Our collection of biomarkers webinars spans topics from proof-of-concept and validations, to imaging methods and more. Biomarkers are measurable signs, often in the form of biological molecules, which are indicative of a normal or disease state. They are particularly useful as a surrogate measure of disease progression when the disease state itself is not directly measurable.

Biomarkers are also useful to determine an individual’s risk of developing a disease so that early interventions can be explored. And in drug development, changes in biomarker measurements can help assess the efficacy of a therapy.

In fact, regulators like the US FDA are becoming more accepting of the use of biomarkers as endpoints in late-stage clinical trials, with some new therapeutics having been granted approval on the basis of these biomarkers alone. However, in these cases, drug developers are often required to eventually prove that their therapy has a clinical benefit to maintain its approved status.

Biomarkers are regularly used in multiple disease areas, including oncology, cardiovascular health and CNS conditions. And while many biomarkers are measured in biological samples, like serum, blood, cerebrospinal fluid and urine, biomarkers can also be imaging-based.

The development of liquid biopsies continues to be an exciting and growing area of research. Liquid biopsies are based on the use of biomarkers for diagnosing and monitoring disease. For cancers, circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and circulating cell-free tumor DNA (ctDNA) as tumor biomarkers have been major areas of development in liquid biopsies. Xtalks has, and continues, to host webinars on this exciting area of research. Check out presentations and articles about liquid biopsies, and choose from a selection of recorded and upcoming biomarkers webinars at Xtalks.com.