Researchers from Brian Cunningham’s lab, in collaboration with researchers at Washington University, have demonstrated a new capability to detect and count individual biomolecules at low concentrations.

The pivotal role of microRNA in diagnosing and monitoring cancer is well known by today’s researchers. “There have been a lot of studies in recent years linking the presence and concentration of specific microRNA sequences to clinical outcomes for people with advanced prostate cancer,” said Brian Cunningham (CGD leader/MMG), a professor of electrical and computer engineering and a program leader at the Cancer Center at Illinois.

The 16th volume of the Biomarker is now available online at (https://www.igb.illinois.edu/sites/default/files/uploads/Biomarker2022…), and across the Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology in the gatehouse, the alcove spaces, the Array Café, and the conference rooms. This year the Biomarker celebrates the 15-year anniversary of the IGB. The articles feature an overview of the advances made by the IGB researchers in agriculture and environment, health and wellness, and technology and society.

The detection and quantification of cancer-associated molecular biomarkers in body fluids, or liquid biopsies, prove minimally invasive in early cancer diagnostics. Researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign have developed an approach that accelerates the detection of cancer biomarkers in samples taken at the time and place of patient care.

When agrochemical and pharmaceutical companies develop new products, they must test extensively for potential toxicity before obtaining regulatory approval. This testing usually involves lengthy and expensive animal studies.

A research team at University of Illinois has developed a gene biomarker identification technique that cuts the testing process down to a few days while maintaining a high level of accuracy.

Biomarker, the annual IGB magazine, is now available!