptoms and signs only is notoriously difficult and biomarkers of brain ischaemia might improve the recognition, and target management and prognosis of TIA patients. Our aim is to quantify the added diagnostic value of serum biomarkers of brain ischaemia in patients suspected of TIA. a cross-sectional diagnostic accuracy study with an additional six month follow-up period. 350 patients suspected of TIA in the primary care setting. Patients suspected of a TIA will be recruited by at least 200 general practitioners (GPs) in the catchment area of seven TIA outpatient clinics willing to participate in the study. In all patients a blood sample will be drawn as soon as possible after the patient has contacted the GP, but at least within 72 h after onset of symptoms. Participants will be referred by the GP to the regional TIA outpatient clinic for additional investigations, including brain imaging. The 'definite' diagnosis (reference standard) will be made by a panel consisting of three experienced neurologists who will use all available diagnostic information and the clinical information obtained during the outpatient clinic assessment, and a six month follow-up period. The diagnostic accuracy, and value in addition to signs and symptoms of candidate serum biomarkers will be assessed in terms of discrimination with C statistics, and calibration with plots. We aim to include 350 suspected cases, with 250 patients with indeed definite TIA (or minor stroke) according to the panel. We hope to find novel biomarkers that will enable a rapid and accurate diagnosis of TIA. This would largely improve the management and prognosis of such patients. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01954329.

  15. Discovery of urinary biomarkers to discriminate between exogenous and semi-endogenous thiouracil in cattle: A parallel-like randomized design.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Van Meulebroek, Lieven; Wauters, Jella; Pomian, Beata; Vanden Bussche, Julie; Delahaut, Philippe; Fichant, Eric; Vanhaecke, Lynn

    2018-01-01

    In the European Union, the use of thyreostats for animal fattening purposes has been banned and monitoring plans have been established to detect potential abuse. However, this is not always straightforward as thyreostats such as thiouracil may also have a semi-endogenous origin. Therefore, this study aimed at defining urinary metabolites, which may aid in defining the origin of detected thiouracil. Hereto, a parallel-like randomized in vivo study was conducted in which calves (n = 8) and cows (n = 8) were subjected to either a control treatment, rapeseed-enriched diet to induce semi-endogenous formation, or thiouracil treatment. Urine samples (n = 330) were assessed through metabolic fingerprinting, employing liquid-chromatography and Q-ExactiveTM Orbitrap mass spectrometry. Urinary fingerprints comprised up to 40,000 features whereby multivariate discriminant analysis was able to point out significant metabolome differences between treatments (Q2(Y) ≥ 0.873). Using the validated models, a total of twelve metabolites (including thiouracil) were assigned marker potential. Combining these markers into age-dependent biomarker panels rendered a tool by which sample classification could be improved in comparison with thiouracil-based thresholds, and this during on-going thiouracil treatment (specificities ≥ 95.2% and sensitivities ≥ 85.7%), post-treatment (sensitivities ≥ 80% for ≥ 24 h after last administration), and simulated low-dose thiouracil treatment (exogenous thiouracil below 30 ng μL-1). Moreover, the metabolic relevance of revealed markers was supported by the suggested identities, for which a structural link with thiouracil could be determined in most cases. The proposed biomarker panels may contribute to a more justified decision-making in monitoring thiouracil abuse.

  16. Retrieval of Legal Information Through Discovery Layers: A Case Study Related to Indian Law Libraries

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Kushwah, Shivpal Singh

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available Purpose. The purpose of this paper is to analyze and evaluate discovery layer search tools for retrieval of legal information in Indian law libraries. This paper covers current practices in legal information retrieval with special reference to Indian academic law libraries, and analyses its importance in the domain of law.Design/Methodology/Approach. A web survey and observational study method are used to collect the data. Data related to the discovery tools were collected using email and further discussion held with the discovery layer/ tool /product developers and their representatives.Findings. Results show that most of the Indian law libraries are subscribing to bundles of legal information resources such as Hein Online, JSTOR, LexisNexis Academic, Manupatra, Westlaw India, SCC web, AIR Online (CDROM, and so on. International legal and academic resources are compatible with discovery tools because they support various standards related to online publishing and dissemination such as OAI/PMH, Open URL, MARC21, and Z39.50, but Indian legal resources such as Manupatra, Air, and SCC are not compatible with the discovery layers. The central index is one of the important components in a discovery search interface, and discovery layer services/tools could be useful for Indian law libraries also if they can include multiple legal and academic resources in their central index. But present practices and observations reveal that discovery layers are not providing facility to cover legal information resources. Therefore, in the present form, discovery tools are not very useful; they are an incomplete and half solution for Indian libraries because all available Indian legal resources available in the law libraries are not covered.Originality/Value. Very limited research or published literature is available in the area of discovery layers and their compatibility with legal information resources.

