Biomarker discovery and development provide valuable insights for disease diagnosis. With advanced technologies and a team of professional talents, we help you identify and discover potential candidate biomarkers to advance the development of diagnostic assays.
What are Biomarkers?
Biomarkers, measurable indicators of biological processes or disease states, have emerged as powerful tools in infectious disease diagnosis. They provide valuable information about the presence, progression, and severity of infections. The following are the advantages of biomarkers in infectious disease diagnosis.
- Firstly, they allow for early detection and intervention, enabling prompt initiation of appropriate therapeutics and preventing disease progression.
- Secondly, they enhance specificity and accuracy in distinguishing between different infectious agents, aiding in targeted therapy selection.
- Additionally, biomarkers can serve as prognostic indicators, helping predict disease outcomes and guiding personalized treatment strategies.
Fig. 1 Stages of biomarker discovery and development. (Menetski J P, et al., 2019)
Types of Biomarkers
Various types of biomarkers are utilized in infectious disease diagnosis, each providing unique insights into the underlying pathological processes.
Genetic Biomarkers
Genetic biomarkers, primarily nucleic acids such as DNA or RNA, offer unparalleled specificity and sensitivity in detecting and identifying pathogens, as well as tracking their genetic variations and antibiotic resistance profiles.
Protein Biomarkers
These biomarkers are specific proteins or peptides whose presence or levels can indicate the presence of an infectious agent, provide information about the disease progression, or predict treatment response.
Metabolic Biomarkers
Metabolite biomarkers are small molecules or metabolites that can be detected and quantified in biological samples such as blood or urine. They can help identify the source of infection and offer advantages of easy detection and non-invasiveness.
Typical Biomarkers for Infectious Disease Diagnosis
Here are some examples of typical biomarkers used in infectious disease diagnosis.
| Infectious Diseases |
Typical Biomarkers |
| Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) |
HIV antibody, p24 antigen |
| Hepatitis B Virus (HBV) |
Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg), anti-HBc antibodies |
| Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) |
HCV antibody, HCV RNA |
| Tuberculosis (TB) |
Interferon-gamma |
| Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) |
SARS-CoV-2 viral RNA, nucleocapsid protein |
Our Services
Biomarker discovery and development hold tremendous promise in the realm of infectious disease diagnostics. Our company is at the forefront, offering comprehensive services encompassing every aspect of biomarker discovery and development. With our extensive expertise and unwavering dedication, we strive to unlock the potential of biomarkers to revolutionize infectious disease diagnosis.
Workflow of Biomarker Discovery and Development
Biological Sample Collection and Processing
- Sample Collection: Depending on the specific research focus, biological samples such as blood, urine, or tissue are commonly collected.
- Sample Processing: The collected samples are processed for further analysis. Processing steps include centrifugation, aliquoting, storage, etc.
Biomarker Discovery
- High-throughput Screening: High-throughput screening techniques such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics are employed to analyze a large number of samples and identify potential biomarkers.
- Bioinformatics Analysis: This step involves preprocessing, statistical analysis, and data mining of the large datasets generated through high-throughput screening to identify potential biomarkers and understand their biological significance.
Biomarker Validation
- Biological Effect Validation: Testing potential biomarkers in animal or human in vitro models to validate their biological effects, including determining the presence or levels of the biomarker in specific tissues or biological fluids, as well as studying its functional role or mechanism of action.
- Clinical Sample Validation: This involves analyzing clinical samples from patients with the target disease or condition and comparing biomarker levels between different patient groups. Statistical analysis is conducted to determine the diagnostic or prognostic value of the biomarker.
Biomarker Assay Development
- Technology Selection: Selecting an appropriate assay technology, such as ELISA, PCR, or biosensors, based on the nature of the biomarker and the needs of the assay.
- Method development: This involves optimizing detection conditions, designing primers or probes, and establishing calibration curves to ensure the accuracy, sensitivity, specificity and stability of biomarker detection.
Optional Biomarkers
At our company, we provide discovery, validation and assay development services for a wide variety of biomarkers.
Our Advantages
If you are interested in our services, please feel free to contact us for more details and quotation information of related services.
References
- Menetski J P, Hoffmann S C, Cush S S, et al. The Foundation for the National Institutes of Health Biomarkers Consortium: past accomplishments and new strategic direction[J]. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, 2019, 105(4): 829-843.
- Davis K D, Aghaeepour N, Ahn A H, et al. Discovery and validation of biomarkers to aid the development of safe and effective pain therapeutics: challenges and opportunities[J]. Nature Reviews Neurology, 2020, 16(7): 381-400.
All of our services and products are intended for preclinical research use
only and cannot be used to diagnose, treat or manage patients.
