artistic rendition of horizon and tumors

The scientific community defines biomarkers or biological cancer markers as biomolecules produced either by a cluster of malignant cells or by other body cells in response to a tumor. These biological markers (molecules, enzymes, genes, gene products, hormones, or specific cells) can assist our understanding of cancer through emerging multi-omics technologies like genomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, and proteomics. Characterizing biomarkers after molecular or biochemical profiling makes these biomolecules effective for studying growth characteristics.

Products for biomarker discovery

Biomarker mechanisms

Multiple functions, including amplification of a gene’s mutations, aberrant cell division, and growth, induce secretion or release in the human body of specific solid tumor markers commonly found in malignancy. Therefore, biomarkers can be measured or quantified through non-invasive means in different biological fluids [whole blood (serum or plasma) and urine] or through invasive methods requiring biopsy of the malignant solid tumor tissue or cells. A particular biomarker type is the genomic biomarker. DNA collection is required for studying this type of cancer marker, as well as quantification in cancerous tissue or whole blood.

Biomarkers from solid tumor-derived malignancies, such as breast, colon, lung, brain, melanoma, or prostate, can assist in the molecular classification of cancers. Biomarkers must have a high-level of specificity and sensitivity in differentiating a benign or aggressive cancer from an inconsequential one. These primary characteristics of biomarkers are crucial for evaluating and establishing the optimal limits of cutoff values describing the accuracy and ability of biomarkers to distinguish between healthy and unhealthy subjects.

Biomarkers and cutoff values

  • Sensitivity and specificity, the main characteristics of biomarkers, are inversely proportional to each other
  • Highly specific, but low-sensitivity biomarker: increase of cutoff points leads to an increase of specificity of the assay or a false negative response and decrease of false-positive reactions
  • Highly sensitive, but low-specificity biomarker: decrease of cutoff points leads to lower percentage of false negatives, but more false positives
  • Increasing specificity of threshold cutoff limit implies a sensitivity of approximately 100% for the cutoff value

Biomarkers should preferentially exhibit these main characteristics:

  • Non-invasive and reproducible detection methods (serum, whole blood, urine, or accessible tissue samples)
  • Low cost of performing, interpreting, and verifying methods
  • Superior specificity (~100% negative control detection, actual negative control subjects) and sensitivity (~100% valid positive rate or TPR, detection in all cancer samples)
  • Function as negative controls—detectable at low levels in healthy and benign-specific samples
  • Organ and tissue-derived specific biomolecules
  • Directly proportional to the tumor volume or cancer evolution


The role of biomarkers in developing future treatments

Characterization or classification of human solid tumor-derived malignancies are in a constant need of development for future therapies. These building blocks represent the basics in the field of personalized medicine or multi-omics approaches. The human genome is responsible for expressing almost 30,000 genes, and so it can offer molecular insights for scientists to design and manufacture drugs targeting specific molecules. Additionally, biomarkers are being used to achieve these outcomes by unveiling genetic oscillations.

The idea of isolated biomarker discovery was replaced recently by the idea of multi-biomarker discovery. This refers to a panel of genes or proteins and the checking of whether a heterogeneous and multifactorial cancer may have a single fingerprint or not.

Overcoming future challenges of biomarker research requires a broad understanding of the abnormal genetic mutations’ mechanisms at the cellular and molecular levels. Once achieved, researchers may be able to convert the biomarkers’ mechanism to a clinical diagnosis in the future.