  17. Academic Drug Discovery Centres

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Kirkegaard, Henriette Schultz; Valentin, Finn

    2014-01-01

    Academic drug discovery centres (ADDCs) are seen as one of the solutions to fill the innovation gap in early drug discovery, which has proven challenging for previous organisational models. Prior studies of ADDCs have identified the need to analyse them from the angle of their economic...

  18. Carcinogen derived biomarkers: applications in studies of human exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke

    OpenAIRE

    Hecht, S

    2004-01-01

    Objective: To review the literature on carcinogen derived biomarkers of exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke (SHS). These biomarkers are specifically related to known carcinogens in tobacco smoke and include urinary metabolites, DNA adducts, and blood protein adducts.

  19. Detection of biomarkers for Hepatocellular Carcinoma using a hybrid univariate gene selection methods

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Abdel Samee Nagwan M

    2012-08-01

    Full Text Available Abstract Background Discovering new biomarkers has a great role in improving early diagnosis of Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC. The experimental determination of biomarkers needs a lot of time and money. This motivates this work to use in-silico prediction of biomarkers to reduce the number of experiments required for detecting new ones. This is achieved by extracting the most representative genes in microarrays of HCC. Results In this work, we provide a method for extracting the differential expressed genes, up regulated ones, that can be considered candidate biomarkers in high throughput microarrays of HCC. We examine the power of several gene selection methods (such as Pearson’s correlation coefficient, Cosine coefficient, Euclidean distance, Mutual information and Entropy with different estimators in selecting informative genes. A biological interpretation of the highly ranked genes is done using KEGG (Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes pathways, ENTREZ and DAVID (Database for Annotation, Visualization, and Integrated Discovery databases. The top ten genes selected using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and Cosine coefficient contained six genes that have been implicated in cancer (often multiple cancers genesis in previous studies. A fewer number of genes were obtained by the other methods (4 genes using Mutual information, 3genes using Euclidean distance and only one gene using Entropy. A better result was obtained by the utilization of a hybrid approach based on intersecting the highly ranked genes in the output of all investigated methods. This hybrid combination yielded seven genes (2 genes for HCC and 5 genes in different types of cancer in the top ten genes of the list of intersected genes. Conclusions To strengthen the effectiveness of the univariate selection methods, we propose a hybrid approach by intersecting several of these methods in a cascaded manner. This approach surpasses all of univariate selection methods when

  20. Comparative Tissue Proteomics of Microdissected Specimens Reveals Novel Candidate Biomarkers of Bladder Cancer*

    Science.gov (United States)

    Chen, Chien-Lun; Chung, Ting; Wu, Chih-Ching; Ng, Kwai-Fong; Yu, Jau-Song; Tsai, Cheng-Han; Chang, Yu-Sun; Liang, Ying; Tsui, Ke-Hung; Chen, Yi-Ting

    2015-01-01

    More than 380,000 new cases of bladder cancer are diagnosed worldwide, accounting for ∼150,200 deaths each year. To discover potential biomarkers of bladder cancer, we employed a strategy combining laser microdissection, isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation labeling, and liquid chromatography-tandem MS (LC-MS/MS) analysis to profile proteomic changes in fresh-frozen bladder tumor specimens. Cellular proteins from four pairs of surgically resected primary bladder cancer tumor and adjacent nontumorous tissue were extracted for use in two batches of isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation experiments, which identified a total of 3220 proteins. A DAVID (database for annotation, visualization and integrated discovery) analysis of dysregulated proteins revealed that the three top-ranking biological processes were extracellular matrix organization, extracellular structure organization, and oxidation-reduction. Biological processes including response to organic substances, response to metal ions, and response to inorganic substances were highlighted by up-expressed proteins in bladder cancer. Seven differentially expressed proteins were selected as potential bladder cancer biomarkers for further verification. Immunohistochemical analyses showed significantly elevated levels of three proteins—SLC3A2, STMN1, and TAGLN2—in tumor cells compared with noncancerous bladder epithelial cells, and suggested that TAGLN2 could be a useful tumor tissue marker for diagnosis (AUC = 0.999) and evaluating lymph node metastasis in bladder cancer patients. ELISA results revealed significantly increased urinary levels of both STMN1 and TAGLN2 in bladder cancer subgroups compared with control groups. In comparisons with age-matched hernia urine specimens, urinary TAGLN2 in bladder cancer samples showed the largest fold change (7.13-fold), with an area-under-the-curve value of 0.70 (p < 0.001, n = 205). Overall, TAGLN2 showed the most significant

