Preface

The New York Academy of Sciences and Global Medical Excellence Cluster (GMEC) meeting “Biomarkers in Brain Disease” brought together pharmaceutical companies, smalland medium-sized enterprises, and academic and clinical groups from the University of Cambridge, the Imperial College London, the University of Oxford, King’s College London, Toulouse University, Columbia University, the National Institutes of Health, the University of Lisbon, and Baylor College of Medicine, among others, to discuss one of the most exciting and yet challenging areas of science: recent findings in biomarker research and applications to brain disorders. The growth in biomarker research is fueled partly by the demands of clinical trials and the need for ever better efficacy markers, partly by technology developments and the rise of the various “-omics” research (e.g., proteomics, genomics, metabolomics), and partly by the promise of personalized medicine. In oncology, this promise is already being realized, with many other areas of medicine not far behind. But in brain diseases, the challenge is perhaps the greatest because the brain sits protected behind the skull and the blood–brain barrier; this challenge is being addressed by imaging and by both cerebral spinal fluid– and blood-based approaches for diseases, such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis. Progress in these areas is being made. Attendees at the conference heard of advances in technologies and design of studies that underlie the increasing confidence that biomarkers for brain diseases will be found and improved. Importantly, perspectives were presented from pharmaceutical and regulatory authorities from the United States and Europe, and also from epidemiologists, geneticists, and major funders. Information was presented on some of the large collaborative studies underway in biomarker research. After the conference many of the delegates attended another meeting led by BrunoVellas, Cristina Sampaio, and Gordon Wilcock, the third in a series of meetings that is helping to develop consensus for disease modification trials in Alzheimer’s disease. This last meeting focused on the use of biomarkers and formulated practical suggestions for the future based on much of the science discussed in the “Biomarkers in Brain Disease” meeting. It was a pleasure to help organize the meeting, and I would like to thank the New York Academy of Sciences’ program team Marta Murcia, Kara-Leigh Dockery, and Kathy Granger. For ensuring the completion of this volume, I would like to thank the director and executive editor of the Annals, Douglas Braaten. The support of GMEC and our sponsors was invaluable, but the meeting was a success mostly because of the energy and enthusiasm of the speakers and participants.