INDIVUMED takes full advantage of its standardized, high quality biospecimen collection (tumor and normal tissues, serum and plasma samples) matched with comprehensive clinical data. Because INDIVUMED’s biobank and hospital network covers all major tumor entities, screening of different cancer types can be performed instantly and within a short period of time.
INDIVUMEDs drug testing platform (see: Drug Profiling) offers a special opportunity to develop predictive biomarker in a model that is closely related to clinical therapy.
In addition, INDIVUMED’s hospital network allows rapid evaluation and validation of experimental findings in a clinical study.
Thus, INDIVUMED has unique resources for rapidly identifying and validating new protein based diagnostics. INDIVUMED’s biomarker discovery program has focused on development of blood-based biomarkers for
- early detection
- prediction of drug response
- monitoring of disease
of various tumor types, in particular, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer.
Indivumed develops two different types of biomarkers which might be useful to combine:
- protein biomarker
- DNA-based biomarker
Protein based biomarkers are discovered and evaluated by using a cutting-edge proteomic platform that includes liquid chromatography, mass-spectroscopy (discovery and identification of proteins) and various techniques for protein identification (see: analytical services/proteomics). The goal is development of antibody based assay systems. Eventually, proteomics are combined with special tissue preparations such as LCM-isolated cell subpopulations (see: Products & Services / Biobank Products / Tissue Preparations).
DNA-based biomarkers are developed in cooperation with Inostics GmbH, Indivumeds daughter company focusing on DNA-analysis by conventional technologies and the BEAMing technique (see: www.inostics.com). The projects are incorporated in a fruitful collaboration with Dr. Bert Vogelstein and his colleagues and Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, MD, USA.
Projects of Indivumed’s R & D program are supported by:
Innovationsstiftung Hamburg (www.innovationsstiftung.de )
Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) (www.bmbf.de )
