Automating biomarker research visualization process

Biomarker assays have become more and more popular in drug discovery clinical trial designs. It is widely used in different therapeutic areas to support decision making regarding drug candidates and accelerate drug development, in addition to reducing costs. Graphic presentation is essential in every Biomarker study report. An analysis of Biomarker data are typically fast paced and facing a tight timeline. A very useful tool is to have a utility macro to facilitate the visualization process and promote standardization to fulfill regulatory requirements. This paper presents a macro toolkit for generating the most commonly used statistical graphics in biomarker data analysis. Instead of relying on the default template, the code is developed in SAS 9.2 and using Graph Template Language (GTL) to take control of the graphic appearance. One feature of this macro is that it can automate symbol assignments to different populations in a consistent way across different plots. The following will describe key elements of the macro functionality and techniques used in code development. This macro tool is not only for programmers but also for clinical scientists who do not necessarily have SAS programming skills but want to do some exploratory research of the biomarker data themselves.