Medicine
In medicine, a biomarker can be a traceable substance that is introduced into an organism as a means to examine organ function or other aspects of health. For example, rubidium chloride is used as a radioactive isotope to evaluate perfusion of heart muscle. It can also be a substance whose detection indicates a particular disease state, for example, the presence of an antibody may indicate an infection. More specifically, 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.
Biochemical biomarkers are often used in clinical trials, where they are derived from bodily fluids that are easily available to the early phase researchers. A useful way of finding genetic causes for diseases such as schizophrenia has been the use of a special kind of biomarker called an endophenotype.
Other biomarkers can be based on measures of the electrical activity of the brain (using Electroencephalography or Magnetoencephalography), or volumetric measures of certain brain regions (using Magnetic resonance imaging )
Read more about this topic: Biomarker
Famous quotes containing the word medicine:
“Good medicine is bitter to the taste.”
—Chinese proverb.
“Good medicine is bitter, but it cures illness.”
—Chinese proverb.
Confucius.
“As there is a use in medicine for poisons, so the world cannot move without rogues.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)