Differences in the patterns of protein expression in healthy versus compromised systems are explored for the potential use of protein biomarkers for medical applications and early detection of disease and damage.
Biomarkers can serve a variety of medical needs. They can be used to detect a disease in an individual in the early stages before that disease advances to become a serious illness. In this role, biomarkers are used to screen either the general population or individuals who are considered at high risk for developing a disease. Biomarkers can also be used to monitor a patient’s response to drugs or other types of therapy.
Although biomarkers are commonly used to detect a few diseases and to monitor some therapies, good protein biomarkers have not been identified for most medical needs. One of the greatest problems with finding useful biomarkers is that normal protein levels are highly variable among individuals. Factors as age and diet can alter biomarker levels in both healthy and diseased individuals.
Researchers at Podiceps are using existing technologies and developing new antibody-based technologies to study biomarkers of disease. In particular, we are working to identify clinically relevant biomarker profiles for pre-diabetes.