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Thomson Reuters has chosen to highlight advances in biomarker researchbecause of its capacity to change the way Pharma companies do business.Biomarkers which are blood-based tests, gene sequences or mutations, mRNAexpression profiles or tissue proteins, provide unparalleled evidence of thestate of an organism, or indicate normal biological processes, pathogenicprocesses or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic intervention.
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"Biomarkers seem destined to prove one of the major drivers ofpharmaceutical research and drug development in the 21st century," said JonBrett-Harris, EVP Pharmaceutical and Chemicals Markets, Thomson Reuters. "Forexample, the presence of a specific antibody in the blood might indicate aspecific infection. Once an association between a biomarker and a disease isclearly established, the one can be used to signal the other, and to a highdegree of certainty. As well, changes in the prevalence of a biomarker in theorganism can immediately and reliably signpost a patient's response totreatment."
Some pharmaceutical companies are already advancing their research andharnessing the power of biomarkers, which can:
It is believed that every drug process may have a number of biomarkersassociated with it. Most scientists already use a core set of biomarkers, butthis is insignificant when compared to the thousands of biomarkers that mayexist and have yet to be discovered, documented or quantified. The newThomson Reuters biomarker report suggests that the disease areas at theforefront of the drive to discover new biomarkers are: cancer, cardiology,neurology, and metabolic, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
However, although biomarkers represent the future of drug development,Thomson Reuters analysis has found broad differences in the Pharma industry'sapproach to them. Some innovators have important biomarker research projectsprogressing, while many others have yet to attempt any research at all.
In spite of this, biomarkers are clearly at the top of the agenda forregulatory authorities. The FDA has recognized that biomarkers are an area ofsupreme importance to pharmaceutical innovation and personalized medicine andis seeking to create a new framework for regulatory acceptance. Otheragencies, including the EMEA, are engaging with same process. In Japan, theMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and theMinistry of Health, Labor and Welfare, have proposed biomarker development asa national project, and are actively promoting biomarker research.
To read the full report, "Establishing the Standards in BiomarkerResearch", please register online at:http://scientific.thomson.com/forms/biomarkers/
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