Biomarkers

Indicators of biological characteristics and of specific disease states, or biomarkers, are critical to applications ranging from biomedicine to biofuels, forensics, and security. Biomarkers allow for the early detection and treatment of medical conditions, accelerate drug development, and provide guidance for therapy design. Biomarker research also seeks development of new biofuel technologies and security applications.

SRI was an early proponent of using biomarkers across disciplines. For example, we were first to report an intensity-based, label-free method for differential protein profiling.

Few organizations offer SRI’s breadth and depth: our work ranges from handheld devices to novel biological assays, powerful databases, clean technology solutions, and more.

Our current research focuses on:

Biomarker Discovery, Identification, and Validation

• Modeling the EEG markers of cognitive impairment

• Salivary biomarkers (DNA, RNA and cortisol) in determining life stress and nicotine dependence

• Identification of biomarker signatures for infectious diseases such as Aspergillosis

• Identification of biomarkers to predict microbicide safety

• Proteomics studies related to tropical diseases and host-vector-pathogen interfaces

• Oncology diagnostics for therapeutic interventions in cancer treatment, novel glycomics assays to detect and diagnose cancer

• Pharmacogenetics of nicotine addiction and treatment

Diagnostic, Detection, and Instrumentation Development

• Point-of-care diagnostics for parasitic infection

• Rare cell detection

• Ultrasensitive and multiplexed diagnostics

• Radiation biodosimetry

• Vital signs monitoring

• Ophthalmology image tool to detect glaucoma

Bioinformatics

• BIOSPICE systems biology tool for computational modeling