In a recent post on the FDA Voice's blog, their Deputy Commissioner for Medical Products and Tobacco, explained that collaboration and research are needed to find cures to diseases such as cancer.
"In many cases, what’s holding back progress is a lack of understanding of the biology of disease," said Robert Califf.
He singled out how research and collaboration led to the discovery of biomarkers, which according to the post was a game-changer.
"Some types of biomarkers give insight on the genetic and metabolic characteristics that alter patients’ responsiveness to particular drugs, and others give insight into whether drugs in development are likely to work," he wrote. "This deep knowledge has resulted in important breakthroughs, rapid drug development and speedy FDA approvals."