  1. Isoprostanes and Neuroprostanes as Biomarkers of Oxidative Stress in Neurodegenerative Diseases

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Elżbieta Miller

    2014-01-01

    Full Text Available Accumulating data shows that oxidative stress plays a crucial role in neurodegenerative disorders. The literature data indicate that in vivo or postmortem cerebrospinal fluid and brain tissue levels of F2-isoprostanes (F2-IsoPs especially F4-neuroprotanes (F4-NPs are significantly increased in some neurodegenerative diseases: multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. Central nervous system is the most metabolically active organ of the body characterized by high requirement for oxygen and relatively low antioxidative activity, what makes neurons and glia highly susceptible to destruction by reactive oxygen/nitrogen species and neurodegeneration. The discovery of F2-IsoPs and F4-NPs as markers of lipid peroxidation caused by the free radicals has opened up new areas of investigation regarding the role of oxidative stress in the pathogenesis of human neurodegenerative diseases. This review focuses on the relationship between F2-IsoPs and F4-NPs as biomarkers of oxidative stress and neurodegenerative diseases. We summarize the knowledge of these novel biomarkers of oxidative stress and the advantages of monitoring their formation to better define the involvement of oxidative stress in neurological diseases.

  2. Lung cancer screening beyond low-dose computed tomography: the role of novel biomarkers.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Hasan, Naveed; Kumar, Rohit; Kavuru, Mani S

    2014-10-01

    Lung cancer is the most common and lethal malignancy in the world. The landmark National lung screening trial (NLST) showed a 20% relative reduction in mortality in high-risk individuals with screening low-dose computed tomography. However, the poor specificity and low prevalence of lung cancer in the NLST provide major limitations to its widespread use. Furthermore, a lung nodule on CT scan requires a nuanced and individualized approach towards management. In this regard, advances in high through-put technology (molecular diagnostics, multi-gene chips, proteomics, and bronchoscopic techniques) have led to discovery of lung cancer biomarkers that have shown potential to complement the current screening standards. Early detection of lung cancer can be achieved by analysis of biomarkers from tissue samples within the respiratory tract such as sputum, saliva, nasal/bronchial airway epithelial cells and exhaled breath condensate or through peripheral biofluids such as blood, serum and urine. Autofluorescence bronchoscopy has been employed in research setting to identify pre-invasive lesions not identified on CT scan. Although these modalities are not yet commercially available in clinic setting, they will be available in the near future and clinicians who care for patients with lung cancer should be aware. In this review, we present up-to-date state of biomarker development, discuss their clinical relevance and predict their future role in lung cancer management.

  3. Biomarkers of a five-domain translational substrate for schizophrenia and schizoaffective psychosis.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fryar-Williams, Stephanie; Strobel, Jörg E

    2015-01-01

    The Mental Health Biomarker Project (2010-2014) selected commercial biochemistry markers related to monoamine synthesis and metabolism and measures of visual and auditory processing performance. Within a case-control discovery design with exclusion criteria designed to produce a highly characterised sample, results from 67 independently DSM IV-R-diagnosed cases of schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder were compared with those from 67 control participants selected from a local hospital, clinic and community catchment area. Participants underwent protocol-based diagnostic-checking, functional-rating, biological sample-collection for thirty candidate markers and sensory-processing assessment. Fifteen biomarkers were identified on ROC analysis. Using these biomarkers, odds ratios, adjusted for a case-control design, indicated that schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder were highly associated with dichotic listening disorder, delayed visual processing, low visual span, delayed auditory speed of processing, low reverse digit span as a measure of auditory working memory and elevated levels of catecholamines. Other nutritional and biochemical biomarkers were identified as elevated hydroxyl pyrroline-2-one as a marker of oxidative stress, vitamin D, B6 and folate deficits with elevation of serum B12 and free serum copper to zinc ratio. When individual biomarkers were ranked by odds ratio and correlated with clinical severity, five functional domains of visual processing, auditory processing, oxidative stress, catecholamines and nutritional-biochemical variables were formed. When the strengths of their inter-domain relationships were predicted by Lowess (non-parametric) regression, predominant bidirectional relationships were found between visual processing and catecholamine domains. At a cellular level, the nutritional-biochemical domain exerted a pervasive influence on the auditory domain as well as on all other domains. The findings of this biomarker research

