Biomarker
What is biomarker
Biomarkers, or
biological markers, are biological measures of some biological state or
condition. And it can be defined as" a characteristic that is objectively
measured and evaluated as an indicator of normal biological processes,
pathogenic processes or pharmacological responses to a therapeutic
intervention."
Biomarkers are
generally used to perform a clinical assessment such as cholesterol level or blood
pressure and are also used to monitor and predict health states in individuals
or across populations.
The function of biomarker
A huge number of biomarkers
are being used today. Many biological system such as the cardiovascular system,
metabolic system or the immune system all has its own special biomarkers.
In medicine area, traceable substance can
be a biomarker that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ
function and other aspects of health. For instance, rubidium chloride is used as a radioactive isotope to
evaluate perfusion of heart muscle. Biomarker can also be a substance of which
the detection indicates a particular disease state. For example, the presence of an antibody may indicate an infection. To be specific, a biomarker
indicates a change in expression or state of a protein that correlates with the
risk or progression of a disease, or with the susceptibility of the disease to
a given treatment.
There are also
some biomarkers that even can be based on measures of the electrical activity
of the brain or volumetric measures of certain brain regions or saliva testing of natural metabolites, such as saliva
nitrite, a surrogate marker for nitric
oxide.
Biochemical biomarkers
are frequently used in clinical
trials where they are derived from bodily fluids that are easily available to
the early phase researchers. A special kind of biomarker called an end phenotype has been used as a very
useful way to finding genetic causes of diseases such as schizophrenia.
Another example of
a commonly used biomarker in medicine is prostate-specific
antigen (PSA) which can be measured as a proxy of prostate size
with rapid changes potentially indicating cancer.
In cell biology area, a biomarker can be a molecule that allows the
detection and isolation of a particular cell type. For example, the protein Oct-4 is used as a biomarker to identify
embryonic stem cells.
In genetics area, a biomarker can be a DNA sequence that causes disease or is associated
with susceptibility to disease. And they also can be used to create genetic
maps of whatever organism is being studied.
The assessment of biomarker
Biomarker is a very useful way for scientists and doctors to predict and monitor the health and disease. And it can be used alone or in combination to assess the health or disease state of an individual. And in many scientific fields, the biomarkers are playing an indispensable part in the biological process.
Biomarker is a very useful way for scientists and doctors to predict and monitor the health and disease. And it can be used alone or in combination to assess the health or disease state of an individual. And in many scientific fields, the biomarkers are playing an indispensable part in the biological process.
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