Biomarkers play central role in cancer research
A professor at Florida State University's department of chemistry and bio-chemistry has begun working to identify biomarkers that may help provide an early warning for patients with prostate cancer or breast cancer.
In the UK, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and in 2007 125 women a day were diagnosed. In 2008, around 12,000 women and 70 men died from the disease. Thankfully the rate of survival is higher than ever before and more people are beating breast cancer.
Survival rates are better the earlier the cancer is detected, and the research being led by Professor Qing-Xiang ‘Amy' Sang is aimed at helping to develop tests that will inform doctors as soon as possible if someone is suffering from breast cancer. Prof Sang and her team are attempting to find new biomarkers that can identify breast cancer and prostate cancer which will be more accurate than the biomarkers currently being used. With different types of cancer, different biomarkers are produced. According to Prof Sang, the key is understanding which is the most effective biomarker for the type of cancer you are dealing with.
As with all medical research, time and money are what is need needed, and often they are needed in abundance. Prof Sang has managed to access funding from various sources including breast cancer foundations as well as university funding. In total, just over $940,000 has been made available to help with this particular research effort, which reveals just how much importance is being placed on biomarker research and the role biomarkers can play in the world of medical research.
In a statement, Prof Sang said biomarkers can be used to identify certain biological and pathological processes. These clues can come from the cancer cells, and also from the tissue that surrounds them, but the important thing is that they let doctors know that something out of the ordinary is happening. When it comes to breast cancer and of course many other diseases, speed is the key thing. The quicker a patient can be diagnosed then the faster a medical team can act in an effort to halt the spread of the disease.
No one underestimates the potential role that cancer biomarkers can play when it comes to identifying and stopping diseases in their earliest stages, which is why organisations are placing so much importance on developing biomarker database.
In the UK, breast cancer is the most common form of cancer and in 2007 125 women a day were diagnosed. In 2008, around 12,000 women and 70 men died from the disease. Thankfully the rate of survival is higher than ever before and more people are beating breast cancer.
Survival rates are better the earlier the cancer is detected, and the research being led by Professor Qing-Xiang ‘Amy' Sang is aimed at helping to develop tests that will inform doctors as soon as possible if someone is suffering from breast cancer. Prof Sang and her team are attempting to find new biomarkers that can identify breast cancer and prostate cancer which will be more accurate than the biomarkers currently being used. With different types of cancer, different biomarkers are produced. According to Prof Sang, the key is understanding which is the most effective biomarker for the type of cancer you are dealing with.
As with all medical research, time and money are what is need needed, and often they are needed in abundance. Prof Sang has managed to access funding from various sources including breast cancer foundations as well as university funding. In total, just over $940,000 has been made available to help with this particular research effort, which reveals just how much importance is being placed on biomarker research and the role biomarkers can play in the world of medical research.
In a statement, Prof Sang said biomarkers can be used to identify certain biological and pathological processes. These clues can come from the cancer cells, and also from the tissue that surrounds them, but the important thing is that they let doctors know that something out of the ordinary is happening. When it comes to breast cancer and of course many other diseases, speed is the key thing. The quicker a patient can be diagnosed then the faster a medical team can act in an effort to halt the spread of the disease.
No one underestimates the potential role that cancer biomarkers can play when it comes to identifying and stopping diseases in their earliest stages, which is why organisations are placing so much importance on developing biomarker database.