  4. Low molecular weight protein enrichment on mesoporous silica thin films for biomarker discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Fan, Jia; Gallagher, James W; Wu, Hung-Jen; Landry, Matthew G; Sakamoto, Jason; Ferrari, Mauro; Hu, Ye

    2012-04-17

    The identification of circulating biomarkers holds great potential for non invasive approaches in early diagnosis and prognosis, as well as for the monitoring of therapeutic efficiency.(1-3) The circulating low molecular weight proteome (LMWP) composed of small proteins shed from tissues and cells or peptide fragments derived from the proteolytic degradation of larger proteins, has been associated with the pathological condition in patients and likely reflects the state of disease.(4,5) Despite these potential clinical applications, the use of Mass Spectrometry (MS) to profile the LMWP from biological fluids has proven to be very challenging due to the large dynamic range of protein and peptide concentrations in serum.(6) Without sample pre-treatment, some of the more highly abundant proteins obscure the detection of low-abundance species in serum/plasma. Current proteomic-based approaches, such as two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel-electrophoresis (2D-PAGE) and shotgun proteomics methods are labor-intensive, low throughput and offer limited suitability for clinical applications.(7-9) Therefore, a more effective strategy is needed to isolate LMWP from blood and allow the high throughput screening of clinical samples. Here, we present a fast, efficient and reliable multi-fractionation system based on mesoporous silica chips to specifically target and enrich LMWP.(10,11) Mesoporous silica (MPS) thin films with tunable features at the nanoscale were fabricated using the triblock copolymer template pathway. Using different polymer templates and polymer concentrations in the precursor solution, various pore size distributions, pore structures, connectivity and surface properties were determined and applied for selective recovery of low mass proteins. The selective parsing of the enriched peptides into different subclasses according to their physicochemical properties will enhance the efficiency of recovery and detection of low abundance species. In combination with mass

  5. Biomarkers for the Diagnosis of Cholangiocarcinoma: A Systematic Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Tshering, Gyem; Dorji, Palden Wangyel; Chaijaroenkul, Wanna; Na-Bangchang, Kesara

    2018-06-01

    Cholangiocarcinoma (CCA), a malignant tumor of the bile duct, is a major public health problem in many Southeast Asian countries, particularly Thailand. The slow progression makes it difficult for early diagnosis and most patients are detected in advanced stages. This study aimed to review all relevant articles related to the biomarkers for the diagnosis of CCA and point out potential biomarkers. A thorough search was performed in PubMed and ScienceDirect for CCA biomarker articles. Required data were extracted. A total of 46 articles that fulfilled the inclusion and had none of the exclusion criteria were included in the analysis (17, 22, 3, 4, and 1 articles on blood, tissue, bile, both blood and tissue, and urine biomarkers, respectively). Carbohydrate antigen 19-9 (CA19-9) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), either alone or in combination with other biomarkers, are the most commonly studied biomarkers in the serum. Their sensitivity and specificity ranged from 47.2% to 98.2% and 89.7% to 100%, respectively. However, in the tissue, gene methylations and DNA-related markers were the most studied CCA biomarkers. Their sensitivity and specificity ranged from 58% to 87% and 98% to 100%, respectively. Some articles investigated biomarkers both in blood and tissues, particularly CA19-9 and CEA, with sensitivity and specificity ranging from 33% to 100% and 50% to 97.7%, respectively. Although quite a number of biomarkers with a potential role in the early detection of CCA have been established, it is difficult to single out any particular marker that could be used in the routine clinical settings.

  6. The Discovery of Insulin: A Case Study of Scientific Methodology

    Science.gov (United States)

    Stansfield, William D.

    2012-01-01

    The nature of scientific research sometimes involves a trial-and-error procedure. Popular reviews of successful results from this approach often sanitize the story by omitting unsuccessful trials, thus painting the rosy impression that research simply follows a direct route from hypothesis to experiment to scientific discovery. The discovery of…

  7. Imperfect Gold Standards for Kidney Injury Biomarker Evaluation

    Science.gov (United States)

    Betensky, Rebecca A.; Emerson, Sarah C.; Bonventre, Joseph V.

