Biomarker Boom Slowed by Validation Concerns

Extract

By many accounts, the brave new worlds of genomics and proteomics—and their accompanying technologies—have ushered in a new era of cancer biomarker research. Researchers in cancer detection, diagnosis, and treatment all have a vested interest in discovering these proteins and small molecules that are telltale signs of early cancer, characteristics that make a type of cancer unique, or markers that predict whether a patient will respond to a given treatment. As a result, the number of uses for cancer biomarkers has expanded at a rapid pace.

“Cancer biomarkers are practically pouring out of research laboratories,” said Bruce Zetter, Ph.D., Charles Nowiszewski Professor of Cancer Biology at Boston's Children's Hospital.

But as researchers and oncologists use and develop technology to uncover a wealth of markers that may ultimately affect cancer detection and diagnostics, many argue that, at least for now, the biomarker research engine is stuck in neutral. What are missing in many cases, they say, are studies to prove a marker's reliability and clinical worth.