Evolving Biomarkers: Charting the Future of Precision Medicine

In a rapidly shifting landscape of personalized medicine, biomarkers have become central to shaping the way drug development and clinical trials unfold. From predicting therapeutic response to identifying optimal patient populations, the complexity and scope of biomarker use has increased alongside technological advances. A key success story like the BCR-ABL biomarker in chronic myeloid leukemia demonstrates the power of targeted medicine, which has raised five-year survival rates from around 30–50% to over 90%. With the rise of multi-omics and AI-driven analytics, the industry is entering a new era of integration, data complexity—and unprecedented possibility.

How early should companies start thinking about biomarker strategy to improve outcomes and reduce clinical trial risk?

On this episode of Crown BioScience, host Jonny McMichael sits down with Julie Mayer, VP of the Global Biomarker Platform at Crown BioScience, to explore how biomarkers are revolutionizing oncology drug development. From diagnostic tools to regulatory rigor, they discuss where the field is heading, the success stories already reshaping care, and what it takes to stay ahead of the curve.

Main Points of Conversation:

  • The earlier biomarker strategies are developed in the pipeline, the better the potential for trial success and regulatory alignment.

  • Technological advances—like multi-omics and liquid biopsy—are enabling earlier, more accurate, and less invasive patient insights.

  • Future biomarker development will depend heavily on AI and bioinformatics to manage large, complex data and translate it into actionable therapies.

Julie Mayer is Vice President of the Global Biomarker Platform at Crown BioScience. With over 15 years of experience in molecular strategy and assay development, she previously held leadership roles at NeoGenomics Laboratories, GenOptix, and Navigate Biopharmaceuticals. Julie holds a PhD in Pathology from the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California.

Recent Episodes

Dr. Sam Ambewadikar returns to break down Anthem’s Whole Health Index (WHI)—a powerful tool that distills medical, social, environmental, and behavioral data into a single score (0–100) to identify members most at risk. By surfacing factors like transportation deserts, housing instability, or food insecurity, WHI enables Anthem care managers and advocates to proactively match members…

Dr. Sam Ambewadikar, RVP and Medical Director at Anthem National Accounts, joins Brent to unpack the power of primary care attribution analysis—a tool he helped pioneer to spotlight the clinical and financial impact of members not having an established PCP. Drawing from his background as a practicing pediatrician and claims analytics leader, Dr. Sam shares…

In this episode, Christina Firouztash, Executive Advisor of Digital Solutions at Anthem, gives a dynamic walkthrough of the Sydney Health app—Anthem’s flagship digital member experience. Christina showcases how Sydney delivers personalized, simple, and equitable navigation across benefits, including virtual care, pharmacy, financial transparency, and social services access. From contextual chatbots and ID card access to…