    2012-01-01

    Clinicians have used serum creatinine in diagnostic testing for acute kidney injury for decades, despite its imperfect sensitivity and specificity. Novel tubular injury biomarkers may revolutionize the diagnosis of acute kidney injury; however, even if a novel tubular injury biomarker is 100% sensitive and 100% specific, it may appear inaccurate when using serum creatinine as the gold standard. Acute kidney injury, as defined by serum creatinine, may not reflect tubular injury, and the absence of changes in serum creatinine does not assure the absence of tubular injury. In general, the apparent diagnostic performance of a biomarker depends not only on its ability to detect injury, but also on disease prevalence and the sensitivity and specificity of the imperfect gold standard. Assuming that, at a certain cutoff value, serum creatinine is 80% sensitive and 90% specific and disease prevalence is 10%, a new perfect biomarker with a true 100% sensitivity may seem to have only 47% sensitivity compared with serum creatinine as the gold standard. Minimizing misclassification by using more strict criteria to diagnose acute kidney injury will reduce the error when evaluating the performance of a biomarker under investigation. Apparent diagnostic errors using a new biomarker may be a reflection of errors in the imperfect gold standard itself, rather than poor performance of the biomarker. The results of this study suggest that small changes in serum creatinine alone should not be used to define acute kidney injury in biomarker or interventional studies. PMID:22021710

  8. Biomarker Profiles in Women with PCOS and PCOS Offspring; A Pilot Study.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Daan, Nadine M P; Koster, Maria P H; de Wilde, Marlieke A; Dalmeijer, Gerdien W; Evelein, Annemieke M V; Fauser, Bart C J M; de Jager, Wilco

    2016-01-01

    To study metabolic/inflammatory biomarker risk profiles in women with PCOS and PCOS offspring. Cross-sectional comparison of serum biomarkers. University Medical Center Utrecht. Hyperandrogenic PCOS women (HA-PCOS, n = 34), normoandrogenic PCOS women (NA-PCOS, n = 34), non-PCOS reference population (n = 32), PCOS offspring (n = 14, age 6-8 years), and a paedriatic reference population (n = 30). Clustering profile of adipocytokines (IL-1b, IL-6, IL-13, IL-17, IL-18, TNF-α, adiponectin, adipsin, leptin, chemerin, resistin, RBP4, DPP-IV/sCD26, CCL2/MCP-1), growth factors (PIGF, VEGF, sVEGF-R1), soluble cell adhesion molecules (sICAM-1/sCD54, sVCAM-1/sCD106), and other inflammatory related proteases (MMP-9, S100A8, Cathepsin S). Differences in median biomarker concentrations between groups, and associations with the free androgen index (FAI; Testosterone/SHBG x100). The cluster analysis identified leptin, RBP-4, DPP-IV and adiponectin as potential discriminative markers for HA-PCOS with a specifically strong correlation in cases with increased BMI. Leptin (R2 = 0.219) and adiponectin (R2 = 0.182) showed the strongest correlation with the FAI. When comparing median protein concentrations adult PCOS women with or without hyperandrogenemia, the most profound differences were observed for leptin (P PCOS offspring, MMP-9 (P = 0.001) and S100A8 (P PCOS and non-PCOS controls, mostly influenced by BMI. Leptin and adiponectin showed the strongest correlation with the FAI in adult women with PCOS. In PCOS offspring other inflammatory biomarkers (MMP-9, S100A8) were increased, suggesting that these children may exhibit increased chronic low-grade inflammation. Additional research is required to confirm results of the current exploratory investigation.

  9. Biomarker MicroRNAs for Diagnosis of Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Identified Based on Gene Expression Data and MicroRNA-mRNA Network Analysis

    Science.gov (United States)

    Zhang, Hui; Li, Tangxin; Zheng, Linqing

    2017-01-01

    Oral squamous cell carcinoma is one of the most malignant tumors with high mortality rate worldwide. Biomarker discovery is critical for early diagnosis and precision treatment of this disease. MicroRNAs are small noncoding RNA molecules which often regulate essential biological processes and are good candidates for biomarkers. By integrative analysis of both the cancer-associated gene expression data and microRNA-mRNA network, miR-148b-3p, miR-629-3p, miR-27a-3p, and miR-142-3p were screened as novel diagnostic biomarkers for oral squamous cell carcinoma based on their unique regulatory abilities in the network structure of the conditional microRNA-mRNA network and their important functions. These findings were confirmed by literature verification and functional enrichment analysis. Future experimental validation is expected for the further investigation of their molecular mechanisms. PMID:29098014

