Finding innovative biomarkers is key to customized therapy
Patients diagnosed with the same disease can show marked differences in individual response to treatment: some clearly benefit while others have no positive response and yet others may experience adverse reactions. To identify the basis for these different responses, Novartis has an extensive program of biomarker discovery to pinpoint patients suitable for a given therapy; verify initial response; and monitor subsequent therapy and possible disease progression. At Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR), identification of biomarkers is a mandatory part of proposals for all new drug targets.
The term “biomarker” is widely used but frequently misunderstood. Biomarkers are measurable biological factors, such as gene activity, proteins, or chemical compounds that can act as indicators for how a disease or therapy is progressing. For instance, the abnormal Bcr-Abl protein can act as a biomarker for chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Increasingly sophisticated biochemical or genetic markers are under development – from amyloid deposition in the case of Alzheimer’s disease or prostate specific antigen, a risk factor for prostate cancer – and used to diagnose and track progression of a disease.
In the area of drug toxicity, major research initiatives are underway to understand the molecular mechanisms causing adverse drug reactions and, ultimately, to find biomarkers that identify people at risk
In the area of drug toxicity, major research initiatives are underway to understand the molecular mechanisms causing adverse drug reactions and, ultimately, to find biomarkers that identify people at risk. This research builds on recent advances in multiple scientific disciplines such as bioinformatics, genomics, imaging technologies and materials science.
Novartis recently established Molecular Diagnostics, a new business unit which is focused on leveraging these internal strengths and capabilities to commercialize biomarkers for use as diagnostics in specific patient populations.
Visit the Novartis Molecular Diagnostics website
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