Biomarkers To Play Key Role In New Research Project

Researchers in Singapore are preparing to carry out what is being described as a

landmark project in the country, aimed at developing a simple blood test which it is hoped will be able to predict whether a person is at risk of suffering a heart attack or a stroke.

Scientists from Singapore and the Netherlands have come together to help screen hundreds of local people in a bid to discover which biomarkers can most accurately detect the diseases, therefore allowing doctors to forewarn their patients of the risk they are facing. According to a report by Singapore-based publisher Today Online, blood samples of 800 people who suffer from heart conditions have already been collected over the past two years.

The plan is to increase the database of samples to more than 2,000 over the coming months and years. With an increased number of samples to work from, researchers will have the best possible chance of developing testing kits that are as accurate as possible. Blood will be taken from patients aged in their 60s and 70s.

The project is a joint effort between Nanyang Technological University (NTU), National University Hospital (NUH) and the Interuniversity Cardiology Institute of the Netherlands (ICIN). It is hoped that the collaboration will help to provide a biomarker database that will prove to be key to helping diagnose which people are susceptible and face a greater risk of being struck by a heart attack or stroke.

NUH Professor Lee Chuen Neng said the current way that people are diagnosed is through the appearance of symptoms, but he stressed that this method is of course useless in cases where patients are not displaying symptoms. It's hoped that the testing kits which are being developed will be able to provide a more accurate way of assessing risk. And of course, the main benefit of a simple blood test being developed and introduced to the wider market would be the fact that patients could be told of the risk they face much earlier. This would then put them in the best possible position to benefit from any treatments or therapies available.

The research project is another example of how biomarkers are playing a key role in the world of medical research, helping experts to make advances and come up with ground-breaking developments that have the potential to make a dramatic impact to the lives of millions of people around the world.

by: Tim Bisley

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