  10. Alterations in inflammatory biomarkers and energy intake in cancer cachexia: a prospective study in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Bye, Asta; Wesseltoft-Rao, Nima; Iversen, Per Ole; Skjegstad, Grete; Holven, Kirsten B; Ulven, Stine; Hjermstad, Marianne J

    2016-06-01

    Chronic systemic inflammatory response is proposed as an underlying mechanism for development of cancer cachexia. We conducted a prospective study to examine changes in inflammatory biomarkers during the disease course and the relationship between inflammatory biomarkers and cachexia in patients with inoperable pancreatic cancer. Twenty patients, median (range) age 67.5 (35-79) years, 5 females, were followed for median 5.5 (1-12) months. Cachexia was diagnosed according to the 2011 consensus-based classification system (weight loss >5 % past six months, BMI 2 %, or sarcopenia) and the modified Glasgow Prognostic score (mGPS) that combines CRP and albumin levels. Inflammatory biomarkers were measured by enzyme immunoassays. The patients had increased levels of most inflammatory biomarkers, albeit not all statistically significant, both at study entry and close to death, indicating ongoing inflammation. According to the consensus-based classification system, eleven (55 %) patients were classified as cachectic upon inclusion. They did not differ from non-cachectic patients with regard to inflammatory biomarkers or energy intake. According to the mGPS, seven (35 %) were defined as cachectic and had a higher IL-6 (p cachexia.

  11. Biomarkers in Prodromal Parkinson Disease: a Qualitative Review.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Cooper, Christine A; Chahine, Lama M

    2016-11-01

    Over the past several years, the concept of prodromal Parkinson disease (PD) has been increasingly recognized. This term refers to individuals who do not fulfill motor diagnostic criteria for PD, but who have clinical, genetic, or biomarker characteristics suggesting risk of developing PD in the future. Clinical diagnosis of prodromal PD has low specificity, prompting the need for objective biomarkers with higher specificity. In this qualitative review, we discuss objectively defined putative biomarkers for PD and prodromal PD. We searched Pubmed and Embase for articles pertaining to objective biomarkers for PD and their application in prodromal cohorts. Articles were selected based on relevance and methodology. Objective biomarkers of demonstrated utility in prodromal PD include ligand-based imaging and transcranial sonography. Development of serum, cerebrospinal fluid, and tissue-based biomarkers is underway, but their application in prodromal PD has yet to meaningfully occur. Combining objective biomarkers with clinical or genetic prodromal features increases the sensitivity and specificity for identifying prodromal PD. Several objective biomarkers for prodromal PD show promise but require further study, including their application to and validation in prodromal cohorts followed longitudinally. Accurate identification of prodromal PD will likely require a multimodal approach. (JINS, 2016, 22, 956-967).

  12. WONOEP appraisal: Biomarkers of epilepsy-associated comorbidities.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Ravizza, Teresa; Onat, Filiz Y; Brooks-Kayal, Amy R; Depaulis, Antoine; Galanopoulou, Aristea S; Mazarati, Andrey; Numis, Adam L; Sankar, Raman; Friedman, Alon

    2017-03-01

    Neurologic and psychiatric comorbidities are common in patients with epilepsy. Diagnostic, predictive, and pharmacodynamic biomarkers of such comorbidities do not exist. They may share pathogenetic mechanisms with epileptogenesis/ictogenesis, and as such are an unmet clinical need. The objectives of the subgroup on biomarkers of comorbidities at the XIII Workshop on the Neurobiology of Epilepsy (WONOEP) were to present the state-of-the-art recent research findings in the field that highlighting potential biomarkers for comorbidities in epilepsy. We review recent progress in the field, including molecular, imaging, and genetic biomarkers of comorbidities as discussed during the WONOEP meeting on August 31-September 4, 2015, in Heybeliada Island (Istanbul, Turkey). We further highlight new directions and concepts from studies on comorbidities and potential new biomarkers for the prediction, diagnosis, and treatment of epilepsy-associated comorbidities. The activation of various molecular signaling pathways such as the "Janus Kinase/Signal Transducer and Activator of Transcription," "mammalian Target of Rapamycin," and oxidative stress have been shown to correlate with the presence and severity of subsequent cognitive abnormalities. Furthermore, dysfunction in serotonergic transmission, hyperactivity of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical axis, the role of the inflammatory cytokines, and the contributions of genetic factors have all recently been regarded as relevant for understanding epilepsy-associated depression and cognitive deficits. Recent evidence supports the utility of imaging studies as potential biomarkers. The role of such biomarker may be far beyond the diagnosis of comorbidities, as accumulating clinical data indicate that comorbidities can predict epilepsy outcomes. Future research is required to reveal whether molecular changes in specific signaling pathways or advanced imaging techniques could be detected in the clinical settings and correlate

