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Biomarkers Course Term Paper
The idea of this assignment is to write a short original paper about a relevant topic:
1. A single biomarker that has one or more applications (such as one molecule which
provides information about one or more disease states); or
2. A group of biomarkers that provide information about one specific disease state (such as a
group of proteins in the circulation that together is predictive of Alzheimer’s disease onset).
The paper should be at least 1500 words, which is around 4-5 pages depending on font and
margin size. May include pictures, graphs, or other illustrations to enhance their paper
and to help communicate key ideas, but the images do not contribute to the word count.
The word count does not include the References page(s), which, after all, you do not create.
The paper should be structured as follows, containing five main sections:
1. Background
The Background section should describe:
a. how the biomarker (or biomarkers) were discovered, and
b. the disease state (or states) the biomarker is used for.
Often these are closely related – usually, investigators try to find biomarkers that are relevant to
a specific disease condition, but in some cases, the biomarker is discovered first and the
relatedness to a disease state is discovered later.
2. Methods
The Methods section should describe what sorts of methods are used with this biomarker (or
biomarkers). Some possibilities are flow cytometry, immunohistochemistry, and X-rays imaging.
Some biomarkers can be used in more than one method, and any relevant method should be
described.
3. Disease applications
This section should describe how the biomarker acts to either identify a disease, identify the
grade or stage of disease (how bad is it), or identify which therapeutic approaches would be
best for a particular patient who has a particular disease. For example, the presence of
significantly upregulated HER2 on breast cancer cells identifies the subtype of breast cancer,
and also identifies the preferred treatment modality (Herceptin).
4. Future applications
In this section, you can combine your thoughts with those of the authors of papers you have
read on what the future holds for this biomarker (or biomarkers). Could it be used in other
disease states or other disease subtypes? Could it be used in combination with other
biomarkers for more accurate results?
5. References (does not count towards the 1500 words)
List the references you use, numbering them as they appear in the paper. Use primarily peer-
reviewed articles in scientific journals, such as those found in the online Ovid database through
the Smith library. You may reference scientific web pages, such as the NIH and CDC, but use the
pages made for scientists and medical professionals (and not patients).