From Discovery to Clinical Application: The Role of Biomarkers in Precision Medicine

Using molecular markers to define diseases would enable precise patient stratification and provide information about the underlying biological mechanisms. Once identified, mechanism-based treatments that target specific pathways would allow for a more tailored approach to patient care. Understanding the molecular mechanisms of both diseases and drugs could also lead to repurposing of existing drugs to provide previously unknown treatment options to new patient populations. Giving the right drug to the right patient at the right time requires novel biomarker signatures to efficiently stratify patients. At Sciomics, we specialize in biomarker discovery at the proteomic level to enable precision medicine. We have identified molecular biomarkers in a wide range of diseases, including cancer, neurological disorders, organ failure, inflammatory diseases, and infections.

 

Efficient Profiling, Deep Insights: scioDiscover Biomarker Discovery

New protein biomarker signatures can be derived from various sample sources such as blood, urine, vesicles, cerebrospinal fluid, and isolated cells. The identification and validation of potential biomarker candidates can be accelerated by using high-throughput antibody microarray analysis, such as the scioDiscover platform for affinity-based proteomics.  The scioDiscover biomarker discovery platform combines antibody-based profiling with high-throughput analysis and very low sample consumption. For instance, only 5 µL of plasma or serum is sufficient to obtain highly reproducible results. The abundance of more than 1,400 proteins is profiled in a single assay, covering key pathways of disease development, including cancer pathways, apoptosis pathways, the NFkB pathway, and many cytokines and their receptors. The antibody-based protein recognition reduces attrition rates and allows a rapid translation of results to other immune-based platforms - such as ELISA, CLIA, and LFDs - for further validation and diagnostic use.

 

Sciomics’ Biomarker Pipeline – from Discovery to Clinical Application

At Sciomics, we are using our scioDiscover platform to identify biomarker panels for the prediction of severe COVID-19 disease and for the early diagnosis of acute kidney injury (AKI). 

We have discovered and systematically evaluated plasma protein biomarkers that can predict severe COVID-19 disease during the early phase of  SARS-CoV-2 infection. After scioDiscover analysis, biomarker candidates were ranked and marker panels were selected using machine learning. Protein concentration measurements by ELISA were comparable to the results of the discovery study. Validated markers such as S100A8/A9 and CRP showed very good correlations between scioDiscover data and clinically available assays or ELISA, demonstrating the platform's seamless translation of results to other platforms. Early stratification of patients at high risk of developing severe or even critical disease could support treatment and care decisions, ultimately improving medical interventions and reducing the burden on healthcare systems. The scioDiscover workflow allows us to identify potential biomarker panels in a very short time. It took less than eight weeks from the start of wet-lab research on predictive COVID-19 biomarkers to patent filing.SARS-CoV-2_virus_COVID19.jpg

In another project, we aim to develop a biomarker-based early diagnostic test for acute kidney injury (AKI). AKI is a sudden loss of kidney function that often occurs as a complication of other serious medical conditions. It leads to structural kidney damage, impaired filtration and potentially serious consequences, including the need for long-term dialysis and increased mortality. Early detection and intervention of AKI is critical for patients: It can reduce the extent of kidney damage and increase the chance of reversible AKI. In addition, the financial burden on healthcare systems due to prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stays and dialysis treatments is significant. An accurate early diagnostic or even predictive test for AKI would allow early intervention and better treatment regimens, preventing long-term kidney damage, lifelong treatment and death. Our scioAKI project has identified promising early diagnostic biomarker combinations for perioperative AKI and will be extended to other patient groups. Our ultimate goal is to develop a reliable and cost-effective test for the early diagnosis of AKI in a clinical setting.

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Precision Medicine in the Clinic: Molecular Markers Shaping Future Treatments

Medical specimens are a limited and valuable resource. It can take years or even decades to collect enough samples for a study. It is therefore critical to make the most of them by using the most efficient methods for data generation. A single antibody microarray-based discovery study provides novel putative biomarkers, insights into the underlying disease mechanisms, and information about the patient population, enabling in-depth cohort characterization. In this way, the scioDiscover accelerates research and knowledge generation, ultimately advancing precision medicine. The combination of a better understanding of disease mechanisms and of pharmacological mechanisms of action enables the development of new treatment regimens and personalized patient care. Matching more suitable treatments to new patient populations could be further accelerated through drug repurposing. It has enormous potential to streamline drug development by making already existing drugs available to additional patient populations that may respond to the treatment. For example, clinical trials of repurposed drugs could be simplified because toxicology and mode of action analyses have previously been performed. In addition, precise patient stratification using molecular markers can improve the success rate of clinical trials, reduce drug development costs, and ultimately ensure that the patients receive the right treatment at the right time. Scientists and regulators around the world are collaborating to make these approaches a reality, for example in the EU-funded project REPO4EU. We are pleased to have been part of this consortium from the beginning. Maximizing the efficiency of medical research by using comprehensive data is the way forward to precision medicine and more efficient healthcare. 