  13. Discovery and Reuse of Open Datasets: An Exploratory Study

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Sara

    2016-07-01

    Full Text Available Objective: This article analyzes twenty cited or downloaded datasets and the repositories that house them, in order to produce insights that can be used by academic libraries to encourage discovery and reuse of research data in institutional repositories. Methods: Using Thomson Reuters’ Data Citation Index and repository download statistics, we identified twenty cited/downloaded datasets. We documented the characteristics of the cited/downloaded datasets and their corresponding repositories in a self-designed rubric. The rubric includes six major categories: basic information; funding agency and journal information; linking and sharing; factors to encourage reuse; repository characteristics; and data description. Results: Our small-scale study suggests that cited/downloaded datasets generally comply with basic recommendations for facilitating reuse: data are documented well; formatted for use with a variety of software; and shared in established, open access repositories. Three significant factors also appear to contribute to dataset discovery: publishing in discipline-specific repositories; indexing in more than one location on the web; and using persistent identifiers. The cited/downloaded datasets in our analysis came from a few specific disciplines, and tended to be funded by agencies with data publication mandates. Conclusions: The results of this exploratory research provide insights that can inform academic librarians as they work to encourage discovery and reuse of institutional datasets. Our analysis also suggests areas in which academic librarians can target open data advocacy in their communities in order to begin to build open data success stories that will fuel future advocacy efforts.

  14. Quantifying the Ease of Scientific Discovery.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Arbesman, Samuel

    2011-02-01

    It has long been known that scientific output proceeds on an exponential increase, or more properly, a logistic growth curve. The interplay between effort and discovery is clear, and the nature of the functional form has been thought to be due to many changes in the scientific process over time. Here I show a quantitative method for examining the ease of scientific progress, another necessary component in understanding scientific discovery. Using examples from three different scientific disciplines - mammalian species, chemical elements, and minor planets - I find the ease of discovery to conform to an exponential decay. In addition, I show how the pace of scientific discovery can be best understood as the outcome of both scientific output and ease of discovery. A quantitative study of the ease of scientific discovery in the aggregate, such as done here, has the potential to provide a great deal of insight into both the nature of future discoveries and the technical processes behind discoveries in science.

  15. The emergence of translational epidemiology: from scientific discovery to population health impact.

    Science.gov (United States)

    Khoury, Muin J; Gwinn, Marta; Ioannidis, John P A

    2010-09-01

    Recent emphasis on translational research (TR) is highlighting the role of epidemiology in translating scientific discoveries into population health impact. The authors present applications of epidemiology in TR through 4 phases designated T1-T4, illustrated by examples from human genomics. In T1, epidemiology explores the role of a basic scientific discovery (e.g., a disease risk factor or biomarker) in developing a "candidate application" for use in practice (e.g., a test used to guide interventions). In T2, epidemiology can help to evaluate the efficacy of a candidate application by using observational studies and randomized controlled trials. In T3, epidemiology can help to assess facilitators and barriers for uptake and implementation of candidate applications in practice. In T4, epidemiology can help to assess the impact of using candidate applications on population health outcomes. Epidemiology also has a leading role in knowledge synthesis, especially using quantitative methods (e.g., meta-analysis). To explore the emergence of TR in epidemiology, the authors compared articles published in selected issues of the Journal in 1999 and 2009. The proportion of articles identified as translational doubled from 16% (11/69) in 1999 to 33% (22/66) in 2009 (P = 0.02). Epidemiology is increasingly recognized as an important component of TR. By quantifying and integrating knowledge across disciplines, epidemiology provides crucial methods and tools for TR.

