Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 22, 2026

Preparation of Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cell Pellets and Plasma from a Single Blood Draw at Clinical Trial Sites for Biomarker Analysis
Published on: March 20, 2021
Oncology biomarkers: discovery, validation, and clinical use
1Divisionof Cancer Prevention, National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. heckmanbm@mail.nih.gov
Objectives:
To discuss the discovery, validation, and clinical use of multiple types of biomarkers.
Data Sources:
Medical literature and published guidelines.
Conclusion:
Formal validation of biomarkers should include both retrospective analyses of well-characterized samples as well as a prospective clinical trial in which the biomarker is tested for its ability to predict the presence of disease or the efficacy of a cancer therapy.
Implications For Nursing Practice:
Biomarker development is complicated, with very few biomarker discoveries leading to clinically useful tests. Nurses should understand how a biomarker was developed, including the sensitivity and specificity before applying new biomarkers in the clinical setting.
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