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Volume 24 Issue 8, August 2006

In his painting Diagnostics 2, Frank Shaw presents an abstract vision of how diagnostic approaches reveal the “depth, structure and function of the elements of the body.” This issue includes a focus on recent advances in diagnostics and drug development. (http://www.frankshawart.com)

Volume 24 Issue 8

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Editorial

  • Forking over funds for large-scale validation of biomarkers could benefit healthcare payors in the long term.

    Editorial

    Advertisement

  • Molecular diagnostics businesses need to do a better job of educating physicians and payors about the utility of their tests.

    Editorial
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News

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News in Brief

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News

  • An accomplished scientist and entrepreneur, Ryan has lobbied the Massachusetts state legislature to entice it to adopt measures to stimulate biotech.

    • Charlie Schmidt
    News
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Data Page

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News Feature

  • With an emphasis on diagnostics tools, the independently funded C-Path Institute aims to have a significant role in helping the FDA better oversee innovation. Mark Ratner reports.

    • Mark Ratner
    News Feature

  • Consumers can pay a couple of hundred dollars to find out their ancestry or a couple of thousand dollars to find out their cancer risk. Not everyone agrees that this is a good idea.

    • Laura De Francesco
    News Feature
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Correspondence

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Commentary

  • The value of a diagnostic test should be assessed in the overall context of disease management.

    • Lee Hartwell
    • David Mankoff
    • Elizabeth Swisher
    Commentary

  • Chromogenic stains have long been used in immunodiagnostic assays, but fluorescence-based readouts could supplant them as emphasis shifts away from diagnosis to prediction by means of quantifiable results.

    • David L Rimm
    Commentary

  • Although technology adoption and remuneration are significant barriers to the development and implementation of innovative diagnostics, health imperialism may be just as important.

    • Paul R Billings
    Commentary

  • Tests for identifying the world's most important microbial pathogens are antiquated, inaccurate and inadequate. Innovative public-private partnership is needed to develop and produce new infectious disease diagnostics that are more rapid and of greater accuracy and sensitivity.

    • Mark D Perkins
    • Peter M Small
    Commentary

  • Low margins, tricky reimbursement issues and the difficulty of market penetration have traditionally made diagnostics unattractive to investors. However, with changes to healthcare economics, regulation and the adoption of companion diagnostic tests that are predictive for drug response, that may be about to change.

    • Keith Batchelder
    • Peter Miller
    Commentary

  • A major outreach effort is under way that recruits scientific and technological expertise in industry and academia to optimize regulatory decision-making for next-generation diagnostic tests.

    • Scott Gottlieb
    • Janet Woodcock
    Commentary
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Investors Lab

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Feature

  • A new breed of high-cost diagnostics are entering a commercial and regulatory environment that isn't designed for them. Can they prosper?

    • Monya Baker
    Feature
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Patents

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News & Views

  • Adeno-associated virus mediates correction of genetic mutations in mouse liver.

    • John F Engelhardt
    News & Views

  • Small interfering RNA is targeted to a specific cell type in vivo using an RNA aptamer.

    • Beverly L Davidson
    News & Views

  • The genome sequence of a bacterium that degrades marine hydrocarbons should facilitate bioremediation efforts.

    • Víctor de Lorenzo
    News & Views

  • The specificity of a homing endonuclease has been altered using computational modeling of the protein-DNA interface.

    • Carl O Pabo
    News & Views

  • The use of primordial germ cells to transmit genetic modifications through the chicken germ line is a significant advance for avian biology.

    • Helen Sang
    News & Views
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Primer

  • How can we computationally extract an unknown motif from a set of target sequences? What are the principles behind the major motif discovery algorithms? Which of these should we use, and how do we know we've found a 'real' motif?

    • Patrik D'haeseleer

    Collection:

    Primer
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Analysis

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Perspective

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Review Article

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Article

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Letter

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Corrigendum

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Careers and Recruitment

  • A Q&A with a scientific founder and a business executive reveals the secret to a successful partnership.

    • Mari Paul
    Careers and Recruitment
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People

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Focus

  • A series of articles that focuses on the scientific, business, regulatory, intellectual property, technology transfer and logistical challenges of accelerating integration of molecular diagnostics into clinical practice and therapy selection.

    Focus
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