  16. Managing discovery risks--A Tevatron case study

    International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

    Bakul Banerjee

    2004-01-01

    To meet the increasing need for higher performance, Management of Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory has undertaken various projects to improve systems associated with the Tevatron high-energy particle collider located at Batavia, Illinois. One of the larger projects is the Tevatron Beam Position Monitor (BPM) system. The objective of this project is to replace the existing BPM electronics and software system that was originally installed during early 1980s, along with the original construction of the Tevatron.The original system consists of 236 beam position monitors located around the underground tunnel of the accelerator. Above ground control systems are attached to these monitors using pickup cables. When the Tevatron collider is operational, signals received from the BPMs are used to perform a number of control and diagnostic tasks. The original system can only capture the proton signals from the collider. The new system, when fully operational, will be able to capture combined proton and antiproton signals and will be able to separate the antiproton signal from the combined signal at high resolution. This significant enhancement was beyond the range of technical capabilities when the Tevatron was constructed about two decades ago. To take advantage of exceptional progress made in the hardware and software area in past two decades, Department of Energy approved funding of the BPM electronics and software replacement project. The approximate length of the project is sixteen months with a budget of four million dollars not including overhead, escalation, and contingencies. Apart from cost and schedule risks, there are two major risks associated with this research and development project. The primary risk is the risk of discovery. Since the Tevatron beam path is highly complex, BPMs have to acquire and process a large amount of data. In this environment, analysis of data to separate antiproton signals is even more complex. Finding an optimum algorithm that can

  17. Biomarkers of intermediate endpoints in environmental and occupational health

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Knudsen, Lisbeth E; Hansen, Ase M

    2007-01-01

    The use of biomarkers in environmental and occupational health is increasing due to increasing demands on information about health risks from unfavourable exposures. Biomarkers provide information about individual loads. Biomarkers of intermediate endpoints benefit in comparison with biomarkers...... of exposure from the fact that they are closer to the adverse outcome in the pathway from exposure to health effects and may provide powerful information for intervention. Some biomarkers are specific, e.g., DNA and protein adducts, while others are unspecific like the cytogenetic biomarkers of chromosomal...... health effect from the result of the measurement has been performed for the cytogenetic biomarkers showing a predictive value of high levels of CA and increased risk of cancer. The use of CA in future studies is, however, limited by the laborious and sensitive procedure of the test and lack of trained...

  18. Salivary pH: A diagnostic biomarker

    OpenAIRE

    Baliga, Sharmila; Muglikar, Sangeeta; Kale, Rahul

    2013-01-01

    Objectives: Saliva contains a variety of host defense factors. It influences calculus formation and periodontal disease. Different studies have been done to find exact correlation of salivary biomarkers with periodontal disease. With a multitude of biomarkers and complexities in their determination, the salivary pH may be tried to be used as a quick chairside test. The aim of this study was to analyze the pH of saliva and determine its relevance to the severity of periodontal disease. Study D...

  19. Biomarkers in spinal cord compression Ethics and perspectives

    Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

    Iencean A.St.

    2016-09-01

    Full Text Available The phosphorylated form of the high-molecular-weight neurofilament subunit NF-H (pNF-H in serum or in cerebro-spinal fluid (CSF is a specific lesional biomarker for spinal cord injury. The lesional biomarkers and the reaction biomarkers are both presented after several hours post-injury. The specific predictive patterns of lesional biomarkers could be used to aid clinicians with making a diagnosis and establishing a prognosis, and evaluating therapeutic interventions. Diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment guidance based on biomarker used as a predictive indicator can determine ethical difficulties by differentiated therapies in patients with spinal cord compression. At this point based on studies until today we cannot take a decision based on biomarker limiting the treatment of neurological recovery in patients with complete spinal cord injury because we do not know the complexity of the biological response to spinal cord compression.

  20. Smoking reduction and biomarkers in two longitudinal studies

    DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

    Godtfredsen, Nina; Prescott, Eva; Vestbo, Jørgen

    2006-01-01

    AIMS: To measure reduction in exposure to smoke in two population-based studies of self-reported smoking reduction not using nicotine replacement. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analyses of biomarkers and smoking. SETTING: Data from two time-points in the Copenhagen City Heart Study (CCHS), 1981....../83 and 1991/94, and the Copenhagen Male Study (CMS) in 1976 and 1985/86, respectively. PARTICIPANTS: There were 3026 adults who were smokers at both time-points in the CCHS and 1319 men smoking at both time-points in the CMS. MEASUREMENTS: Smoking status and tobacco consumption were assessed by self...... a reduction in cigarettes per day of 50% or more without quitting were compared with continuing medium, heavy and light smokers (1-14 g/day) using linear regression. Sex (CCHS only), age, self-reported inhalation of smoke, duration of smoking, type of tobacco and amount smoked were included as covariates...