How biomarkers and bioanalytics are changing R&D

Biomarkers have been causing a paradigm shift in how HCPs treat patients for some time – now they are bringing the pharma industry a new gold standard for clinical research.

Thomas Turi, chief scientific officer at Nexelis, tells us how a biomarker-led R&D approach is transforming drug development in disease areas like non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) and cancer, and provides best-practice tips for companies looking to harness this approach.

Biomarkers have already guided our understanding of several cancers and led to the development of several precision medicines. Recent approvals in highly heterogenous tumours, such as non-small cell lung cancer, are now targeting smaller patient populations – representing just a single-digit percentage of patients with aggressive cancers and poor prognosis.

Unsurprisingly, some major pharmaceutical companies are in the process of revamping their entire R&D approach to focus on biomarkers, and see such technology as the key to discovering new, breakthrough treatment options that also have the potential to transform care by allowing patients to undergo less exhaustive testing.

• Read the full article in pharmaphorum's Deep Dive digital magazine