BACKGROUND: Protein cancer biomarkers serve multiple clinical purposes, both early and late, during disease progression. The search for new and better biomarkers has become an integral component of contemporary cancer research. However, the number of new biomarkers cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration has declined substantially over the last 10 years, raising concerns regarding the efficiency of the biomarker-development pipeline. CONTENT: We describe different clinical uses of cancer biomarkers and their performance requirements. We also present examples of protein cancer biomarkers currently in clinical use and their limitations. The major barriers that candidate biomarkers need to overcome to reach the clinic are addressed. Finally, the long and arduous journey of a protein cancer biomarker from the bench to the clinic is outlined with an example. SUMMARY: The journey of a protein biomarker from the bench to the clinic is long and challenging. Every step needs to be meticulously planned and executed to succeed. The history of clinically useful biomarkers suggests that at least a decade is required for the transition of a marker from the bench to the bedside. Therefore, it may be too early to expect that the new technological advances will catalyze the anticipated biomarker revolution any time soon.
BACKGROUND:Protein cancer biomarkers serve multiple clinical purposes, both early and late, during disease progression. The search for new and better biomarkers has become an integral component of contemporary cancer research. However, the number of new biomarkers cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration has declined substantially over the last 10 years, raising concerns regarding the efficiency of the biomarker-development pipeline. CONTENT: We describe different clinical uses of cancer biomarkers and their performance requirements. We also present examples of protein cancer biomarkers currently in clinical use and their limitations. The major barriers that candidate biomarkers need to overcome to reach the clinic are addressed. Finally, the long and arduous journey of a protein cancer biomarker from the bench to the clinic is outlined with an example. SUMMARY: The journey of a protein biomarker from the bench to the clinic is long and challenging. Every step needs to be meticulously planned and executed to succeed. The history of clinically useful biomarkers suggests that at least a decade is required for the transition of a marker from the bench to the bedside. Therefore, it may be too early to expect that the new technological advances will catalyze the anticipated biomarker revolution any time soon.
Authors: Nathan G Lambert; Hanan ElShelmani; Malkit K Singh; Fiona C Mansergh; Michael A Wride; Maximilian Padilla; David Keegan; Ruth E Hogg; Balamurali K Ambati Journal: Prog Retin Eye Res Date: 2016-05-06 Impact factor: 21.198
Authors: Alison Chan; Ioannis Prassas; Apostolos Dimitromanolakis; Randall E Brand; Stefano Serra; Eleftherios P Diamandis; Ivan M Blasutig Journal: Clin Cancer Res Date: 2014-09-19 Impact factor: 12.531
Authors: Jeffrey R Marks; Karen S Anderson; Paul Engstrom; Andrew K Godwin; Laura J Esserman; Gary Longton; Edwin S Iversen; Anu Mathew; Christos Patriotis; Margaret S Pepe Journal: Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev Date: 2014-12-03 Impact factor: 4.254
Authors: Alok K Shah; Kim-Anh Lê Cao; Eunju Choi; David Chen; Benoît Gautier; Derek Nancarrow; David C Whiteman; Nicholas A Saunders; Andrew P Barbour; Virendra Joshi; Michelle M Hill Journal: Mol Cell Proteomics Date: 2015-09-24 Impact factor: 5.911