Biomarkers
Measurable biological indicators, such as genes, proteins, or molecules in blood or tissue, that reveal a normal or disease state, predict outcomes, or signal response to treatment. They are central to diagnostics, drug development, and precision medicine.
What are biomarkers?
Biomarkers are measurable biological indicators, such as specific genes, proteins, or other molecules found in blood, tissue, or other samples, that reflect a normal or disease state. They provide objective signals about what is happening inside the body.
Different biomarkers serve different purposes: some help detect or characterize disease, some predict likely outcomes, and others indicate how a patient may respond to a particular treatment. A single marker may carry several of these meanings depending on context.
Why are biomarkers important?
Biomarkers are central to diagnostics, drug development, and precision medicine because they let clinicians and researchers tie decisions to measurable biology rather than to broad averages. They can guide who is likely to benefit from a therapy and how that therapy is performing.
In research, they help define eligible populations and assess response, including in trial designs organized around a shared molecular feature. In care, they increasingly inform individualized treatment choices.
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