Biomarker Commons

Patients with coronary artery disease who undergo treatment at the University of Maryland Medical Center now can receive long-term therapy based on information found in their genes. As part of a new personalized medicine initiative, the medical center is offering genetic testing to help doctors determine which medication a patient should take after a stenting procedure in order to prevent blood clots that could lead to serious – and potentially fatal – heart attacks and strokes.

Genomind, a personalized medicine company, has released a statement in response to the National Institute of Mental Health’s (NIMH) announcement by Director Dr. Thomas Insel that the organization will be re-orienting its research away from DSM categories, supporting the move and its potential to influence improved treatment of patients with mental disorders.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements of atrophy in an important area of the brain are an accurate predictor of multiple sclerosis (MS), according to a new study published online in the journal Radiology. According to the researchers, these atrophy measurements offer an improvement over current methods for evaluating patients at risk for MS.

Scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have helped identify many of the biomarkers for Alzheimer's disease that could potentially predict which patients will develop the disorder later in life. Now, studying spinal fluid samples and health data from 201 research participants at the Charles F. and Joanne Knight Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, the researchers have shown the markers are accurate predictors of Alzheimer's years before symptoms develop.

The Parkinson's Progression Markers Initiative (PPMI), a landmark biomarker clinical study, has completed enrollment of its initial 600-member cohort of Parkinson's patients and controls, and will launch additional study cohorts to leverage the existing PPMI infrastructure and evaluate multiple potential biomarkers for Parkinson's disease (PD). The first of these new cohorts launches today and will investigate risk factors for PD that may enable diagnosis before the onset of motor symptoms.