Biomarker discovery workflow

Sample PreservationSample prepQuantitationAnalysisVerification
Protein samples
Halt Protease and Phosphatase Inhibitor Cocktails—Get the convenience of a single solution with full protein sample protection for cell and tissue lysates.Cell lysis—products for protein extractionNanoDrop Microvolume spectrophotometers and fluorometer—Proteins can be quantified by a variety of methods including Qubit 4 Fluorometer.Mass spectroscopy solutions to identify unique protein signatures. Luminex instruments, panels and software allow you to analyze up to 80 analytes at once.Assay results can be verified by a wide variety of techniques with smaller panel sizes. These include: western blotting systemssmaller Luminex panels of the targets of interest; ELISA assays with markers; imaging to detect the protein of interest within a tissue.
gDNA samples (genomics) 
N/AFor rapid extraction of genomic DNA from a small number of samples PureLink Genomic DNA Mini Kit is recommended. If you are processing more that 25 samples and are looking for the highest purity consider the MagMAX-96 DNA Multi-Sample Kit. This kit can be automated on the KingFisher Flex Purification System.Know that you have sufficient quantity of sample for your next step. Use the Qubit 4 Fluorometer with Qubit kits to specifically measure DNA or RNA. NanoDrop spectrophotometer provides fast nucleic acid quantitation.Solutions for next-generation sequencing (NGS)Oncomine assay kits are available to analyze common cancer genes and immuno-oncology markers from FFPE sample.TaqMan Mutation Detection assays are powered by competitive allele-specific TaqMan PCR (castPCR Technology) to detect and measure somatic mutations in genes associated with cancer research. Endpoint PCR master mixes and thermal cyclers for detection of specific mutations. Multiplex up to 15 markers with fidelity 300X that of Taq polymerase with Platinum SuperFi II DNA Polymerase.
RNA samples (transcriptomics)
RNA later  Stabilization Solution. Get the most RNA from your precious tissues with PureLink RNA Mini Kit or Micro Scale Kit.
For tissues such as brain and kidney that are high in fat and harder to breakdown, TRIzol Plus RNA Purification Kit and Phasemaker Tubes Complete System are a good solution.
For FFPE: MagMAX FFPE DNA/RNA Ultra Kit
Know that you have sufficient quantity of sample for your next step. Use the Qubit 4 Fluorometer with Qubit kits to specifically measure DNA or RNA.
NanoDrop spectrophotometer provides fast nucleic acid quantitation.
Clariom D Assay—Clariom D microarray-based systems rapidly identify complex disease signatures from >540,000 transcripts to help you to identify known and unknown biomarkers.
Ion AmpliSeq Transcriptome Human Gene Expression Kit
TaqMan Gene Expression assays—Study the expression of biomarker genes with more than 2.8 million predesigned assays available to detect the highest number of transcript variants possible. Flexible formats: single tubes, 96-well plates, 384-well plates, 384-well array cards, and OpenArray plates. TaqMan Advanced miRNA assays—Detect targets with as few as 60 copies of input miRNA into the cDNA synthesis reaction. Requires a small sample input as little as 1 pg of total RNA.


Biomarkers in cell-based systems

Cell cultureGene modificationTransfectionVerificationFunctional study
Gibco cell culture media and fetal bovine serum are available in many popular and custom formats to suit your needs.
Nunc cell culture plastics are available in many formats including plates and flasks to support your cell culture.
CRISPR–based genome editing of your gene of interest. Obtain functional knockouts of up to 90% even with difficult cells such as primary cells withTrueCut Cas9 Protein v2 and TrueGuide Synthetic gRNA.
Mark your gene of interest with TrueTag Donor DNA Kits.
For small number of hard to transfect cells the Neon Transfection System for Electroporation is recommended.
For transfecting many different wells of cells with Cas9 protein, Lipofectamine CRISPRMAX Cas9 Transfection Reagent is recommended.
GeneArt Genomic Cleavage Detection KitLearn how your model impacts cell function with reproducible assays to measure:
  • Apoptosis
  • Oxidative stress
  • Cell proliferation
  • Viability
  • Cell metabolism and more
RT-qPCR assays to test for gene expression
Examine protein levels by: Select from over 100,000 antibodies to your protein and application of interest with the antibody search tool.
While CRISPR knock out is at the level of the genome and permanent, gene can also be knocked out at the level of transcription with Silencer Select siRNA. These siRNA are highly potent and have low off target effects.Lipofectamine RNAiMAX Transfection Reagent is specifically formulated for the transfection for siRNA.
Cloning is a convenient method to over-express proteins of interest, modify proteins, and localize proteins. There are many ways to make your construct from restrictions digest to gene synthesis and methods in between.Lipofectamine 3000 Transfection Reagent is recommended for most plasmid transfections.

仅供科研使用,不可用于诊断目的。