Biomarkers are traits used to identify disease progress, exposure to toxins, and early warning signs of cancer. They can take various forms and are used in fields like geology and chemistry. Biomarker research can reveal ways to identify various conditions both inside and outside patients. They can be extracted from urine, sweat, and saliva. Discoveries of new biomarkers are widely publicized in the medical community.
Biomarkers are various traits that can be used to identify the progress of a disease or condition; they often take a biochemical form. Extensive studies of such traits have allowed scientists to use them very objectively for a wide variety of things, ranging from tests for exposure to toxins to early warning signs of cancer. Biomarkers are also used in fields like geology, astronomy and chemistry for things like dating rocks, understanding chemical reactions and learning more about the universe. The term is also used in medicine to refer to substances that are studied in a patient or sample and used as a diagnostic tool.
Biomarkers can take a variety of forms. For example, some biomarkers can be used to indicate the presence of certain organisms, including a history of their presence even if they no longer exist. A classic example of such a biomarker is an antibody, a substance developed by the body to help it fight disease. Biomarkers can also be used to differentiate cells; some cancer treatments, for example, are designed to target specific cells, using their biomarkers as a tag.
New biomarkers are discovered all the time. Biomarker research can reveal ways to tell whether people have taken various medications, been exposed to dangerous toxins or diseases, and even where in the world someone has spent time. Specific biomarkers are also sometimes used to test for disease susceptibility; for example, some genetic mutations may indicate an increased risk of certain cancers.
In medicine, biomarkers include a wide range of chemicals that can be used to identify various conditions both inside and outside patients. For example, high levels of certain enzymes in the blood can indicate problems with liver function. Elevated enzymes can also indicate problems with heart function. A wide variety of medical tests can pinpoint biomarkers such as proteins, cholesterol and hormones that may suggest a medical problem.
If you have ever had your blood drawn for diagnostic purposes, you have been tested for biomarkers. Biomarkers can also be extracted from things like urine to reveal conditions like pregnancy and diabetes, and some other bodily secretions like sweat and saliva can sometimes contain useful biomarkers as well. Typically, discoveries of new biomarkers are widely publicized in the medical community, because they can be incredibly useful tools, not just for doctors but for scientists in general. For example, researchers who suspect a high rate of birth defects are related to the use of specific chemical weapons can look for known biomarkers that indicate exposure to these weapons, and this evidence can be used to treat people and potentially deliver others to death. justice for using said weapons.
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