A New Era of Biomarkers in Cardio-Oncology

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From October 12-16, 2025, the 47th annual International Society of Oncology and Biomarkers (ISOBM) conference was held in Murnau, Bavaria, under the subtitle "New Era of Biomarkers in Oncology". The focus of the conference was the integration of modern technologies in oncology, including biomarker research, molecular diagnostics, and artificial intelligence applications in cancer care. The event welcomed more than 300 participants, 38 exhibitors, and 7 corporate partners from a total of 27 countries. The rich program featured presentations across 17 sessions, panel discussions, 12 workshops, and over 70 posters. The conference thus provided a multidisciplinary platform bringing together laboratory medicine, pathology, molecular biology, clinical oncology, and specialists in data processing and artificial intelligence.

The classification of cardiorenal syndrome reflects the time frame and chronology of heart and kidney injuries as well as simultaneous cardiac and renal dysfunction due to systemic disease. Several biomarkers now available can help elucidate the complex pathophysiological interactions between the two organs. It is expected that some of them will eventually have widespread clinical applications and, in combination with conventional biomarkers, enable the identification of high-risk individuals with greater accuracy, facilitate early diagnosis, guide treatment, and determine prognosis. Below, we review a selected group of cardiac and renal biomarkers and discuss their potential roles in the acute and chronic mechanisms of organ damage and their clinical implications in cardiorenal syndrome.

Empirically defining preclinical Alzheimer’s disease in the era of biomarkers

Abstracts of the 47th Symposium of the ISOBM – A New Era of Biomarkers in Oncology

The intima-media thickness (IMT) and its irregularities or ulcerations in the common carotid artery (CCA) are useful tools as sentinel biomarkers for the integrity of the cardiovascular system. Total homocysteine and lipoprotein levels are the most commonly used elements in cardiovascular risk stratification. Duplex ultrasound (DUS), associated with serum biomarkers, can be used simply to assess the degree of atherosclerotic disease and cardiovascular risk. This study highlights the role of different kinds of biomarkers, showing their usefulness and potentiality in multi-district atherosclerotic patients, especially for early diagnosis and therapy effectiveness monitoring. A retrospective analysis performed from September 2021 to August 2022, of patients with carotid artery disease, was performed. A total of 341 patients with a mean age of 53.8 years were included in the study. The outcomes showed an increased risk of stroke in patients with significative carotid artery disease, nonresponsive to therapy, monitored through a series of serum biomarkers (homocysteine, C-reactive protein, and oxidized LDL). In this reported experience, the systematic use of DUS in association with the multiple biomarkers approach was effective for the early identification of patients at higher risk of disease progression or inefficient therapy.

Optic neuritis in the era of biomarkers

In 1970, it was well accepted that the central role of lipids was in energy storage and metabolism, and it was assumed that amphipathic lipids simply served a passive structural role as the backbone of biological membranes. As a result, the scientific community was focused on nucleic acids, proteins, and carbohydrates as information-containing molecules. It took considerable effort until scientists accepted that lipids also “encode” specific and unique biological information and play a central role in cell signaling. Along with this realization came the recognition that the enzymes that act on lipid substrates residing in or on membranes and micelles must also have important signaling roles, spurring curiosity into their potentially unique modes of action differing from those acting on water-soluble substrates. This led to the creation of the concept of “surface dilution kinetics” for describing the mechanism of enzymes acting on lipid substrates, as well as the demonstration that lipid enzymes such as phospholipase A2 (PLA2) contain allosteric activator sites for specific phospholipids as well as for membranes. As our understanding of phospholipases advanced, so did the understanding that many of the lipids released by these enzymes are chiral information-containing signaling molecules; for example, PLA2 regulates the generation of precursors for the biosynthesis of eicosanoids and other bioactive lipid mediators of inflammation and resolution underlying disease progression. The creation of the LIPID MAPS initiative in 2003 and the ensuing development of the lipidomics field have revealed that lipid metabolites are central to human metabolism. Today lipids are recognized as key mediators of health and disease as we enter a new era of biomarkers and personalized medicine. This article is my personal “reflection” on these scientific advances.

New insights into atypical Alzheimer's disease in the era of biomarkers

The Role of Clinical Assessment in the Era of Biomarkers.

