Diagnostic Biomarkers

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Diagnostic Biomarkers

Diagnostic biomarkers are used to confirm that a patient has a particular health disorder. For example, the presence of mutations in the CFTR gene indicate that a newborn has cystic fibrosis. It is “a characteristic that is objectively measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes, pathogenic processes, or pharmacologic responses to a therapeutic intervention.”

An biomarker has certain characteristics that make it useful for checking on one’s health or disease conditions. An ideal marker should be:

  • Safe and easy to measure
  • Cheap or cost effective so we can do follow tests
  • Changeable with treatments like lifestyle changes, supplements and drugs

Examples:

  1. Blood Test Biomarkers: Many common blood chemistry tests are biomarkers, meaning that the results can be used to understand if you have a certain disease or not or if you have certain normal biological processes. A few examples include LDL Cholesterol, which can indicate cardiovascular disease; PSA (Prostate Specific Antigen), which can indicate prostate cancer by measuring a rapid increase in the size of the prostate; or Creatinine, which can indicate the state of your kidney function.
  2. Non-Invasive Biomarkers: Several noninvasive metrics can be used as biomarkers too. Many can be done at home or with a wearable. These might be the key to getting a much more real-time feedback on yourself too. For example, Blood Pressure is one of the most common used to check on heart diseases and cardiovascular risk. Similarly, Low Heart Rate Variability (HRV) and and an irregular heart beat can all indicate a problem, and they can be measured used a heart rate monitor.

Biomarkers could lead to quicker and more accurate health diagnoses, including mental health. When it comes to drug and therapeutic development, biomarkers are critical too. In order to get a therapy approved, it must show that it works in a clinical trial. That often translates to showing how the therapy improved one of these biomarkers.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) uses biomarkers to determine if a therapeutic works. To understand if a drug or therapy works, you measure the effect on biomarkers. The FDA currently lists over 40 biomarkers that could be used as outcomes for FDA-Approved Therapeutics.

In the medical field, your doctor uses biomarkers to check on your health or diagnose diseases. For medical research, biomarkers are critical to developing new drugs too.

Media Contact:
Allison Grey
Journal Manager
Journal of Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Whatsapp no.-  +1(504)608-2390
Email: jcclm@molecularbiol.com
Online submission: https://www.scholarscentral.org/submissions/clinical-chemistry-laboratory-medicine.html