Ex vivo biomarkers: functional tools to guide targeted drug development and therapy

Abstract

Most of the currently utilized predictive biomarkers for therapeutic decision-making provide information regarding the presence or absence of the drug target but reveal little about the functional circuitry of the signaling network that the drug must also impact. Ex vivo biomarkers are dynamic molecular markers evoked from living tumor cells after removal from the patient. Such ex vivo biomarkers provide valuable mechanistic information that may facilitate drug development and guide the clinical selection of targeted therapeutics.

Keywords::

• biomarker
• drug development
• oncology
• predictive marker
• signal transduction
• targeted therapy

Financial & competing interests disclosure

Douglas P Clark is entitled to a share of equity as a founder of BioMarker Strategies, LLC and is currently an officer for the company. The terms of this arrangement are being managed by the Johns Hopkins University in accordance with its conflict of interest policies. The author has no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.