Unravelling 2022: The 15th Volume of <i>Epigenomics</i>

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum of disorders is a rare cause of optic neuritis in children. It is a critical diagnosis requiring urgent management, with delays carrying both life- and sight-threatening complications. Most of the published literature on this entity is in adult patients, with only a few case reports to guide management in the paediatric population. The purpose of this article is to shareour experience in the management of this condition in a child, and thus hopefully add to the limited body of knowledge currently available.

In this interview, Professor Ajay Goel speaks with Storm Johnson, Commissioning Editor for Epigenomics, on his work to date in the field of epigenetic biomarkers in colorectal cancer. Ajay Goel, PhD, is a Professor and Founding Chair of theDepartment of Molecular Diagnostics, at the Beckman Research Institute and Associate Director of Basic Science at the City of Hope comprehensive Cancer Center. Healso serves as Director of Biotech Innovations at the City of Hope, Duarte, CA, USA. DrGoel has spent more than 25 years researching cancer and has been the lead author or contributor to more than 350 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed international journals and several book chapters. He is also a primary inventor on more than 40 international patents aimed at developing various disease biomarkers or therapeutic targets for gastrointestinal cancers. He is currently using advanced genomic, epigenomic and transcriptomic approaches to develop novel circulating, liquid biopsy-based biomarkers (e.g., cell-free nucleic acids, exosomes) for the early detection, prognosis and determination of predictive responses to chemotherapy and targeted drugs in gastrointestinal (GI)cancers. In addition, his group is interested in the identification of novel therapeutic targets, particularly immune therapy, for variousGI cancers. His research also involves understanding the role of gut microbiome, health disparitiesand the prevention of GI cancers using integrative and alternative approaches. DrGoel is a member of the American Association for Cancer Research, American Society of Clinical Oncology and the American Gastroenterology Association. He is on the international editorial boards of several journals, including Gastroenterology, Clinical Cancer Research, Carcinogenesis, PLoS ONE, Molecular Carcinogenesis, Scientific Reports, Epigenomics, Future Oncology, Alternative Therapies in Heath and Medicine, Digestive Diseases and Sciences, and Molecular Therapy Oncolytics. He is also actively involved in peer-reviewing activities for more than 100 international scientific journals and various grant review panels of various national and international funding organizations. His research has been actively funded by various private and federal organizations, including the National Cancer Institute at the NIH, American Cancer Societyand state organizations. He has won more than a dozen national and international awards and honors and has been invited for visiting professorships by various national and international academic institutions and academic bodies.

Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is the main differential diagnosis with early stages of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Usually, differential diagnosis between a first depressive episode and the beginning of an early degenerative dementia with mood disorders, either AD or FTD, can be difficult. Objective: To evaluate the clinical characteristics of patients with senile and presenile onset dementia, to compare their neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological profiles according to onset age and to provide clinical approach. Methods: A two year prospective-retrospective study was conducted. All patients were evaluated with a complete neuropsychiatric and neuropsychological battery, laboratory tests and neuroimaging. Healthy control subjects were also studied. Results: Included 366 subjects were divided into over or under 65 years old, and then matched for educational level. AD was the most common cause of dementia in subjects over 65 years of age, followed by depression and FTD. Subjects younger than 65 years old, showed higher prevalence of depression followed by FTD, AD, and finally primary progressive aphasia (PPA). At younger ages, the highest severity of cognitive impairment, behavioral disorder and major depression were observed. Conclusion: Onset age of cognitive and/or behavioral impairment may be one of the variables influencing the clinical heterogeneity of dementias. Many of the young-onset dementias may be potentially reversible so, its early identification and pathophysiology understand, increase pharmacological intervention opportunities of halting the cascade of events that lead inexorably to dementia. In the new era of biomarkers, their help in identifying each clinical phenotype could encourage their best use in clinical practice and help selecting more accurate pharmacological treatment. Keywords: Alzheimer, depression, frontotemporal dementia, onset age, primary aphasia.

Renal biopsy remains the standard of care for the evaluation of suspected flares in lupus nephritis ([1][1]) and is generally indicated when proteinuria, active urine sediment, or elevated serum creatinine is present. By the time that a patient presents with these features, injury induced by the