A novel approach to the early detection of colorectal cancer ("CRC"), using a molecular diagnostic test to evaluate grossly normal-appearing colonic tissue for the early detection of colorectal cancer is disclosed. Such grossly normal-appearing colonic mucosal cells may be collected from non-invasive or minimally invasive procedures. The use of novel biomarker panels for drug screening also is disclosed. Such biomaker panels may be used wholly or in part as surrogate endpoints for monitoring effectiveness of a prospective drug in the intervention of pathologies, such as cancers, for example CRC, lung, prostate, and breast, and neurodegenerative diseases, for example Alzheimer's and ALS.