Issue 50 of the research*eu results magazine: Biomarkers to track down disease
Biomarkers can be used at each step of medical practice, from measuring health to grading disease severity, predicting outcomes, determining the best treatment and evaluating response to this treatment. They bring hope of early diagnosis test kits for infamous diseases like cancer, neurodegenerative disorders and diabetes, and they also open doors to personalised medicine by enabling clinical practitioners to classify patients in subpopulations. While this potential cannot be argued against, it is however hindered by two major issues which see only a few biomarkers being validated for use in clinical research setting. First, diagnostic kits arising from biomarker research have to be approved as in-vitro diagnostic tests — implying tedious validation processes where poor reproducibility is often a problem. Then, regulators generally require that diagnostic tests and drugs are developed in tandem, as they are closely intertwined: the purpose of a diagnostic test is essentially to enable better decision-making on the use of a specific therapy. Since pharmaceutical companies and diagnostic manufacturers are subject to different regulations, the whole process can quickly become difficult. With this edition of the research*eu results magazine, the CORDIS editorial team wanted to highlight concrete examples of FP7 biomarker research which could soon lead to concrete advances for patients. Early results from some Horizon 2020 projects funded under an SME Instrument call, specifically dedicated to the clinical validation of existing biomarkers and/or diagnostic devices, are also presented. Other topics in this edition include the following highlights: - Tools to help health professionals make better technological choices - The hominids of Ain Hanech - Long-lasting coatings for offshore renewable energy - EU study suggests a ‘right policy mix’ for the future ETS - Smart helmet and garment to help save motorcycle riders in the event of a crash - Lightweight metal component processing offers competitive advantages - New insights on the safety of GM organisms - Innovative tools for optimal tax schemes The research*eu results magazine is the main source of information for all findings related to EU-funded science projects. It covers a large spectrum of topics including biology and medicine, environment, energy, transport, ICT, industrial technologies, social sciences and space. It is published 10 times per year in English. For more information, sign up for a free subscription and to download the new edition, please visit: http://cordis.europa.eu/research-eu/magazine_en.html(opens in new window)
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