Advances in understanding the mechanisms underlying diseases and patients’ response to drugs has kindled the prospect of stratified medicine, where therapy is matched not only to diagnosis but to a specific patient profile. Before tests can be used for treatment selection, they should be properly evaluated. This validation remains a considerable challenge, due to the variety in study designs and analytic techniques, which range from dredging retrospective data to running well designed clinical trials with randomization. In this presentation we will introduce the notion of treatment selection markers. We will discuss the available study designs and summarize their strengths and weaknesses. We will argue that critical appraisal is needed for studies that claim a predictive status for a biomarker. We will demonstrate that not all predictive and prognostic markers can or should be used for treatment selection.
 

Professor Patrick Bossuyt

Patrick M. Bossuyt, PhD is the professor of Clinical Epidemiology at the University of Amsterdam and for the past 10 years he has Chaired the department of Clinical Epidemiology, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at that University. Patrick Bossuyt obtained a Master’s level degree in Psychology from the University of Gent (Belgium) and a PhD from the University of Nijmegen (Netherlands) in 1990.

Before his present appointment, Bossuyt worked at the Center for Clinical Decision Making of the Erasmus University in Rotterdam, supporting clinical research projects in what is now Erasmus Medical Center. In 1991 Bossuyt moved to the then just founded Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics of the Academic Medical Center of the University of Amsterdam. Since 2006 he has served as Dean of Graduate Studies at his institution.

His scientific work mirrors that of the department, covering a broad range of topics in clinical research, developed in close collaboration with clinical departments. In his work there is an emphasis on research on the effectiveness of clinical interventions and medical technology assessment. With several other members of his department Professor Bossuyt shares a special interest in the methodology for evaluating medical tests. He spearheaded the STARD initiative for the improved reporting of diagnostic test accuracy studies and has acquired multiple grants on test evaluation methods.

Professor Bossuyt has authored and co-authored more than 450 publications in peer reviewed journals and serves on the editorial board of a number of these, including Radiology and Clinical Chemistry. His publications have appeared in the Lancet (14), BMJ (13), New England Journal of Medicine (7) and many other journals. He has supervised more than 50 successful PhD theses. Dr Bossuyt is a member of the Dutch Health Council and several national and international advisory committees.
 

When

12 July 2010
12pm - 1pm

Where

Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia
Gregor Heiner - Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine (Bld 5), Level 3, Bond University

Contact Information

Chrissy Erueti
cerueti@bond.edu.au