The use of biomarkers is the cornerstone of effective precision medicine. RNA forms an excellent source of biomarkers to enable early disease detection, assessment of prognosis, monitoring patient response to therapy or selecting the right treatment for the right patient. Biogazelle has broad experience in the design and implementation of RNA biomarker discovery studies. Through the combination of RNA sequencing and advanced model building, our biomarker development platform aims at establishing a complex biomarker integrating gene expression measurements and clinical parameters. Such a complex biomarker generally outperforms single biomarkers for classification purposes.
Our biomarker development platform can handle a variety of sample types, including whole blood, plasma, serum, FFPE tissue and PBMCs, allowing us to start from retrospectively collected samples. Following the initial discovery, Biogazelle supports the further development of the biomarker into a clinical-grade test, offering in this way an end-to-end solution from RNA biomarker discovery to the development of a research-use-only (RUO) or clinical trial biomarker assay.
Related topics: gene expression analysis, antisense oligo screening, RNA sequencing, liquid biopsies, non-coding RNA, data analysis, Biogazelle’s vison and mission
"Biogazelle has offered a complete project management pipeline for biomarker
discovery and validation with frequent go / no-go decisions. A transparent
communication allowed for easy follow-up of the project."
prof. dr. Piet Ost, radiation oncologist, Ghent University Hospital, Belgium
Why RNA molecules are excellent biomarkers
- studying RNA provides better understanding of dynamic changes in cell, tissue or organism
- diversity of RNA species (different types of RNA molecules, varying abundance levels and structural differences) opens up new opportunities for improving diagnosis and treatment of human disease
- RNA captures heterogeneity and varying disease states
- RNA measurement technologies are ready to develop a clinical-grade test: they are sensitive, high-throughput and capable of measuring a large dynamic range
- RNA measurement technologies allow easy multiplexing: multi-gene signatures outperform single biomarkers
- RNA molecules are an untapped source of biomarkers leading to an attractive intellectual property landscape