On Oct. 5, 2006, the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, National Institutes of Health, Food and Drug Administration, and the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a public-private biomedical research partnership, formed The Biomarkers Consortium to search for and validate new biomarkers to accelerate the delivery of new technologies, medicines, and therapies for prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of disease. The first projects, to be undertaken by National Cancer Institute, will be two clinical trials, one in non-Hodgkin lymphoma and one in lung cancer.

Biomarkers are measurable indicators of biological processes. They are central to precision medicine, an approach that tailors care to a person’s unique biology rather than relying on a one-size-fits-all approach.

Structured around four therapeutic areas — cancer, inflammation and immunity, metabolic disorders, and neuroscience — the consortium has supported more than 20 new or expanded drug approvals and yielded more than 40 scientifically validated methods, materials, or measures for use in clinical trials and patient care.