 Role_of_Biomarkers_in_Precision_Medicine_Sciomics.jpg

 

Published: 18 January 2024

 

Our service portfolio

scioPhospho: protein profiling and phosphorylation status

scioPhospho: protein profiling and phosphorylation status

Our scioPhospho analysis combines protein expression profiling using scioDiscover with analysis of the corresponding protein's phosphorylation status. More than 1,400 proteins are analyzed in parallel, covering key pathways in diseases…
scioUbi: protein profiling and ubiquitination status

scioUbi: protein profiling and ubiquitination status

Protein & ubiquitination profiling scioUbi is a high-content protein expression and ubiquitination level analysis. With scioUbi you can analyse more than 1,400 proteins in a single assay.   Features Screen…
scioDiscover - Protein Profiling on the Expression Level

scioDiscover - Protein Profiling on the Expression Level

Knowledge about protein expression levels is of utmost importance to predict toxic effects, estimate adverse effects of drug candidates and to identify new drug targets. Sciomics has a highly optimised…
scioCD - Cell Surface Marker and Cytokine Profiling

scioCD - Cell Surface Marker and Cytokine Profiling

Immune response profiling Cellular composition and signalling CD-Marker Expression Profiles       Our scioCD profiling service covers 349 different proteins : up to 141 unique CD-marker molecules up to 119…
scioCyto : Cytokine Profiling

scioCyto : Cytokine Profiling

scioCyto : Cytokine profiling scioCyto is a high-content analysis service for multiplex cytokine and chemokine profiling on protein level. A great variety of samples such as plasma, tissue, cells or cell…

News

Article | Exploration of Novel Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases

| December 2024 | Biomarker candidates for neurodegenerative diseases were identified by combining an exploratory proteomic approach with quantitative ligand-binding assays. Sciomics supported this study by proteomic screening of plasma and CSF samples of patients with different neurodegenerative diseases using the scioDiscover microarray platform.

Kenzelmann A, et al.. Exploration of Novel Biomarkers for Neurodegenerative Diseases Using Proteomic Analysis and Ligand-Binding Assays. Biomedicines. 2024;12(12):2794.  
Meeting | Sciomics @ BIO-Europe Spring 25

| March 16-19 2025 | Meet Dr. Christoph Schröder at BIO-Europe Spring in Milano to learn about our biomarker development pipeline and our protein profiling services in pre-clinical research

Article | Altered Serum Proteins indicate Inflammation, Fibrogenesis and Angiogenesis in Fontan Patients

| September 2024 | Four identified serum proteins may advance diagnostic and therapeutic approaches by complementing traditional diagnostic laboratory variables. Sciomics contributed to this study by ScioCD serum analysis targeting diferent CD surface markers, cytokines and chemokines.

Michel M, Renaud D, Schmidt R, et al. Altered Serum Proteins Suggest Inflammation, Fibrogenesis and Angiogenesis in Adult Patients with a Fontan Circulation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2024; 25(10):5416
 
Article | Vago-splenic signal transduction of cardioprotection in humans

| April 2024 | The spleen as a relay organ as well as the vagal innervation determine cardioprotective signal transduction of Remote Ischaemic Conditioning (RIC) and Auricular Tragus Stimulation (ATS). Sciomics contributed to this study by analysing plasma-dialysate samples using the ScioDiscover microarray platform.

Lieder HR, Paket U, Skyschally A, et al. Vago-splenic signal transduction of cardioprotection in humans. Eur Heart J. 2024;45(34):3164-3177. 
Article | Endothelial Notch1 signaling in white adipose tissue promotes cancer cachexia

| September 2023 | Article: Endothelial Notch1 signaling in white adipose tissue promotes cancer cachexia. Sciomics supported this study by scioCyto serum analysis in a mouse cancer model.

Taylor, J., Uhl, L., Moll, I. et al. Endothelial Notch1 signaling in white adipose tissue promotes cancer cachexia. Nat Cancer 4, 1544–1560 (2023)

Testimonials

Tara Sigdel, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, University of California San Francisco

"We collaborated with Sciomics GmbH in Germany to analyze proteomics data from blood samples of kidney transplant recipients and liver perfusates during normothermic machine perfusion. Throughout the process, Sciomics provided exceptional support, ensuring timely data delivery and valuable assistance with data analysis. Their expertise and commitment have been instrumental in advancing our research, and we are currently using their data in multiple manuscript submissions. I highly recommend Sciomics for their reliable service and expertise in proteomics."

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Dr. Matthew Wright

Chief Scientific Officer, Kinarus Therapeutics AG, Basel, Switzerland

"We are a small biotech company without our own wet labs. Sciomics recommended a UK CRO that performed cell culture experiments for our studies. Sciomics seamlessly coordinated the transfer of the biologic materials to their facility and performed the scioCD panel to characterize cell surface markers and cytokines in cell lines treated with our small molecule drug candidates. The Sciomics data were instrumental in supporting our IP protection strategy. Their advice was very helpful and they worked with us to extract the most out of the data. We are very satisfied and highly recommend the Sciomics platform and the team."

Product: scioCD