MRC eyes biomarkers

The Medical Research Council has launched £17 million worth of projects designed to explore the indicators of disease known as biomarkers. Colin Blakemore, chief executive of the MRC, said: "We've been using cholesterol and blood pressure as indicators, or biomarkers, of heart disease for years. Now we're going to evaluate promising markers that will speed the development of safer, more effective and better-targeted treatments for a range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, stroke and Parkinson's disease."