A biological indicator or biomarker is referred to everywhere in the medical field. X-ray or CAT scan results are biological indicators of your health as they are measured. More precisely, blood pressure is also a biomarker because this bodily characteristic can be measured. Researchers also monitor them to develop effective drugs and measure their influence on humans in the clinical setup.

Today, drug development efforts are marred by the failure rate. Those that pass preclinical, animal testing, and other assays may still fail when applied to people. Their success rate is only about 1 in 10 or less. The majority of them flop during development, delaying access to treatment. To do better in this area to provide affordable drugs and minimize failure risks, researchers depend heavily on new types of biological indicators that offer detailed information. Hence, it makes sense to delve into what a biomarker is and its significance in healthcare.

• An overview of biomarker
The term 'biomarker' is derived from combining two words, "biological and marker," to depict various physiological and chemical responses. Experts consider this characteristic as an indicator of regular pathogenic or biological processes. It is also used to understand reactions to therapeutic interventions and others. Different applications may need different biomarkers. For example, physiological measurements consider lung function and blood pressure biological signals. Clinical labs refer to the level of physiological electrolytes or liver function examination as a biomarker. Similarly, the biopharmaceutical development field considers gene expression, neurological peptides, cytokines, and growth factors as a biomarker. However, only qualified or validated biological signals or indicators that satisfy regulatory or scientific standards are allowed in research or clinical setups. If you need help with them, collaborate with established entities providing trusted R&D solutions. They can offer technical support as well if required.

• Types of biological markers
As mentioned, anything measured in the human body from chemical, metabolite, protein, or the result of a communication between a target cell/ molecule and a chemical can be a biomarker. Due to technological advancements, various biological markers can be used to measure a person's blood, urine, tissues, or hair. In fact, the environmental and health sectors rely heavily on biomonitoring systems for decision-making. Today, one can find distinct biomarker categories, each performing a specific role. Here is a quick look into a few of them.

• Risk biological markers
These biological signs can suggest the likelihood of a medical condition developing in an individual in the coming time. For example, genetic testing can be done to determine a person’s predisposition to suffer breast cancer. Suppose BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes mutate. It demonstrates that the individual is at a high risk of facing ovarian or breast cancer. This susceptibility type biomarker can be avoided or minimized by monitoring mutations and opting for suitable surgeries/ targeted therapies.

• Diagnostic biological markers
These helps detect or verify the presence of a medical condition or illness and can also give critical insight into the characteristics of an illness. For example, you must have heard about Prostate-specific antigen (PSA). This biomarker facilitates cancer diagnosis and tracking. If PSA levels are high in the blood, the person most likely has prostate cancer. PSA levels can also be monitored for changes over time to learn about the progression of the disease or treatment response. Likewise, the level of C-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood can determine inflammation in someone's body. This biomarker can reveal different types of inflammation, such as cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, and lupus.

• Prognostic biological markers
This specific biomarker can be used to predict the chances of recurrence of a disease or its progression. It helps with clinical events. Think of Ki-67 or BRAF, for instance. Ki-67 indicates cell proliferation associated with prostate cancer, breast cancer, and others. High levels of this protein hint that the tumor is aggressive or the condition is worse. In this context, frequent mutations in the BRAF gene can be linked with cancers like melanoma. Testing for this type of mutation may improve drug response and benefits of early treatment.

• Monitoring biological markers
It is another category of a biomarker that can be repeatedly measured for treatment or management of a medical condition/ disease. For instance, diagnosis and tracking of diabetes can be done through testing Hemoglobin A1c or HbA1c levels in the blood. It shows the status of blood glucose in the last three months. This test can also track disease progression or response to diabetes treatments. Like this, BNP or brain natriuretic peptide is also a monitoring biomarker. It studies heart failure by revealing information about high levels of pressure and volume that lead to such cases. With the help of a BNP, experts can determine the status of a heart condition and suitable treatment options.

• Pharmacodynamic biological markers
It is also known as a response biomarker, demonstrating the biological effect of an environmental agent or medicine on a person exposed to it. These biological markers are commonly applied in clinical trials to examine a new treatment's efficiency. Consider the effectiveness of chemotherapy on tumor size during cancer treatment, for instance. Reduction of high cholesterol levels in patients due to statins drugs can also be referred to as the response biomarker.

• Signs of a good biomarker
A biomarker in drug discovery can be helpful if it exists in saliva, urine, blood, or other biological fluids. It can then be easily collected through minimally invasive techniques Easy detection of these signals is also critical in pinpointing treatment response or clinical diagnosis. At the same time, it should be easy to validate a biomarker in independent assays. A good biological marker can be efficiently replicated. However, identifying a biomarker requires precise biomarker analysis related to diagnostic, predictive, or safety purposes. A few aspects are crucial for successful analysis and discovery, such as study design, data quality, modeling methods, and validation.

To be precise, scientific and research works can progress faster because of smooth access to phenomena like biological signals. However, the process of analyzing them must be reliable and sound. With the help of well-known entities in the R&D field, you can unlock various possibilities and breakthroughs.